Letting my new cats outside!

Re: Letting my new cats outside!

supamog — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 09:09:08 GMT

Hi one of mine to too stupid to let outside, eats everything, leaves, tops of onions and privet hedge! The maine coons can't fit through the cat flap either! Have you tried propping the cat flap up in the open position with a stick or ruler so that they get the idea of going through with perhaps some treats at the other side of it? or taking the flap off while you are about, just in case any visiting cats take advantage of the opportunity to investigate? may be worth a try it worked with mine while they were in the cattery recently.

Re: Letting my new cats outside!

jo_g — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 14:27:48 GMT

Hi, I know how you feel. Im good at giving advice to owners but when its my own cat its different. I am totally neurotic but I started by taking him out in the garden on a lead and then gradually let him off the lead and he stayed in the garden. After this he started exploring but found if I rattled the tin or gavve him a treat when he came in then he would always come back.

Re: Letting my new cats outside!

Katy — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 10:43:15 GMT

Thanks for the tips

They are both doing pretty well now.

Mia has a collar on so I can hear where she is, going to get Lionel one today. Next stage is to get them microchipped.

They just need to learn to use the cat flap now - lol. It is proving a bit tricky!

Re: Letting my new cats outside!

Avril Louise Jackson RVN — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 02:43:11 GMT

I can understand your nervousness! I live very near to a main road (a busy one) and so my cats are, unfortunately mostly indoor cats. My house has become a major health hazard with cat enrichment activity centres round every bend!! I would love to live next to a field. Are you allowed access to the field? If so, Mia might like to walk with you in the field..

My Grandma's advice would have been put butter on their paws! It might be an old wives tale but it's worth a try for the sake of a bit of butter!

In all seriousness I would suggest you carry on as you are, letting them out for short intervals, rewarding their return with their favourite foods and lots of praise. Keep a water supply outside your house in case they are out and they don't come back at a time when you need to leave the house but dont leave food outside incase it attracts other visitors that may be a threat to Mia and Lionel either physically or territorially.

Re: Letting my new cats outside!

Katie Mansfield — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 07:17:18 GMT

We have a rat named Rhiana - after my daughter's fav pop star!!!!! Still they live in a cage, so my neighbours would never know..... I couldn't imagine shouting Lady Gaga out the back door on a regular basis tho

K x

Re: Letting my new cats outside!

Katy — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 17:04:00 GMT

Fab. Thanks for the tip....

Lionel was called that when we got him, but Mia was called Lady Gaga!!! Lol!

Re: Letting my new cats outside!

Katie Mansfield — Thu, 29 Sep 2011 16:28:51 GMT

After we moved we kept ours in for 2 weeks then I only let them outside for about 15 minutes just prior to cat dinner time for at least a fortnight. They got the message that food is served at a certain time inside the house pretty quickly

BTW Mia and Lional and great names for cats!!!!!

K x