Letting cat out after move

A question about : Letting cat out after move

My cat has lived with my parents for the last year whilst I rented away from home. I'm now settled with my boyfriend and we have the cat back with us.

It's been exactly a week since he arrived. The first few days were tense and he was thoroughly miserable as he'd been very comfortable at my parents. However in the last few days he's been much happier and is settling into the same routines as he had with my parents.

Today though he seems very bored. He doesn't want to play with us or have a fuss and has done a fair bit of pacing. I'm not sure how many more days of peace we'll have before he really starts bugging us to go outside again.

We have a cat flap ready to go and ideally I know we need to keep him inside as long as possible. However with us going back to work I'm not sure he'll be content to stay locked up all day and night for much longer.

Any advice on how to keep him happy, or when it might be ok to let out e.g. Are there any 'I'm settled' signs I should watch out for?

I've only ever moved cats from a rescue pen to a home, not from a good home to a different one so I'm a bit nervous.

Best answers:

• We wait at least six weeks, after that our cat has several walks in the garden on her harness.
• I think I might be lucky if I get another 6 days trouble free let alone 6 weeks
• Hi
  We didn't even make it to a week with our previous cat as he was getting really distressed being kept in.
  We let him out and he did a tour of the garden boundaries & he was fine. He was an older cat & well attached to us and when we moved it was to totally different area so couldn't wander to his previous home.
  At the end of the day you know your cat & how he'll react.
  May be let him into the back garden when someone can be out there with him but keep him in when you can't keep an eye ?
  Jen
• Hello there. I have moved several times with my dear old cat and we have pretty much got it off to a fine art now.
  Normally, I would do the following before the big move, but I reckon this will still help to settle your cat even though you have been there a while. Firstly, get a soft, absorbent cloth (like a j cloth) and sit with him on your knee and use the cloth to stroke him all round his neck and ears, where his sent glands are. Walk through the house and rub the cloth on every corner, door, cat flap, exterior door frame etc, so the house smells like him.
  Cats get very stressed in new environments and you can buy a device called a Felaway plug in to help. They are absolutely brilliant and calm cats right down. It sounds mad, but they are a bit like aromatherapy for cats and will make him feel at home.
  When you do let him out, I would make sure his dinner is due so that he wants to come back for some grub. It is horrible the first time you watch him go off, but mine has always come back and I'm sure that yours will too. Good luck and happy days in your new home.
• We've got a Feliway diffuser which has helped I think...he's certainly seemed more relaxed since it arrived.
  We've also moved him about 30 miles so there's no real risk of him picking up on old routes or smells which is a plus.
  My main worry is that not only has his territory changed but his slaves has too. I visited as often as I could and he's warming to my boyfriend now he knows he's a food source
  The only thing he's not doing yet is settling with us in the evening. At my parents he'd jump up into an armchair and pretty much stay there until bed time. With us he spends most of the evening on one of the window ledges looking out at the moment.
• Cats have territories , especially male cats.
  It really depends on how old your cat is. Trust me he may well get into a few fights while he works out his .. some disputes are just yowling but some can get very nasty resulting in injuries.
  But at the end of the day cats are animals with deep seated instincts and will do what cats do.
• I think it depends on your cat entirely. When we moved about 6 months ago, we let the cat out within 48 hrs. But she is an older cat, about 13-14yrs. The back garden was secure and I knew she would not be able to jump up to the fence.
  On the moving day (Friday) she was a bit timid hiding away under kitchen cupboards for few hours but then came out when we called her. On saturday she was sitting by the french doors looking out to the back garden and then on Sunday morning we let her out (with us). She was looking to jump to the fence but realised it was too high for her so she just had a little wonder and a good look around. This (supervised outings) went on for about a month or so before we got a cat flap installed.
  I realise this is a very very short time, but given that she was an elderly cat and that the garden was secure I felt we could take the risk.
• The garden isn't secure...he'll be up and over the fence easily so it is a risk.
  I guess that it essentially boils down to individual cats...some people have said days, others weeks and some months from what I've read. I want to get the right balance between making sure he's bonded with his new home and him not getting stressed with being cooped up.
  He's settled on the sofa just now which is a first since he's been here.
• We let our cat out of our new house about midnight on the day we moved (Marley stays up late). He didn't wander far, and came back when called. The next couple of days were tense f(or us), but we let him out whenever he wanted and actively called him back in after an hour or two, just to reassure and give him treats. He was fine
