Releasing an inside cat outside

[bindiloo]

Im just wondering what others opinions are of my situation.
I have a cat that has only lived indoors however he does have a caged area outside which we do put him in everyday,but he longs to just get outside and explore i can tell,he drives me nut wanting to get out but its been so long that im worried he'll get hurt. He got out by accident yesterday and just casually walked around the yard then came to me i called him so im wondering whether to just do it and let him out so he can be free to play. I know alot of people dont agree with cats being outside but i feel so slack,he looks so sad locked inside. Im so worried though that he's not street smart and other cats will attack him cause he'd walk straight up to them and be friendly and he'd be friendly to strangers too.

Whats your thoughts?

[shed]

My sister puts her cat on a lead and takes him exploring.

She's crazy mind you :laughing: but it might be worth a shot? Just to see how he goes before you let him out by himself?

[reAllytee]

This is a really hard one it depends on where you live as well as many other various reasons etc etc.
For us our female cat just kept getting out any chance she could when i tried to hang washing out & the likes so i got fed up with doing this dance come acorbatic act trying to keep her in everyday.
I have strict rules though !
She only goes out through the day & comes back in at nite but if she does go out to toilet at around 9pm then seems silly but i actually trained her to start with that an hour later i went out & called her made her come to me then we went back inside. So i now say " an hour & your back " whether this is by chance or not an hour later she is sitting at the front door or back window wanting to come back in usually after 15mins now which is even better ! She never wanders out of the back courtyard at this time of nite btw because we have drain/feral cats that start wandering at nite & she learnt her lesson after 2 nites when she got cornered & attacked by one !
We live in a complex of villas & townhouses so i pretty much know where she is through the day cause i see her wandering & playing with the neighbours cats etc so im not too stressed.
Before we bought this place there was no way in hell i wouldve let her out because we lived near bushland & she is stupid so wouldve been lost in minutes !!!!
My cat is also a purebred so i wont take chances on someone stealing her now especially when her son was stolen from us :crying:
Your other option is to buy more toys for your little guy to keep him amused & make a safe outdoor area like you say you have already this is more than enough for them to be honest & if you set it up right he will be very happy !

[bindiloo]

I tried the lead thing years ago shed but he would just flip out and do the death roll and manage to slide it off himself so i stopped that.
I was thinking of having him coming back in of an arvo and be inside for the night but he is himalayan persian cross russian blue persian so he is a very nice cat and i was worried someone would snatch him. Im thinking i might take him out later and sit outside with him for awhile and let him slowly get used to it that way and just increase thee time each day.
We live in a house with a good size block and there is bushland but its a few street away. There are ferral cats that live down the drains too and i hear some full on fights between all the cats at night so id definetely have him in at night there was no question about that.
Im just really nervous about it i guess:rolleyes:

[Lila]

hmmmmmmmm

i just can tell you how it was with my cat, but don´t know how yours would react :)

ours was an indoor-tiger for nearly 3 years, and then, when we moved she was able to go outside. we let her and it took her HOURS to explore the area- i thought she was gone! BUT she just checked everything out and she was one happy kitty :)

but as i said, every kitty is different- good luck!

[mummybunny]

hubby has had his cat for 9 years now and after finally being desexed she has a new lease of life and wants to explore everything... what we do is take the cat outside with us, when i put the washing on the line she comes outside and wanders around the backyard.. we find that we need to keep an eye on her which is never any trouble we just leave her in the back yard and give her a nice brush while she lays back eating grass (lol crazy cat) and when she has had her brush she goes for a run and when we call her back she comes running sometimes we do need to tell her she can have food if she comes but we have been letting her out for 10 months now and she loves smelling the flowers and rolling in the grass... i think that if u keep and eye on ur cat just sit outside and have a cup of coffee while he goes exploring he'll love u for it and realise that if he comes back when u tell him to and is a good boy he'll get to explore more often!

[bigglet]

I have an indoor cat - I had him as a kitten and he has been an indoor cat since then. He's not bored - he has toys and he plays with the dogs.... but I've noticed that most of the time he just sleeps. Several times I have left home with him sleeping on the bed and come home after a full days work and he's exactly in the same position as I left him in!!!

As a kitten/young cat - I used to take him on walks on a leash.

[TenAndTa]

Hello Bindiloo,
I thought I would give you the opinion of a Registered Veterinary Nurse about Rosso the cat. Is Rosso de-sexed? Cats that are not de-sexed are more likely to roam once enabled to go outside they are also more likely to get into fights as well. Is Rosso Vaccinated? Because I strongly recommend it, if Rosso is going to be allowed to go outside on a permanent basis. If he comes into contact with a stray cat or even someones unvaccinated pet he could contract deadly diseases eg. Feline Aids, Feline Leukaemia there is no cure for either of these diseases once contracted.

So like some people have advised go outside with him and get him used to coming back in when you call him & reward him with food when he does come back in.

[DjF]

Oh, im so glad someone started this thread!
As a kid i lived in the country and was given a kitten - i used to go on walks and hang her around my neck when she got tired! She learnt to come when called (she was raised with very obedient dogs) she walked where ever she wanted and never got into any mischief, followed me everywhere - even helped round up the chooks! Learnt that one from the dogs too!

Now we have 2 young indoor cats who have only ever known living in a top floor appartment and having a small balcony to look over - theyre such parisienne cats, love to watch people and cars go by!

But now we are about to move into a house and id love for them to be able to roam the backyard only - next door also sold at the same time and the place reeked of feral cat and pee.:eek: :barf:

We are going to do as others suggested - let them out with us but im quite worried they will bolt! Esp as one side of the property isnt fenced!

[Mojogal]

My mum has 6 cats and a fully cat-fenced yard so they can get out and about, but not out of the yard, and no other cats can get in either. It's a great set-up, but not always viable, depending on where you live.
But one thing she did, which has been such a great thing for them, is she got an off-cut piece of tree-trunk from a friend (you could try a timber mill too), which has a few branch stubs left on it. She dug a hole in the yard and stood this bit of trunk upright in it, so the ctas have a lovely big (about 6ft tall) climbing/scratching/ lounging post! It's a wonderful thing, 4 cats can be on it at a time if they choose, playing or relaxing, even perching on top. They just LOVE this thing and it gives them hours of enjoyment. Sometimes Mum attaches toys or treats to it, from the various branch stubs, and the cats will happily play around it all day long.
Perhaps something like this in your yard would encourage your cat to stay put?