Most of my relatives with cats don't have cat flaps but they manage by training the cat not to go outside at night. From when the cats were young they were brought in and kept in until next morning. They accept that practice as the norm and they happily settle down for the night.

I must admit that younger cats can be quite active and playful at night, running up and down stairs etc but they soon calm down as they mature. Sometimes cats, particularly in the summer when dawn breaks, will harass their owners to get up and let them out. My cousin leaves her bathroom window open because the cat can then jump down to the top of the extension below and then down to the ground. When I was a child, our cats always came in through part opened windows - a determined cat will get in through the most awkward of windows left ajar. Some people will just get up and then go back to bed - or you could just ignore the cat's pleas because giving in means perpetuation of this learned behaviour..

With no cat flap it's best to keep a litter tray but most of my relations' cats just hold out until they can get outside.

One of my cousins has just adopted a young rescue cat and she has no intention of installing a cat flap. She will eventually let the cat out during the day, probably leave a window open for access if there's no one at home (which there usually is in her house) but the cat will be safely kept inside at night.

I let my kitten supervised time outside once she had received all her vaccinations. There's no need to wait for her to be neutered as long as you get her neutered early enough as per your vet's recommendation which can vary from 4 to 6 months.

if you had a cat flat she could come and go and go as she pleases...you can get them with sensors so only your cat can use them and lockable ones so she can be kept in when you need her to be.
Cats are more active at dusk and dawn but thats because thats when the prey is most active they're not really nocturnal animals and most just sleep through the night...or they will amuse themselves if they've got plenty of things to play with.

Leaving a window open invalidates your insurance in some cases. As does leaving a window open in a different room of the house which is not occupied.

Thanks for the response MarellaK.
Leaving the window open downstairs would be an issue for us insurance wise as far as I know.

Ill work it out soon enough. She's got a long way to go yet before I can start thinking about having her out.

I've a tendency to over worry so just going to try and enjoy her and get her settled.

She's snuggled on my lap as I speak. Can't get dressed as I don't want to disturb her!

i was lucky when i got my cat 16 years ago, she never wanted to go out, she went in back garden when we was there and that was it, she never went off. 16 years later and shes still the same, shes a garden/house cat

Some don't wander. Some wander a little way. Some go a long way.

The programme about the cats' wanderings was interesting and how far they can travel or not.

You are so lucky to have a kitten. Mine's almost 8 but behaves like a kitten.