• It looks like he's settling in well - he knows his mealtimes and wobetide if you're 5 minutes late, he's got favourite spots picked out and has now chosen his spot on the sofa. Tonight we have even played the 'I'll hide behind awkward furniture so I don't have to go to bed' game.
  I think I'll have to play it day by day and see just how restless he's getting.
• glad to hear he is settling.
  I would second the suggestion to make sure he is hungry when he first goes out, to give him an incentive to come back, and if you can, let him out the first time when you can be out (e.g. if you are hanging out washing)
  If you live near a road avoid busy times.
  My previous cat was able to go out almost immediately in new places - he never went farm, and used to happily go out in the garden when I visited relatives, for instance - another cat we had was so traumatised by the house move that she didn't come out of the wardrobe, let alone the house, except for food for weeks!
  Before you let him out, take some photos of him and make sure he has a collar (with safety release) and a disc with your address on, if possible, so that if he does go a bit too far and gets confused, it's easier for you to find him, and for anyone he visits to help him get home! (and a collar marks him out as a new arrival, not a stray!)
  Is he microchipped and have you updated the company with your new address?
• He's chipped and the details are up to date. I have shed loads of photos too
  Dont think I'll be able to put a collar on though...we put one on him when we first let him out but he scratched at both types we tried until they were trashed or came off.
  He's been on his own day today as it was back to work. I've come home and he seems fine...there's no damage to anything and he has just come over asking for food.
  I'm working from home for 2 days now so he'll have company if I decide to keep him in, or I'll be able to keep a proper watch if I'm brave enough to let him out.
  Otherwise, it'll be an attempt at the weekend but we've already got plans that will have us out the house at odd times so I can't keep an eye on him.
  Decision time in the morning...we'll see how tonight goes...
• I've always said three weeks. However, I moved a month ago, and I let my girls in the garden after a week, with my supervision. They're very timid, so they were cautious anyway, and didn't attempt to jump the fence.
  My neighbour moved a friend in about a week after me. She brought a cat with her, and it escaped, desperate to get out. It disappeared for two days, and they were frantic, but she returned - it's not uncommon for outdoor cats (esp boys) to go and suss out their new territory for a couple of days.
  If you have moved somewhere close to your parents' house, I'd leave it longer, in case the cat tries to return. Otherwise, short supervised garden visits in the next week to get things going, then just let them out after that. Most cats are very clear where their home is, especially when there's food waiting.
• Our cat has moved with us to 8 different houses in two different countries.
  We keep her in for a week, then on The Big Day we take her outside. We make sure we do it just before a meal - she knows where to get fed, so will come home!! We stay out with her, just to give her some reassurance (not that she really needs it!), and do that for maybe 2-3 days, then we organise the cat flap, and she's ready to go solo.
  It's fascinating watching her get to know a new area. To begin with, she hangs around near the door, then she'll examine the perimeter, and finally she'll be feeling brave enough to cross 'open country' over the grass.
  I think the important thing to begin with is to let them out while they're hungry. They're not daft enough to wander far from a known food source!!
• Well I have been brave. The cat flap is on display and open.
  He did venture out this morning when I opened the back door to demonstrate freedom was available. Next door coughed getting into their car and he shot back inside. It's good to know he considers here to be a safe place.
  He's since been down and pawed at the cat flap but hasn't actually gone out again. Hoping he doesn't wait until it's dark to go for it!
• Well today has baffled me...
  We've stood at the door twice and pawed at the flap once but no further physical paw on floor steps outside. I did carry him around for a quick lap but he wasn't bothered and went back inside when I put him down.
  He's now sitting in the bay window looking out at the world like he has done all week.
  I've locked the flap and hidden it from view again as I don't want him sneaking out when it's dark or getting stressed because he thought he could go out and now can't.
  To be fair it's been cold, a bit rainy and windy so I wouldn't be impressed with the outside offer right now. I'll try again tomorrow - hopefully he won't be frustrated overnight.
  At least I feel more comfortable that he won't do a runner and that he obviously feels safe inside the house. However I'd have liked him to at least have done a few laps at the garden after all my worrying!
• There is a lot of valuable info on the Cats Protection website. It explains it all from the cat's point of view, and it set our minds at rest that all was well!
• He wasn't restless last night at all - he sat by the back door once for about 30 seconds but that was it. He banged on the dining room door at 4.20am but no further noise.
  Hmm - given going outside has been part of his daily routine for 2 years now I really thought he would have liked having his freedom back. Not that I'm complaining much - I'm glad he likes it here enough that he doesn't feel he needs anything else at the moment.
  Ah well. I'll try again today as the weather at least looks a bit drier here.