helendann
Newbie
Posts: 18
Pets I own: Jemima - tortoiseshell cat, aged about 4
Mae - silver tabby cat, aged about 2
RIP Hamble, aged about 4, who came to us with Jemima, but died from FAT only a year after we adopted her
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Post by helendann on Sept 21, 2015 9:34:59 GMT
We acquired our 2-year-old cat Mae from Cats Protection in August. She had been taken in as a pregnant stray, and we adopted her after her kittens had been weaned and re-homed.
We kept her inside for a fortnight, and when we felt she was feeling secure we introduced her to the garden. She wandered around the garden on several occasions, coming back inside after a few minutes. But the next time we let her outside, she decided to explore beyond the garden. We weren't too concerned, as our previous cats (also adopted from CP) had followed the same routine and came back quite happily in their own sweet time.
But Mae didn't come back. She was gone for nearly a week, during which time we wandered around the local area looking for her, putting up posters, etc. Long story short, we eventually found her and brought her home. She was absolutely fine, but now we're worried that if we let her outside again, the same thing will happen.
Does anyone have any tips for how to introduce Mae to the outside world so that she knows she's supposed to come home again?!
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Post by smilesbetter on Sept 21, 2015 10:24:24 GMT
Hello, welcome to the forum! I haven't had this issue before but one thing that might help is if you start to teach her the work "food" or "tea time" or even a certain whistle or bell ringing noise or something that means she's about to be fed. Basically every time you feed her, say the word or make the noise repeatedly while she's eating. Then after a few times of doing that, start to say the word or make the noise just before you put the food down, and do this absolutely every time you feed her. This way you can slowly train her that whenever she hears that noise, she is about to be fed. To keep it consistent, I'd always feed her in the same place too so that she knows she only ever gets fed in that one place. I'd also feed her at the same time every day so that she also knows a certain time is feeding time. Then when you know she responds 100% to this cue and you have the feeding routine in place for at least a couple weeks (longer if you are really worried she won't come back), start to let her out a little before feeding time. Long enough that she can get a decent look around but not so long at first that she can get any distance away. At feeding time, call or whistle or whatever the noise you've been training has been, and feed her in her usual place. If you are really worried, you could also train her to accept a cat harness and take her out on that the first few times, before doing the feeding call and taking her in to be fed then immediately. Shell soon know the score. Eventually then you can let her out without the lead and she'll know that she gets fed when you call and she comes in. My family then keep our cats in for the night after they have fed. My current outdoor going cat Smudgie knows the routine perfectly and she is always nearby at feeding time and then goes off for a nap after her meal and is happy to stay in the rest of the night. We feed her fairly late so she knows when we take the dog out for her evening pee, it's cat feeding time. She also knows a whistle and will respond to that call any time of day wherever she is (which was a problem when I briefly had an sims ringtone that was someone whistling and shouting "taxi" and would always result in her flying to my side haha). If you are currently letting her graze her food, if I were you I'd consider changing that to feeding her once or twice daily so that she has this very strong motivation to come home at certain times. Also if she is a good hunter that might mean that she can feed herself elsewhere and might not help matters either, if she will tolerate it I'd consider a bell on her collar. Finally you can get collars which can help you track your cat which might give you some peace of mind if she is the kind of cat that likes to take lengthy excursions. Anyway hope this helps. lotsofcats and tonib could add more I'm sure
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helendann
Newbie
Posts: 18
Pets I own: Jemima - tortoiseshell cat, aged about 4
Mae - silver tabby cat, aged about 2
RIP Hamble, aged about 4, who came to us with Jemima, but died from FAT only a year after we adopted her
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Post by helendann on Sept 21, 2015 12:54:32 GMT
Thank you very much for your suggestions! We do tend to let Mae graze, so she's not used to having regular mealtimes and, I agree, probably ought to.
We have bought a cat tracker device that fits onto a collar, but during her week AWOL she managed to lose her collar (it's a safety one, with a bell on it) - although it was the collar that helped us to find her, because she wasn't very far from where it was found. We would prefer her not to be out at night and will maybe impose a curfew, after which time she's not allowed out.
We're not sure if she's just a cat who likes to spend a lot of time outdoors, or whether (being a stray) she associates being let out with being kicked out, or if she genuinely has no sense of direction! I don't know what her hunting skills are like, but clearly she managed to survive quite happily for 6 days on her own, though of course it's always possible she was fed by someone else during that time.
Thank you for taking the time to comment :-)
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Post by smilesbetter on Sept 21, 2015 15:05:33 GMT
That's a shame about the collar. My outdoor cat has never managed to get one off haha but I have a cat now who I'd like to be able to go outside and she can even get out if a harness in seconds haha.
