Letting the cat out

judgefudge

Hey guys,

Just looking for a little advice on my situation. I got my cat from a shelter about 3 months ago and I've started lettin him out in the evenings for a few hours each day. He seems to really enjoy this and it's nice to see him running around getting some exercise.

My problem is that I don't have, nor will I be able to get, a cat flap. It's just not an option. I've been leaving the door ajar for him the past while, but this won't work long term. Particularly when the weather gets bad. I also live alone and I don't like leaving doors open until late at night.

So I'm wondering basically what I should do... I don't want to deprive him of the opportunity to go out and adventure. It has been suggested that I get a little kennel type house out the back and just let him outside at night and back in in the morning. I'm wary of this because there's a number of neighbourhood cats in the area that he has fought with. He's quite a submissive cat and runs straight back in the house (sometimes right onto my lap) if another cat has a go. I don't like the idea of him being locked out I guess.

So as far as I can see my options are

1) let him out at night like above
2) let him out while I'm at work (8-6) but he sleeps all day so I don't know what the point would be.
3) let him out for a couple of hours each day while the weather is decent and then see what happens in winter.

If you're wondering why I leave the door open when he's out it's because of the other cats, and also he freaks out when he sees me close it. He's a very scaredy cat he has been slowly getting braver.

What would you do? Any advice would be great!

muddypaws

Is there a small window you could leave open instead, show him where it is, and hopefully he'll learn to go in and out of that. obviously when the weather is really bad you'd need to keep it closed, but being a cat, he'd probably want to stay inside when its cold and/or wet anyway.

brrabus

He sounds like one of mine, if I close the door on him he legs it back as if some monster is chasing him, he is different at night tho, loves to go prowling in the dark. He was like this as a kitten and has never changed, his sister on the other hand is the bravest little thing you have ever seen. I could leave her out all day, no worries.

I have no cat flap, never had one and it has never been a problem. I do however have a kennel in the back which is fur lined. Sometimes I peep out and one of them is just sitting in it with their head slightly stuck out (so cute), they are so comfy in their they don't want to move. I would suggest a kennel, as long as he has somewhere to shelter till you get back he will be fine.

Good look with your new kitty, he is boss remember we are just mere servants, however sounds like you are aware of that already.

angelfire9

My cats have outdoor access by day via the utility room window but they are in every night I wouldn't sleep if they were not in by night to be honest

I have a kennel in the garden but they don't use it

Themadhouse

You could build a small enclosure that he can access from a small window maybe? That way he could come and go as he pleases without it being a concern and it will be his space free from other cats.

judgefudge

Thanks guys. To answer the question, there is a window I could open but it's actually really big so if the weather got cold it just wouldn't be an option either. I might start letting him out when I go to work. He's usually pretty lively in the morning, but he really comes into his own at night.

Hard to know what to do really. I wouldn't mind the idea of him being out at night if I knew he had a safe place to get away from neighbour cats. As it stands they are bullying him a bit

judgefudge

There are upper storey windows that are a little smaller, he has actually jumped out them before. I'm not comfortable with him jumping that height (I know he's a cat and he's probably fine, but still). Whenever he jumped out I went downstairs to let him back in cause he'd be at the back door meowing and freaking out. Why jump in the first place?!

Anyway, maybe I can build some sort of contraption from that window down to the ground. I saw a great one online somewhere which was basically a wooden post anchored to the wall with wooden boards as steps.

brrabus

judgefudge wrote: »

Thanks guys. To answer the question, there is a window I could open but it's actually really big so if the weather got cold it just wouldn't be an option either. I might start letting him out when I go to work. He's usually pretty lively in the morning, but he really comes into his own at night.

Hard to know what to do really. I wouldn't mind the idea of him being out at night if I knew he had a safe place to get away from neighbour cats. As it stands they are bullying him a bit

Possibly just getting to know each other and standing their ground, yours will too. Quite a few cats around where I am but none of them would dare come into my garden, they will not even cross the fence as they know it is not their territory, a few cats have tried in the past but that did not last long once mine stood their ground. There is one that lives a few doors up and one of mine sits on the inside of a little window in the hall and this other one sometimes sits on the outside and they hiss at each other through the glass but avoid each other outside.

