I let mine out about 30 minutes before I'm going to bed.
That way they are usually done and ready to come back in when I go off to bed.
If they are not there (unusual) a whistle brings them running.
The younger is usually standing on the window ledge by then anyway. The older one is generally under the back of the car watching for me.
One the (very) odd occasion that they don't appear they get to stay out.
That said if the weather is miserable or cold I'll try to stay awake longer listening for them to let them back in.
OMG its not the birds you have to worry about its the bits of eaten mouse that you tread on in the dark going to the loo LOL.
I had one cat that was a real killer with rats. I got up one day, and outside the back door was a line of DEAD RATS at least 8, they were sadly RUSSIAN BLUE rats, someone must have let out into the wild, being a bit domesticated they were not clever enough to get away from Tripod, who was a 3 legged fur ball part persian vermin killer. Sadly a rat killed him in the end, he was poisoned by a rat that had ingested rat poison we think.
At least 3 times a week i have to move dead vermin from our house, lucky enough no birds not until the baby birds are ready to fly, then we put out silver paper and stuff to make sure the birds dont come into the garden.
Cats can be brutal but I suppose it is part of nature.
We do have a dog flap, and the animals come and go. One of them stays out all night and comes in for breakfast but the other 2 sleep all night in the house.
I think it is so old fashioned now to throw the moggey out at night lOL, poor things.
My cat comes in and out as she pleases. There was a period when she'd spend days and days away, but now she's at home more than ever. When we open the garden doors to let the dog out, she just sits staring out. Never actually joins him. And if she does, give it 3-4 mins, and you'll hear her meow-ing to be let back in. Bless her. Her name is Kitty!!
When we moved in to the current place the first thing I did was fit a cat flap! One of the criteria for the selection of this home was no traffic. It's a nice quiet close with no thru traffic. Eerily quiet sometimes.
Ours basically only spend time outside in the warmer / drier months. This weather it's just 1's/2's then back in. Not many presents thankfully:)
If you have a flap it soon becomes clear they dont want to be out all night.
We have a cat flap and they come and go as they please night and day - during the summer like others have said, they're rarely in but in the winter they're rarely out - we live on a relatively quiet road and the cats stroll in the road like they own it. 3 out of 5 have white on them so are easily seen in headlights, the others have reflective collars.
Neighbours across the road put theirs out at night and it breaks my heart to see their little white girl perched on the window ledge desperate to get in. My brother and his wife put theirs out in all weathers and it does annoy me - poor animals but they have a few sheds in their garden and have cut holes in the bottom of the shed doors so the cats can at least get in the dry if not warm - better than nothing I guess!
My cat is mainly an indoor cat. We let her out for an hour or so each day (longer at the weekends) but never at night. We have foxes and she'd be no match...
Do people still do this? It seems a bit sort of 70's...you know, the sort of thing Terry would say to June.
I only ask as I was just out the back having a cigarette when I saw a neighbour's bathroom window fly open, followed by an out-thrust hand and a pretty disgruntled looking cat!
It looked pretty amusing at first, but then I felt a bit sorry for the poor old cat. It's lashing down outside!
My two are not particularly outdoorsy, so I'd never dream of throwing them out into the January elements without any means of getting back in by themselves.
What do other people think....par for the course, or maybe a tad on the harsh side? 'Spose it depends on the individual cat really.
No, she makes her own mind up whether or not she wants to stop our for the night, which at this time of year is never. Only ever between about May and September.
RSPCA and animal charities all state that if something bad is going to happen to your cat it mostly happens at ight (eg get run over) . So I keep mine in now although it's hard when my older one is literally climbing up the walls to get out....better safe than sorry.
This is quite correct and very good advice. When I used to do some work with Cats Protection some years ago, people who wanted to choose a cat from the rehoming centre were assessed for their suitability to be a cat owner and give their selected cat a good home.
One of the questions they would be asked was "Where would you keep your cat at night?" The correct answer, was, of course, indoors!
Cats that are put out at night are subjected to the dangers of being taken, being run over and injured or killed, being attacked by thugs, and many other hazards. Also, of course, night is when much cat fighting over territory takes place.
We have three cats, two are 13 years of age and the other is 5. The oldest cat likes to go out but has a wam box outside, the other 13 year old goes out for 5 mins and then howls to come back in. However the youngest one is a devil for disappearing and then I'm up and down all night looking for her. My husband thinks I'm mad. Just recently I discovered her in a neighbour's front garden and since then I've seen her there several times and have carried her back home at midnight in the pouring rain. The other night it had been raining heavily and I went looking for her and she was on the neighbour's step but quite dry as if she's been indoors and then put outside when they went to bed. The house is in another street and I don't know who lives there but I'm not happy that the cat is going indoors. Any ideas of what I can do to stop them letting the cat in? I haven't actually seen her going inside but my husband and I are convinced that this is what is happening.
Mine usually wants to go out just before I go to bed, the awkward blighter, so I let him out and let him back in when he appears at the window 15 minutes later. If I'm asleep by then, he stays out.
Do people still do this? It seems a bit sort of 70's...you know, the sort of thing Terry would say to June.
I only ask as I was just out the back having a cigarette when I saw a neighbour's bathroom window fly open, followed by an out-thrust hand and a pretty disgruntled looking cat!
It looked pretty amusing at first, but then I felt a bit sorry for the poor old cat. It's lashing down outside!
My two are not particularly outdoorsy, so I'd never dream of throwing them out into the January elements without any means of getting back in by themselves.