Yeah, if I were you I'd slowly start getting her used to eating once or twice a day (perhaps to begin with you could start taking the food away for a while midday and increase the time every day till the food is just out for 20 minutes or so morning and evening, or just in the evening. That way in the evenings, when she comes in for food that can be the beginning of the curfew.
It sounds as though she can probably hunt quite well or get food elsewhere if she was okay for that long and didn't come home. If you have a really great food at home though and a good routine, she will hopefully get used to coming in at a certain time for tea and then being kept in for the night.
Sorry I can't give more advice haha, I've only ever had one start cat and I was a child when we got him so I can't really remember what we did. He was super independent, but we also had food out for him all the time so there wasn't a huge draw for him to come home. Plus he was an unbelievable hunter haha, we were just like his holiday home.
Well done for taking on strays adult cats by the way. It can be hard work with some cats but it's so rewarding. Wish more people would take on some of the many adult cats who need rehomed, rather than just going for kittens.
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Post by jess on Sept 21, 2015 15:49:32 GMT
When we had our old cat Oscar, it wasn't uncommon for him to go off for 4 days/a week and then return without a fuss. This was horrendous when he was younger but as he got older it got easier as we realised he always came back aha, obviously this isn't for everyone and we put it down to genetics as his dad was a feral cat. He never wore a collar either as he'd always just pull them off but he was microchipped. We always let him out when we knew he hadn't eaten for a while then used his food as a tasty temptation to lure him back inside - always seemed to do the trick!
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helendann
Newbie
Posts: 18
Pets I own: Jemima - tortoiseshell cat, aged about 4
Mae - silver tabby cat, aged about 2
RIP Hamble, aged about 4, who came to us with Jemima, but died from FAT only a year after we adopted her
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Post by helendann on Sept 21, 2015 16:20:46 GMT
smilesbetter - we have another cat, who is also a Cats Protection adoptee. She came to us with her companion, Hamble, but sadly Hamble died in March from Arterial Thromboembolism (horrendous to see her fade so rapidly, and she was a queen among cats, so beautiful, so full of personality). We would never consider having anything other than rescue cats. And the 3 we've had (2 still with us) are absolute sweethearts!
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helendann
Newbie
Posts: 18
Pets I own: Jemima - tortoiseshell cat, aged about 4
Mae - silver tabby cat, aged about 2
RIP Hamble, aged about 4, who came to us with Jemima, but died from FAT only a year after we adopted her
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Post by helendann on Sept 21, 2015 16:22:33 GMT
jess - I suspect Mae is used to fending for herself, which probably explains why she was so unperturbed when we finally caught up with her! Luckily we live in a quiet area, not near any busy roads. She is microchipped, at least!
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Post by smilesbetter on Sept 21, 2015 20:45:45 GMT
Sorry to hear about Hamble but at least you know you provided her with a loving, happy home for her to live out her final days in. @gillykat has taken in quite a few sickly oldies actually so I'm sure she'll be able to relate with you a bit there. My first cat was a feral cat, then I got two kittens (one was accidental, I was working at a dog kennels and the two farm cats had litters at the same time, and all the kittens had homes but one... Who could resist?!) and I currently have two adopted adults. I have to admit I'd love to bring up a cat from a kitten again one day (although if possible a rescue one) but adopting adult cats has been a really rewarding experience. The ones I brought up myself from kittens turned out to be great loving cats, but I love the huge personalities of my two here. One is quite frail and clumsy but very sweet, the other is super sassy but also very loving haha. have you got any photos of your cats by the way? We love photos on this forum haha.
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Post by tonib on Sept 22, 2015 1:29:47 GMT
Welcome to the forum helendann We normally get our cats from a rescue centre (not CP) that normally recommends keeping them in for 6 weeks before letting them out for the first time. When we got Roman they suggested extending that to 8 weeks as apparently he'd been rehomed by them previously & the new owners had let him out earlier then the 6 weeks & he vanished! He did return after a week but by then they decided to get a kitten instead & returned him to the rescue. Their loss our gain When the 8 weeks was up we let him out in the garden in a harness for a couple of times. That wasn't too bad for him but it worried another of our cats when we tried it. Some do & some don't take to the harness well. When we let him out, unchained, he was straight over the fence & we had our hearts in our mouth but he did return after about an hour before going again. Over the following 8 years the longest he's bee missing for is around 1.5 to 2 days but we still worry if he's not home at normal time even though he is more than capable of fending for himself. It's not clear if he was a stray brought to the rescue or a pet being abandoned there. We used the harness for a couple of our other cats but they didn't take to it, one was fine in the harness indoors but panicked when on a lead outside the other panicked over the harness alone even indoors. Like you we have the Loc8tor on 3 of our 4 cats collars (the 4th doesn't have a collar or go out much) & it has a been a boon in finding Roman in particular (& the collars when they lose them!) Roman is quite a wanderer, we put a GPS recorder on him (G-PAWS) & it was amazing to see where he'd been on his return. (several miles!) but a least we know his usual haunts now so have a better of idea where to find him We have a catflap & they have free access in/out (except for special occasions (vet/cattery visits, bonfire night etc.). They are grazers but they do get 2 main meals a day & know when that is being provided & are normally back at those times. As smilesbetter said, regular meal times are a good way of getting them home. Ours have their moist at those times but dried is also down all the time. I would keep Mae in for 6 weeks before letting her out again ( I think CP recommend a minimum of 2 weeks but you will need to keep her exercised/entertained during that period. When you first let her out do it close (ish) to a meal time so that she'll come back to for her food. The idea of training her to come to calls for her food is a good idea as it will make it easier to call her in. You could do this training whilst she's being kept in. You could also try a harness & then a harness & lead on her during this time so that its familiar to her when she eventually goes out & you could then have a period of days on the lead outside before finally letting her have full freedom. I wish I could think of anything else but wish you well with Mae. Let us know how you get on.