Careful about leaving windows open when you are out, even if they are small.

judgefudge

brrabus wrote: »

Possibly just getting to know each other and standing their ground, yours will too. Quite a few cats around where I am but none of them would dare come into my garden, they will not even cross the fence as they know it is not their territory, a few cats have tried in the past but that did not last long once mine stood their ground. There is one that lives a few doors up and one of mine sits on the inside of a little window in the hall and this other one sometimes sits on the outside and they hiss at each other through the glass but avoid each other outside.

Well he's been here 3 months now and the neighbour cats just won't stop giving him a hard time. Like I said he's timid by nature and tends to run from fights, so he'll run into the house. I don't think he has established his territory because other cats are always around. Most of the time when he's out he sits quite close to the house at the end of the patio. It's like that's his boundary. Only when it gets dark and he gets that crazy look will he go further down the garden. He's a wimp essentially.

brrabus

judgefudge wrote: »

He's a wimp essentially.

LOL, that's exactly what I call my boy and he is also the same, loves being out at night but prefers to be in during the day or out in the garden if the patio door is open, takes great exception when I close it - if I could put little gloves on his paws he could clean the glass while he is begging to get in. Even a big gust of wind sends him legging it in, total wimp.

judgefudge

brrabus wrote: »

LOL, that's exactly what I call my boy and he is also the same, loves being out at night but prefers to be in during the day or out in the garden if the patio door is open, takes great exception when I close it - if I could put little gloves on his paws he could clean the glass while he is begging to get in. Even a big gust of wind sends him legging it in, total wimp.

Haha. Mines the same. Freaks out if the door swings closed. I'm putting it down to youth and because he's new to the neighbourhood!

Karl Stein

judgefudge wrote: »

There are upper storey windows that are a little smaller, he has actually jumped out them before.

Cat ladder.

judgefudge

Cathal Cloch wrote: »

Cat ladder.

That's the very thing! I'll look into it. No idea where I'd acquire one

Karl Stein

judgefudge wrote: »

That's the very thing! I'll look into it. No idea where I'd acquire one

They're quite common on the continent for cat owners who live in apartments.

A handyman could probably put one together for you.

Themadhouse

Do you feel he needs to be out? Would you try him as an indoor only cat and see how he goes.

audman

WHO LET THE CATS OUT? (Meow, Meow, Meow, Meow)

periodictable

Why does he need to be in? Feed him well once a day and he will have the best of all worlds-lots of space and a base.

judgefudge

Well I feed him twice a day. He's mad for food. Vet actually suggested I feed him 4 times a day but I can't when I'm at work. And he broke into the automatic feeder ಠ_ಠ

He looks happy when he's outside and I like to see him happy so I think he should be able to spend a certain amount of time outside. I know some cats are indoors and that's grand, but I can see he wants to go out and I'm not going to stop him.

Themadhouse

periodictable wrote: »

Why does he need to be in? Feed him well once a day and he will have the best of all worlds-lots of space and a base.

All well and good until he is digging up your garden to do his poo. lol.

Plenty of good reasons to keep a kitten indoors. FIV, FELV, rat poison, garden poisons, cars, roads, cat attacks, etc.

brrabus

judgefudge wrote: »

Well I feed him twice a day. He's mad for food. Vet actually suggested I feed him 4 times a day but I can't when I'm at work. And he broke into the automatic feeder ಠ_ಠ

He looks happy when he's outside and I like to see him happy so I think he should be able to spend a certain amount of time outside. I know some cats are indoors and that's grand, but I can see he wants to go out and I'm not going to stop him.

Four times a day, wow, that is way too often unless he is a kitten but am assuming that as he is outside he is not. TBH he sounds identical to mine, in everyway you described. Everytime I go to the kitchen he follows me, sits at the press where the food is and meows, often silent meows, puts on the look at me face, I am so cute face hoping that I will give in. I used to until about a couple of years ago as he was getting a bit chubby. Now he has to make do with the nuggets, he is not overly keen on them, prefers wet food but I limit him to one sachet per day now. After following me around, looking pathetic, he eventually goes over to them. It was tough at the beginning but I stuck to it. Prior to that he never ate the nuggets hence the reason his teeth are not as good as his sisters. Wish I could get him off the wet food tho, maybe one day.

