Let Kitten Out For The 3rd Time And Then This Happened...

[CatLoverOnWheels]

So Nalah is 6 months old now, she's been spayed, recovered well and it's been a month. So I decided to let her out into the garden. She gets really upset when the garden door or the window is closed so I thought she wouldn't stray out of the garden.

She was all well and good. The first two times she kept going out and coming back in to check if the house was still standing and then go back out a couple of minutes later to chase some flies, feel the wind in her fur and what not.

All was well until I let her out for the third time after coming home and my mum was buying some more pouches for her so I imagined she was hungry and that's the trick usually right? I was actually looking out until I dropped my phone and then I realised she wasn't there anymore. I ran, got the keys to the door and opened it and I checked to see if she was under the neighbour's overgrowing ivy but she wasn't. My heart was racing, was she caught by the local foxes who've come out in the evening? Where was she?

She was in the next door neighbour's garden. She wasn't even in the nicer neighbour's garden. Of course not! She went into the next door neighbour's garden where we have a problem with them overgrowing ivy and it spilling into our garden. I suppose after months of it overgrowing, the fence must've collapsed and she found a way to get in. It is less than 5ft though but the main brick fence that is facing the footpath outside is 6ft and she can't climb that high yet - I think.

Thankfully the neighbour heard my calling and let me in so I could get her. She was scared of the neighbour so it wasn't a case of 'catch and put her over the fence'.

Had the neighbours not been inside, I probably would have had someone to jump the fence since she was busy chasing the flies and she also looked like she didn't know how to get out from there. She forgot how she got back in it seems. Waving a food packet certainly didn't help much.

She cried the whole night to go back out after I got her in

I'm in London by the way and I suppose I live in what looks like a row of suburban maisonettes and I'm probably probably a 3-500m to the nearest busy road. I have seen cats roaming around in and around here. Again, she is a scaredy-cat since any stranger or cat she sees, she runs back in so I want to trust her scaredy-senses... should I let her out? She's seen the light of going outside and has been pining for it literally every day since.

My aim is really just to let her out only when I am home which is just 4 days in the week or less if things come up.

 

[jcat]

Could you train her to a harness and leash combo or build an outside enclosure for her?
Harness And Leash Training For Cats
Building A Cat Enclosure

 

[di and bob]

Yes a large dog kennel, or even one of those portable chicken coops that are so popular now would let her enjoy the outdoors and be safe.
She is young enough to be trained to stay inside. I hate to tell you, but EVERY one of my cats that insisted being outside has come to a tragic end. It took ten years for a few but it eventually happened. There are just too many dangers out there, large dogs, lunatic neighbors, wild animals and especially cars. We have buried at least ten cats (not all ours even) that died on the road. One cat was killed by a raccoon! It is heartbreaking. so harden your heart and protect that sweet baby. If you must let her out, let it be to an enclosure or with you present,the heartbreak is just not worth it......
PS foxes are not known to be a threat to cats, unlike coyotes which are deadly. I have had foxes feed side by side with my ferals for years, they are even afraid of the cats!

 

[CatLoverOnWheels]

Yes a large dog kennel, or even one of those portable chicken coops that are so popular now would let her enjoy the outdoors and be safe.
She is young enough to be trained to stay inside. I hate to tell you, but EVERY one of my cats that insisted being outside has come to a tragic end. It took ten years for a few but it eventually happened. There are just too many dangers out there, large dogs, lunatic neighbors, wild animals and especially cars. We have buried at least ten cats (not all ours even) that died on the road. One cat was killed by a raccoon! It is heartbreaking. so harden your heart and protect that sweet baby. If you must let her out, let it be to an enclosure or with you present,the heartbreak is just not worth it......
PS foxes are not known to be a threat to cats, unlike coyotes which are deadly. I have had foxes feed side by side with my ferals for years, they are even afraid of the cats!

I guess the main risks in London are cars, dogs and neighbours. Foxes around here can be very daring but I have also noticed they are scared of some cats.

However, I will take that in and consider leash training here or at least fix the fence so that she can't slip out again. I've noticed that in the UK, people are very lax on letting their cats out. If you adopt a cat from a rescue, they insist that you have a garden with/out a cat flap.