Hi,

I have recently moved in to a first floor appartment with my lovely OH and 8 month old cat. We used to live in a house when we first got stella and a few weeks before we moved we started to let her our as she was dying to get outside. We only ever used to let her out when we were in and always left the door open for her.

Now we have moved in to the appartment im not really sure what to do. I know i have to keep her in for 2 weeks but i am really worried that when i let her out she will either run away or not remember where we live. As we are on the first floor there is no way she could get back in untill we go downstairs and physically get her. I was thinking of possibly putting her out when i go to work and collecting her once i get home but would she realise the times/routine?!

Although i know a few people who would rehome her i really dont want to do this as she is my baby! I do not want to cause her any distress by keeping her in all the time!

Thanks

Difficult one for you & your cat but I definitely wouldn't put her out when you go to work & bring her back in when you get home! What will she do all day? What if it rains? What will happen in the winter when it's cold? If you do this, she'll either find a new home with someone who takes her in because they feel sorry for her or she'll have a very miserable life!

If you want to let her out then you either have to go with her & stay with her or find someway of allowing her access into & out of your apartment.

I don't know where you live & whether it's near busy roads or traffic, or whether there are other cats in the neighbourhood that could terrorise her but she could well be in danger if you left her out on her own unsupervised.

The alternative is to have her as an indoor only cat but if that means she'll be on her own a lot shut indoors, then perhaps, for her sake, she would be better off in another home? You can always vist her & be the favourite auntie that spoils her to bits

We live on a ground floor flat and only let the little one out when we are in - she comes and goes via the living room window.

I guess your hallways etc in the flats are communial?? Plus there is probably a shared entrance? Of course there is no way you can let her come and go as she pleases.... Maybe to begin with you take her out and stay with her... 15 mins at a time. The build up to leaving her downstairs on her own for say an hour or so. When you live in flats you simply cannot let cats wonder all over the place though - so she may have to get used to an hour a day outside??

Please don't shut her out all day whilst you are at work though - make sure she has the run of the flat in the daytime and plenty of toys to play with etc but locking her out is horrible, it will upset her and make her feel as though she is being punished!!

I suppose you could get her used to the idea by only letting her out at weekends or long summer evenings while you could be around to guide her back home. Or just before meal-times when you could let her out, then be waiting on the steps with a dish of food, making sure she follows you up the stairs before feeding her.

Some advanced level training videos

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rRk_C9c8xYc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i4-5WkaQ99I

Thank you for the replies.

We live on a new estate - it only has one road running through it and is very quiet. We are a fair way from the main road and there is surrounding woodlands and a lake.

our appartment does have communal entrance and hallways so if someone let her in and she pooped inside we would be in trouble!

I think i shall try taking her out and staying with her for short while each day - My OH works shifts so shes never alone too long on her own.

I have seen some great things for cats in flats - like a little set of stairs to run up the side of the building but we have been told we are not allowed to have anything like this!

I agree - leaving her out all day would be very cruel. Would an hour or so a day be enough for her??

Rehoming will be my very last option - i love her dearly - she is like our child!

She's 8 months right? So should have only been going outside since she was spayed (a few months I would guess??) so its not as if she's been an outdoor cat for years and years and you are suddenly chaging her lifestyle?

As long as she has plenty going on inside, she'll adapt. I know some people disagree with having house cats but others find it works perfectly well.

As I say we let my 13 month old out for an hour or so a day (longer at weekends) and she seems fine with that...

You could always try harness training your cat so you could take her for walks. This works very well for some cats provided that you do the training properly. Also, for mental stimulation if she spends a lot of time indoors, you can use clicker training to teach her all sorts of things. Karen Pryor's book, Clicker Training for Cats, shows you how to do it ~ available from Sunshine Books Inc via Amazon & highly recommended!

Yes shes had only been going outside for a few weeks - about 2 infact so she really wasnt used to it at all. I am waiting for the arrival of a harness so that i can take her out and get her used to the area. I think i will invest in a book to help me out. Thank you

Hi, I have an 8 mth old and I haven't even let her out yet apart from a little sit in the garden with me watching her like a hawk! I just think she's too physically little and daft to be left out so in your situation I would definitely wait a while longer until you feel more confident about letting her out. She will be fine if you keep her in with the usual catty comforts (litter tray, toys, bedding etc) .

It is a very nerve wracking decision to make, but there's no hurry so only do it when you feel happy to do so and don't even consider rehoming at the moment! Good luck .

We got our kitty a harness and it didn't go down well. I think we only managed to get her trussed up in it once and she wasn't in the "mood" for a walkies after that

Harness is now one of her toys that she regularly attacks

Getting a cat used to wearing a harness can be difficult if not done properly & once they've developed a dislike for it, it can be even more difficult to overcome that. It may take several days, if not longer, for a cat to become accustomed to a harness & then longer to get them to walk around with you. By far the best way to do this is using a clicker & treats.

If you've got a young cat of say 8 - 9 months plus, who hasn't yet the chance to go out on its own, this is the best time to teach them. You can confine the training to the house where there is less risk of the cat getting scared & legging it up the curtains, plus, if you use a clicker, you can make it a fun & enjoyable exercise for the cat.

I think that if I were you I'd keep her as an indoor cat, she hasn't been going out regularly so I'm sure she'd be perfectly happy to stay indoors. As long as you get plenty of toys, scratching posts etc. for her she'll be fine.

I don't see the point of subjecting her to a harness, she may hate it, and letting her out really isn't an option if she can't freely get back in. You will lose her for sure that way.

Please consider keeping her indoors, at least you know she will be safe.

Keep her as an indoor cat .I have had my cat for 12yrs she is 13. She was 6 mths wild and 6 mths cat protection league.12 yrs with me I have lived in the top floor flat and she is just fine.

She is safe and happy has her toys her food and water when i'm out i leave a radio on for her so she has some sort of company.In the winter i leave light timers and the heating on for her .If you have your own back and front door with a garden it's fine but in a flat keep her indoors it's safer.

Also please don't rehome her give her the chance that she deserves. I could never rehome my little friend she's just to precious.

Don't put her out all day, or re-home her.

My advice would be to keep her in while you are at work, and to start letting her out at other times, but going out with her the first few times, until she gets used to the lay of the land. The great thing is that cats are smart, intelligent and usually streetwise creatures who can look after themselves, and very quickly learn & get used to things.