Letting my cat outside

Could you let her out while you are acatually in the garden yourself? That way she can hear you pootling about and may like to stay near or at least within earshot?

Does she come when you call her (in the house?)

Or maybe you just have to bite the bullet and let her get on with it. (Have done this with mine and it has always been ok)

Good luck!

I know its horrible, but she will come back!

Let her out for a bit, stay with her for a little while, then bring her in, when you bring her in, give her a treat, that way she will associate coming indoors with treats.

Do this a few times, then let her out while you are home on a weekend so she's out for a longer period of time, but so you are home to get her if she needs you.

She will be fine. My cat goes out all day and spends nights at home. But in the summer she's been known to stay out all night.

You need to try and relax and realise that cats are really independant. Once she is used to it she will be fine. My cat sits outside our front door waiting for us to get home from work. We live in a first floor flat!! So she comes in the main door, up the stairs and through another door to our lobby! theyre clever!

I'd be careful of chasing her to get her back in. You may just end up frightening her.

Best to keep an eye on her from a far and leave the door open, she'll come in when she is ready. Even if she is a grazer, she will get hungry at some point so want to come inside to eat.

This.

I've done this with all 3 of mine and I was an absolute nervous wreck at first, but she will be fine.

She will probably be nervous at first and won't go off straight away, mine just sat by the window for the first few days.

I wish my cat would go outside. he's 6 years old and when i lived with my mum, he used to go outside. That was a nightmare with H because he was so scared of the cat being outside all night long, but he was always fine. But since moving and waiting a couple of weeks, he now won't go out. We are slowly encouraging him to venture outside, but i don't want to frighten him as it's a new area with new sounds. My advice is, if you can, leave the door open, or a window open for your cat to come and go for an hour or so every day. If after an hour she's outside, close the door, but make sure that if you hear her that you let her in so that she knows she can get back in.

As others have said, Cat's are very independant animals and have an amazing sense of direction.

We found with ours the idea of going outside was better than the reality-they rushed out onto the patio only to completely stop then stuck next to us and we walked round the garden with them. This happened the first couple of times then one day one climed over the fence and was off into next door, coming back about an hour later.

Initally we let them out when they were hungry so they didn't go far.

I was very nervous the first couple of times as there is a road and people near us with big dogs, but all was fine.

I sat outside with our kitty for the first few times she went outside (it was summer so I was sat in the garden anyway), we left the patio doors open after that, so she could come and go as she pleased and she settled into it just fine! Once the winter came in she learnt to kind of knock with her head on the patio door when she wants to come in! She doesnt tend to stay out for very long when its cold and we never leave her out all night or when we are out. In the summer the doors open all day or Im out there with her so she is in and out all day. When we go away my Mum comes to let her out for an hour or so, or if we're out all day she will just use her litter. They are all different though!

She will be fine- and if she's anything like mine, will one day venture further afield than you expect and she won't be there when you call, you'll panic and then what feels like an age later she will reappear and you will be so happy! It's happened twice and both times I've felt like an awful catmum and thought the worst but both times the cat has come back (and this was both a tom and a female cat). Maybe don't put so much food down the first time you're thinking of letting her out so she will be mroe hungry or get her used to knowing there will be food being put down by shaking a container of food befroe you fill her bwol. That way she will come to associate the rattling sound with food and you can use this to entice her in (works with mine most of the time!)

I don't really have any advice as I'm in a similar boat except mine were outdoor cats for 2 years, I moved last July and haven't dared let them out since.. I'm scared

I have a Lola too ? she's just started venturing outside too, but we have a cat flap and two older boys of nearly 2 years so she follows them. She only mainly goes in the garden but has just recently got braver. Each time she comes in I give her a nice treat and she waits for it every time now.

Definitely let her out more hungry for a while and consider a cat flap as its peace of mind that they can come and go. Mine is a microchip activated one and is activated only during the day.

She will be fine and I'm sure you'll realise that she'll spend more time inside than out until her confidence grows ?

I was afraid when i first let our cat out- but i just let him go out- then shook a box of his treats and he came back- now he's mainly an indoors cat in the day and out all night