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First week letting new rescue cat into the garden.....flight risk?
Posted: Wed Apr 25, 2018 11:28 am
by jb12
So have let lovely Susie out for the first time this week......
Day two and she found the (frankly very easy, so perhaps Im at fault) route to next doors garden. I left her for what must have been 3 minutes and off she goes.......
She came back immediately when i rattled the treat tin but i almost had a heart attack
She's 7 years old, should i worry that she might wander off and forget where she lives or am i being silly?
Help wise cat owners please
Thx
Re: First week letting new rescue cat into the garden.....flight risk?
Posted: Fri May 04, 2018 4:34 pm
by Lilith
Hi and welcome - sorry, your thread slipped down the list.
Susie sounds to be doing quite well, especially if she'll respond to the box of treats being shaken. They just are naturally adventurous though!
Another good idea is to let her out at first before her main meal's due; she'll hang about then, and then keep her in after she's eaten, of course. Gradually she and you will get accustomed to her routine but it's scary at first I know. And obviously supervise her whenever you can, as you are doing already.
Hope you're both able to enjoy this good weather the forecasters are promising us and that she's a good girl and stays snoozing in the sun
Re: First week letting new rescue cat into the garden.....flight risk?
Posted: Fri May 04, 2018 9:02 pm
by Ruth B
Sorry for not spotting the thread early, life has been a bit hectic and I haven't been as attentive as normal.
As Lilith says, it is a nerve wracking time but if she will come when called (or a box is rattled) then it is best to let her explore and make her own way back. As she walks she is leaving a little scent trail from her paws which will help her find her way to and fro as she gets to know the area.
Letting her out before a meal is always a good idea to start with, it gives them an incentive to come back in when called.
Make sure she is chipped and her details are up to date just in case the worst happens, or some just sees a new cat hanging around and acts as a good Samaritan thinking it's a stray.
I'm sure she will be fine, your fingernails while you are waiting for her to come home might be another matter.