Hi all.

I have 3 lovely cats, 2 three year old cats, and a 4 month old kitten. They're all neutered and chipped.

I currently live in a teeny one bedroom flat which has its own garden.

The grown up cats have access to the cat flap, and go in and out during the day, I lock them in at night. The kitten has access to the garden, with me supervising, and despite his best efforts to escape, he hasn't been any further than the driveway, at which point I caught him and chased him back in

My question is this, I am about to move in the next couple of weeks to a 3 bed flat with a garden. What is the best suggested length of time I should keep them all in when I have moved?

The kitten I am keeping in the garden until I move so he doesn't get confused.

I am going to keep my grown up boy cat inside until I move, as he's one who likes to wander for days at a time in the summer, and I can't risk him not being here when I need to leave.

My girl cat goes out for a few hours at a time, but always comes home at night, or when I call her.

How long should I be thinking about keeping them in? My new flat has a conservatory, so they will be able to see their new garden before they actually go out in it, and they will all have much more space inside than they have now.

I thought it was 2 weeks they were meant to be kept in, is this still true? Or should I keep them in longer. They've only ever known this flat, and so I haven't had to deal with this yet in their lives.

Any advice would be great thank you

I think two to three weeks is current advice. You might consider trying to walk the boy on a leash before that, though with an adult cat getting him to wear the leash will be the battle! The kitten probably would be fine with a leash though.
Try to let them out just before they're due a feed - food should bring them back quickly!

keep them in as long as you possibly can!

you know your cats and you know how long it will take them to get used to their new home

my sister and brother in law moved house recently, they have 2 cats and the one went out the same day! to be honest, I was horrified that my brother in law was letting him out but he just shrugged and said "I know my cat, he is more stressed in the house and just wants to go an explore his new garden, he wont be long and he will come back" so out went the cat and he came back half an hour later!

I am not sure if this is an old wives tale or what but it has been said that you put butter on a cats paws before they go out in a new area and they find there way home.......... possibly worth considering or trying - you have nothing to loose!

if your cats are used to a collar and lead then take them outside on that - if they arent, I wouldnt recommend trying to get an older cat used to one - you might be ok with the kitten tho

good luck - I am sure you will be fine and just let them out when you feel they are ready - they will let you know and I am sure you will know too

hope you all enjoy your lovely new home

I didn't keep mine in at all, she was wandering in and out the day we moved. However she never goes far and just likes watching the world go by so I was quite confident that she wasn't going to disappear.

You know your cat and what works for some may not work for you. When we have had cats in the past some of them go stir crazy being cooped up in the house when there is an outside world they want to see.

I kept mine in for just one night, the next day just before you feed the cat, open the door and walk a short distance round the garden with the dinner bowl in hand to they have a little tour but are distracted back in side with the food, next day do the same but a slightly bigger lap of the garden. Mind you, it does depend on your cat's temperament - but it work for mine.

I'd agree with this, when we moved I took our girl round the garden on her harness just until she got accustomed to the smells, about a week to 10 days I also sprinkled some of her used (peed on) cat litter around the edges of the garden, so her smell was in situ, helped keep a few neighbourhood cats away.

Make sure you change the address on the chipping info, also make sure they have a collar on, with chipped and a contact number.

I have moved twice in the last two years. I am now in my forever home, so my cat won't have to go through the trauma and embarrassment of a harness again!! I sent her off to the cattery for a few days whilst I moved and then took some time off work to settle her in (and unpacking). On both occasions, I waited until she was settled indoors before even considering letting her out. She was clingy for nearly a week and then seemed to be reasonably comfortable being left on her own. I spent more time playing with her than normal and eventually, after a couple of weeks, she became really bored, so I harnessed her up and took her into the garden. She had a really grumpy look on her face, but did seem to enjoy the change of scenery. In all, I kept her in/harnessed for a total of about 3 weeks. She is now free to come and go as she pleases.