You will get used to yours and find out what he likes, all his little quirks, you will also find out how he can play you. Don't overfeed whatever you do, a moment on the lips is a long time on the hips especially if he turns out like mine who loves to sleep all day. Post a pic of him if you have one.

efb

Just popped downstairs, himself (cat) asleep on the sofa- he hadn't been in when I was going to bed. He is good at coming back now so not as worried. I leave the bathroom window open and close it when he comes in.

kylith

Be aware of how it will affect your insurance if you have the window open while you're out.

snowgal

hi there, my cat sounds abit like yours too. We cant have cat flap either so what we do is I let her out when Im going to work then OH lets her in afew hours later. then when Im back from work she goes out for another hour then in for food again then (weather permitting!) I usually let her out from 9 to 11ish and then she comes back and up to bed with mammy! they just need to get into a routine, takes a while. in the summer when we're there we just leave door open all the time but in winter I think this works best. Just on the feeding thing, my cat is now a poor lil fattie, my fault! her tummy swings when she moves around. I need to get stronger and say no!

periodictable

judgefudge wrote: »

Well I feed him twice a day. He's mad for food. Vet actually suggested I feed him 4 times a day but I can't when I'm at work. And he broke into the automatic feeder ಠ_ಠ

He looks happy when he's outside and I like to see him happy so I think he should be able to spend a certain amount of time outside. I know some cats are indoors and that's grand, but I can see he wants to go out and I'm not going to stop him.

I think you're right on the ball! But the vet sounds like an idiot.

judgefudge

Yeah I'm very wary about the food situation. He's roughly 5.5kg in size, which I know is big but he's also quite a large cat in general. He doesn't look fat. I measure his food (dry pellets) every time I feed him because I'm so worried about making him fat. The vet just said to feed the same amount (60g) total over four separate feeding times. Which just really isn't realistic... I think she said that because he just inhales his food in 2 minutes flat when I feed him. She suggested that his stomach was too big or something and he'd be a happier cat if he could eat more often. But I tried the automatic feeder and he broke into it within 5 mins and ate all his food for the next day!

Anyway I like seeing him run around outside because it can only be a good thing that he gets some exercise.

judgefudge

Here's a picture of him enjoying the sunshine

brrabus

He is a fine boy, absolutely gorgeous.

judgefudge

Thanks! Still a wimp though!

Nody

For the feeding have you considered getting a feeding ball instead? Means he'll need to beat it around and only a few kibble will come out at the time slowing down his eating speed. The other alternative is a feeding bowl with things sticking up/making it harder to get to slow him down as well (I've used both with success on our hoover cat who would eat to much and throw up).

runawaybishop

periodictable wrote: »

I think you're right on the ball! But the vet sounds like an idiot.

Nothing wrong with giving smaller meals more frequently.

muddypaws

judgefudge wrote: »

Well I feed him twice a day. He's mad for food. Vet actually suggested I feed him 4 times a day but I can't when I'm at work. And he broke into the automatic feeder ಠ_ಠ

brrabus wrote: »

Four times a day, wow, that is way too often unless he is a kitten but am assuming that as he is outside he is not.

periodictable wrote: »

I think you're right on the ball! But the vet sounds like an idiot.

Cats are actually grazers, snack feeders, they don't feed like dogs, they would typically eat 20/30 small meals a day, so the vet isn't an idiot. Cats very seldom gorge on their food, I put dry food out in the morning for my cats, and it is there all day for them to eat what they want, when they want. A lot of days there is still food left in the evening.

judgefudge

muddypaws wrote: »

Cats are actually grazers, snack feeders, they don't feed like dogs, they would typically eat 20/30 small meals a day, so the vet isn't an idiot. Cats very seldom gorge on their food, I put dry food out in the morning for my cats, and it is there all day for them to eat what they want, when they want. A lot of days there is still food left in the evening.

I'd well believe it. He's my first cat and I had expected that he would just graze throughout the day. Nope. He gobbles it all down as quickly as possible. I really have to monitor his food intake because I'd say he'd get Hella tubby if I let him.

Alun

Depends a lot on the individual cats. One of ours will happily graze like that, the other would easily eat a whole bag of food in one sitting if you let her, so it makes life very difficult in our house as we have to keep an eye on her to make sure she isn't stealing the other cat's food when we're not looking.