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helendann
Newbie
Posts: 18
Pets I own: Jemima - tortoiseshell cat, aged about 4
Mae - silver tabby cat, aged about 2
RIP Hamble, aged about 4, who came to us with Jemima, but died from FAT only a year after we adopted her
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Post by helendann on Sept 22, 2015 13:57:58 GMT
Thank you tonib. On reflection we probably did let Mae out too soon the first time, but as we'd had no problems letting our other two rescue cats after a fortnight, we thought we'd be okay. We know better now!!
We did buy a harness, but Mae absolutely hated it!!
She'll be inside for a good while longer, and will try to introduce her gradually to the outside world!
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helendann
Newbie
Posts: 18
Pets I own: Jemima - tortoiseshell cat, aged about 4
Mae - silver tabby cat, aged about 2
RIP Hamble, aged about 4, who came to us with Jemima, but died from FAT only a year after we adopted her
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Post by helendann on Sept 22, 2015 14:08:14 GMT
smilesbetter - Hamble was only about 4, so not an old cat at all. We knew she had a heart murmur, but obviously didn't expect her to be taken from us so suddenly. We'd had her for just over a year when she died. She was a tortoiseshell, as is Jemima. Mae is a silver tabby, and tiny - even the vet thought she was a kitten when we took her in for her check-up!
Tried to upload a couple of photos, but struggling to make them small enough to be uploaded!
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Post by tonib on Sept 22, 2015 20:14:43 GMT
smilesbetter - Hamble was only about 4, so not an old cat at all. We knew she had a heart murmur, but obviously didn't expect her to be taken from us so suddenly. We'd had her for just over a year when she died. She was a tortoiseshell, as is Jemima. Mae is a silver tabby, and tiny - even the vet thought she was a kitten when we took her in for her check-up! Tried to upload a couple of photos, but struggling to make them small enough to be uploaded! I was sorry to read about Hamble helendann - so young As to photos, I afraid that the option to attach a photo to a post no longer is an option despite being shown (maybe we ought to ask the moderators to remove that option - I'll suggest it). We only get a small amount of free space & it got illed very quickly. To post photos now you have to use a hosting service such as Photobucket or Flickr (they're free & post the BBCode link. If you have photos on Facebook you can also use the links to any photos on that. Some users prefer Photobucket but I like Flickr (swings & roundabouts) but there are people here who can help what ever method you choose
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Post by smilesbetter on Sept 22, 2015 20:18:47 GMT
Only 4? Poor thing, that's so young. And yeah it's best to use Photobucket or Flickr to upload photos here. I use Photobucket which I find quite easy, can't speak for Flickr as I've never tried it.
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helendann
Newbie
Posts: 18
Pets I own: Jemima - tortoiseshell cat, aged about 4
Mae - silver tabby cat, aged about 2
RIP Hamble, aged about 4, who came to us with Jemima, but died from FAT only a year after we adopted her
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Post by helendann on Sept 23, 2015 8:27:20 GMT
Ah, OK - I do have a Flickr account so I'll use that :-) (The Flickr site is currently down - typical!)
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Post by lotsofcats on Sept 23, 2015 8:45:48 GMT
Welcome to the forum. I can see you've already had some very good advice off others. I have 7 cats and only 1 of them is an outdoor cat - he was a stray who adopted me. My other 6 cats are indoor and with a large outdoor pen. Years ago I used to let my cats out and when my 8 month old ginger tabby was killed by a car I decided that my cats from then on would be indoor cats, the road outside is so busy. I would keep Mae in a bit longer and when you do let her back out do it when she hasn't been fed so hopefully she will not stay out long before she's hungry. Luckily you live in a quiet area but cats are such a worry when they go out and don't come back.
Mae is a lovely silver tabby - I have always wanted a silver tabby! My weakness is torties (I have 2), so I look forward to seeing pics of Jemima.
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