# Transition from Indoor to Outdoor cat



## Cats_Shadow

Hi Everyone,

Does anyone have any advice on introducing a cat to the great outdoors?

Shadow has lived indoors all her life, she is now 4 years old. When we got her we were told that as she is of nervous disposition we would have to keep her inside as if she was let out she'd just run away.

However, we are going to be moving to a new place next month with a lovely garden. The estate is quiet and is far from busy roads. 

I'd really like to let her out and start introducing her to the outdoors. Is this a good idea? Any tips on doing this? I read you should stay somewhere 2 months at least before letting them out, so they get their bearings. Also heard that if you put butter on their paws before letting them out they clean it off while sitting there and feeling relaxed, taking in the atmosphere and remembering it as home.

Do you think she will run away? If she's nervous surely this is an advantage in a way, she won't be getting into dangerous situations or pestering people who don't like cats....


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## Selk67U2

*To be honest I don't know what she'll do. Not sure about the butter thing either, new one on me. You could try a harness for a while and let her walk about the garden on that. The keeping her in for a while when you move is right. If she is a nervous cat, then I would'nt be letting her out, what if she panics and legs it the wrong way, she may never come back, not a risk i'd want to take, but I don't know what the area is like where you are moving to.*


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## Janee

Hi there Cat's Shadow.

I would be inclined to keep her in for about 2 months. This is because she will have to adjust to new smells of the house, new arrangements of furniture, rooms etc. Also noises from both inside and outside the house.

While she is in, you, as the owner, can look out for any possible risks that you would be unaware of if not living there. Such as: dogs let loose, gangs of teenagers, other cats crossing what will be her territory, neighbours who may not like cats.

Then you can make an informed decision as to whether to go ahead letting her out. 

You need to think about access - catflap and what sort. There are bog standard swing door cat flaps, there are magnet and infrared catflaps - collars needed, and there are microchip catflaps that scan your cat's chip. The price varies from cheap to £80 - £120 for a chip scanning version. The advantage of magnetic, chip etc is that they only let your cat in and to a certain extent you can programme them.

If you haven't got her chipped, then I would recommend it if you let her out. This is because if she got lost hopefully having her chipped would make it more likely that you would be re-united.

There is a debate as to whether to collar or not - if you collar, then make sure it is a fast release type collar as your cat may well climb trees or stalk through bushes and could get caught be the collar and strangled or worse - horribly injured.

Some people let their cat out at first either on a harness or supervised. Just be aware a cat can move very fast and/or get frightened. If you are going to let her out do it when she is hungry.

Yes, you will be worried she won't come back - you got to learn to build up trust. i have found that when I call and my cat comes I give a cat treat about 1 in 4 times. I also bang the food dishes together when I am about to feed them - this is a signal and usually they come flying in.

Remember also that she won't have built up the instincts to be frightened of cars - might be worth thinking about that.

Some people have sewn in a key finder tracker into a collar (must be quick release collar - see above). It is possible then to 'track' the cat if she goes missing.

When I was a child, we used to take our cat on holiday - my great aunt had a cottage in North Wales, and my grandparents lived in London and we used to visit both places with the cat. The cat used to travel loose in the back of the car, on our laps! No seat belts then! When we arrived we used to butter the paws and then the cat was let out. I am talking 50 odd years ago now.


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## WhiteNile

Once she's settled into your new place, if you can get her to wear a harness, you could take her to the front/back door wearing the harness and attached to a lead (not outside the door, just inside) and open up the door. Monitor her reaction yourself; see if she seems frightened or inquisitive. Of course, she may be a little weary at first if she's never been out, but as long as she isn't too scared I'd carry on like that. Let her decide if and when she wants to step outside the door, and you just follow wherever she takes you. If, after a week or two, she seems to want to venture out more, introduce her to the surrounding areas whilst still on the harness, like your whole garden and street, so that when you finally let her out, you know she knows the area well.

If she acts nervous whenever you take her out, though, I'd probably keep her in or get her a run to go outside in.


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