What do other people think....par for the course, or maybe a tad on the harsh side? 'Spose it depends on the individual cat really.
Cats like the night - mine does anyway. he cries and fusses to get out. But he does have a cat flap to get back in if the weather's bad.
My cat was out all last night and was clamering to get back in at 6.30 this morning when I got up. I only let him out at night if he wants to go out, I would never force him. Part of me prefers for him to be out at night as I think it's safer due to less traffic and people being about.
I suppose the decision on to whether to let your cat out at night depends on where you live. If you live in an area with heavy traffic or near a main road, then it's going to be dangerous to let your cat out day or night & perhaps night is better if there is less traffic around. If you live in the countryside then perhaps there is more danger from foxes at night.
I live in a quiet suburban close so there is no passing traffic & whatever cars do come into the close have to go very slowly because of parked cars & the bend in the road. My main worry used to be that one of our friendly & inquisitive cats would sometimes try to get into delivery vans. If I could catch the driver I always asked them to check the inside of the van/lorry in case Dermot was trying to stowaway!
Cats are crepuscular (dawn & dusk hunters) so this is usually the time that they will want to go out. Plus they are very good at time sharing territory with other cats if there is a relatively high density of cats in the neighbourhood. So if your cat is desperate to go out at a particular time of day or night, it may be because this is what observation & experience tell them is the safest time to go out.
I have a cat flap so my cats can choose when they want to go out or come in. It's interesting to see how this changes with the outside temperature. In the summer they are truly crepuscular going out for the dawn chorus, back for breakfast when I get up, out again for another hour or so, back to sleep indoors for most of the day & then out again about 5.00 pm until 10.00 pm ish. In the winter it's a completely different story with just quick dashes outside for 5 to 10 mins at a time to toilet & check out their territory. But they find other ways to practice their predatory behaviour such as toys & each other!
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That way they are usually done and ready to come back in when I go off to bed.
If they are not there (unusual) a whistle brings them running.
The younger is usually standing on the window ledge by then anyway. The older one is generally under the back of the car watching for me.
One the (very) odd occasion that they don't appear they get to stay out.
That said if the weather is miserable or cold I'll try to stay awake longer listening for them to let them back in.
OMG its not the birds you have to worry about its the bits of eaten mouse that you tread on in the dark going to the loo LOL.
I had one cat that was a real killer with rats. I got up one day, and outside the back door was a line of DEAD RATS at least 8, they were sadly RUSSIAN BLUE rats, someone must have let out into the wild, being a bit domesticated they were not clever enough to get away from Tripod, who was a 3 legged fur ball part persian vermin killer. Sadly a rat killed him in the end, he was poisoned by a rat that had ingested rat poison we think.
At least 3 times a week i have to move dead vermin from our house, lucky enough no birds not until the baby birds are ready to fly, then we put out silver paper and stuff to make sure the birds dont come into the garden.
Cats can be brutal but I suppose it is part of nature.
We do have a dog flap, and the animals come and go. One of them stays out all night and comes in for breakfast but the other 2 sleep all night in the house.
I think it is so old fashioned now to throw the moggey out at night lOL, poor things.
Ours basically only spend time outside in the warmer / drier months. This weather it's just 1's/2's then back in. Not many presents thankfully:)
If you have a flap it soon becomes clear they dont want to be out all night.
Neighbours across the road put theirs out at night and it breaks my heart to see their little white girl perched on the window ledge desperate to get in. My brother and his wife put theirs out in all weathers and it does annoy me - poor animals but they have a few sheds in their garden and have cut holes in the bottom of the shed doors so the cats can at least get in the dry if not warm - better than nothing I guess!
No, she makes her own mind up whether or not she wants to stop our for the night, which at this time of year is never. Only ever between about May and September.
This is quite correct and very good advice. When I used to do some work with Cats Protection some years ago, people who wanted to choose a cat from the rehoming centre were assessed for their suitability to be a cat owner and give their selected cat a good home.
One of the questions they would be asked was "Where would you keep your cat at night?" The correct answer, was, of course, indoors!
Cats that are put out at night are subjected to the dangers of being taken, being run over and injured or killed, being attacked by thugs, and many other hazards. Also, of course, night is when much cat fighting over territory takes place.
Cats like the night - mine does anyway. he cries and fusses to get out. But he does have a cat flap to get back in if the weather's bad.
I live in a quiet suburban close so there is no passing traffic & whatever cars do come into the close have to go very slowly because of parked cars & the bend in the road. My main worry used to be that one of our friendly & inquisitive cats would sometimes try to get into delivery vans. If I could catch the driver I always asked them to check the inside of the van/lorry in case Dermot was trying to stowaway!
Cats are crepuscular (dawn & dusk hunters) so this is usually the time that they will want to go out. Plus they are very good at time sharing territory with other cats if there is a relatively high density of cats in the neighbourhood. So if your cat is desperate to go out at a particular time of day or night, it may be because this is what observation & experience tell them is the safest time to go out.
I have a cat flap so my cats can choose when they want to go out or come in. It's interesting to see how this changes with the outside temperature. In the summer they are truly crepuscular going out for the dawn chorus, back for breakfast when I get up, out again for another hour or so, back to sleep indoors for most of the day & then out again about 5.00 pm until 10.00 pm ish. In the winter it's a completely different story with just quick dashes outside for 5 to 10 mins at a time to toilet & check out their territory. But they find other ways to practice their predatory behaviour such as toys & each other!