Cat Chat Feline Forum

Hi I'm new to catchat, I recently took on a 2 1/2yr old bengal, we've had her for 3 weeks now and kept her in the house to get used to her new home now has come the time to let her experience her new garden and I'm absolutely terrified she won't come back! Any advice would be much appreciated mainly to put me at my ease...

Personally, I would keep her in for at least another week, I normally keep mine in for 6 weeks. Does she come to you when you call her, or shake treats?

A common strategy is to let her out just before her usual meal time, so she comes back for food.

Ooooo 6 weeks seems a long time, yesterday she was jumping at the handle of the patio door, she's like a tazmanian devil during the day running about letting off steam. We'll have our mad half hours throughout the day, playing with her toys. On an evening she's quiet and she's only just started sitting on my lap on an evening she won't come on my lap during the day! Treats such as dreaming and catnip treats she won't entertain. However throughout the day when she disappears upstairs I randomly call her and she comes for chicken which I keep in a clicky snappy box so she associates the click with the chicken and treat.
I feel so guilty keeping her in, she actually talks as she's watching what's going on in the garden, then looks at me with a little meh sound.
She is chipped and I've sent off the forms to have her details changed, (not sure how long this takes) I've put a little barrel on her collar with her new details on. We're all set for making that first step, it's just Scarry.

.

She's been spayed too, thanks for the advise much appreciated

You can also sit outside and keep a watch on her just in case she's going too far. Call her back any time she seems to be going far, and she'll learn the limits. Good luck with this though.

I agree on there not being a 'one size fits all' ideal, but on the other hand it is far better to err on the side of safety. With shy cats, or a cat that you don't feel you have as proper 'bond' with yet then I do think another week or so is advisable. Territory is almost more important to cats than people are, so you want to make sure she is well and truly settled and feels her home is a place of safety that she would run back to if something scared her out in the big bad world!

As has been said, set up a routine and let her out just before a meal so she gets used to finding her way back in as soon as possible. It is scary though, I know! Good luck.

Sigh! this is more stressful than I ever imagined! We where going to let her out at the weekend but having a few interior jobs to finish off I couldn't spend the time in the garden. Then I thought leave it until today, Monday, when there is just myself and her and it's quiet, She has always had her dry food down all day and I carried on with this when we brought her home! Although her new food is put down first thing! I now feel that I've started this all wrong... I have been randomly calling her as she disappears upstairs and clicking here chicken treat box and she gallops down for it but she's very much her own cat during the day she won't sit on my lap, she'll do the headbutting and submitting and wrap her tail round me, only at night will she come and snuggle in! Am I being too cautious? Should I just get a grip and trust she'll come back

A word of warning, ID barrels tend to unscrew and lose the details inside. An ID tag or personalised cat collar is better.

Marla
Kitty Collars (Cat Chat sponsor)
www.kittycollars.co.uk

Thanks Maria I'll look into one of those, does anyone know how long it usually takes to transfer microchip details? I sent the forms off two weeks ago and not heard anything as yet.

I'm pleased to say she's been out and came back, first half hour she kept coming back to the garden to see what I was doing (or so I'd like to believe lol) then went off for an hour and a half wouldn't acknowledge me calling her even though she'd not been fed! I was panicking a bit but finally came when I shouted chicken! Two hours all in all, she's now home and I'll keep her in until tomorrow.

Petlog details have just came in the post, so to answer my own question....two weeks!

The first time is always the worst - glad she came back!