Dolbert

We leave ours out during the day when we're at work but keep them in at night, would this be an option? Cats don't really need to be out at night at all, they're more likely to get into fights etc at night so really it's safer for them to sleep indoors. Ours will now put themselves to bed at around 11pm and we can then leave them out all day, without leaving the house vulnerable with windows open etc.

judgefudge

Dolbert wrote: »

We leave ours out during the day when we're at work but keep them in at night, would this be an option? Cats don't really need to be out at night at all, they're more likely to get into fights etc at night so really it's safer for them to sleep indoors. Ours will now put themselves to bed at around 11pm and we can then leave them out all day, without leaving the house vulnerable with windows open etc.

Yeah I might try doing this. I was just thinking of letting him out at night because generally he seems more lively and interested in going out at nighttime. He just sleeps all day

cuckoo

judgefudge wrote: »

Yeah I might try doing this. I was just thinking of letting him out at night because generally he seems more lively and interested in going out at nighttime. He just sleeps all day

Mine used to do that when I first got them and was keeping them inside until they got settled, all their vaccinations, etc. Slept all day, and bounced around the house all night.

Now they go out in the morning, and if we're home they'll pop in and out. Then in the evening they come in and settle down for the night.

I don't have to worry about them getting into fights at night, and there's the added bonus of two cute furballs curling up against my feet on the bed.

Dixie Chick

Personally i think out is grand when you can supervise them , and you can let them in when the ask. And then one last huzzah before brought in for the night!

Dave_Power

I think you should make your mind up before the nights get too cold, I wouldnt
like to be leaving a cat out over night for the first time on a cold frosty night

judgefudge

Dave_Power wrote: »

I think you should make your mind up before the nights get too cold, I wouldnt
like to be leaving a cat out over night for the first time on a cold frosty night

Think I might try leaving him out when I go to work. But then weather wise is it ok to leave a cat out in the cold during the day even?

fatmammycat

Judgefudge, our cats were never allowed out at night because as far as I can see they get into terrible trouble at night with other cats, foxes, oh any number of things because they were so active.
Every night at midnight ours were fed and locked in, let out again at 6/7 am, mostly they explored at dawn, and after breakfast spent much of the day asleep on various beds/sofas/desk tops (I work from home) Two of the cats lived until they were into their 20s, the baby(:/) is now 12 and is happy as larry with this arrangement( he has lived it from a kitten, and will look for his bed and food at around 23:00 sometimes).
Cats are way more active at night, but if they can have free reign during the day they can and do adopt to a much more owner-relaxing regime. They can get used to a routine quickly, but it takes practice.

judgefudge

I'm just wondering how to get him used to being locked out really. I work from at least 8-6 everyday and I live alone so there won't be an opportunity for him to come inside at noon if he wants. I might start locking him out for an hour or two here or there and see how he reacts. I'd rather he was out during the day too, he just seems very sleepy in the daytime so I don't know if he's bothered. He literally slept on my bed today from 11am to 10.30pm straight. Only getting up to eat.

Dave_Power

hia. yeah theres no bother leaving him out during the day. remember there are risks, cats have no road sense, they stray, they can go missing for days or even never come back. And countless others.
Make sure he has a small kennel.
In my experience with my cats if its cold or if they want to come in you'll hear them scratching on your door. As your cat gets older he will prefer to be outside more than inside as he'll have a certain area to protect. In my opinion cats are a more outdoor creature then indoor.

Pumpkinseeds

So long as he has shelter from the elements and other cats he should be fine. A cat kennel or access to a shed would be ideal. Mine tend to be most active early morning an after 10pm, although when the weather's bad they want to sit in the open door and let the heat out:rolleyes: You know the saying that a cat is always on the wrong side of the door.

As far as the food thing goes, Felix can be a little eating machine, Jazzy is getting to be as bad. I've got their Advocate flea/wormer drops yesterday, now I just need a dry day to do them. And of course the element of surprise to get them on Jazzy:)

SillyMangoX

My dad lets my guys out in the morning, around 7am. They spend nearly the whole day on windowsills, in their kennel, one if the sheds or the greenhouse. And usually we find cream on the shed roof. If we are going away somewhere we bring them in and let them out again when we get home, they get fed about 4 times a day too and only one of them is chubby! They come in every night between 6 and 8 and sleep for the whole night