Letting my stray cat outside

[izzyiess]

Hello! I have a 9 month old stray cat. She lives with me for 2 months now and is doing great. Soon she will get spayed and chipped and I would like to let her outside but I am not really sure what to do. We live next to a busy road and I am scared she will get hit by a car. On the back side of the house it is safe for her to go. She has been living in the wild before we adopted her but in an area where there are almost no cars. So I don't think she is used to cars.

It is not a problem to keep her inside and she has not shown any signs yet that she wants to go out, but I want her to have a nice life, hunt and have fun outside.

What is the best thing to do in this situation? If you have any tips let me know. Thanks!

 

[di and bob]

After living by a busy road for years, I would say IT'S NOT WORTH IT TO LET THEM OUTSIDE! I have too many little graves to back me up. Most were cats that were strays, but three were my house cats and very road experienced. It catches up to them sooner or later, some after ten years. If you think she needs to go out, get one of those new chicken coops, or build a place for her to go and and still be safe. We are the adults and need to keep them safe. I would rehome her befoer I would let her stay outside. The cost of a catico is cheap compared to the cost to your heart......

 

[rubysmama]

Awww... she's adorable. Thank you for bringing her inside and giving her a home.

Living next to a busy road, the odds are not in her favour for living a long life, if she goes outside. And since she's not showing any signs of wanting to go out, I vote for keeping her inside. Just make the inside interesting for her. Here's a few TCS articles with more info:

How To Make Your Home Bigger (at Least For Your Cats) | TheCatSite
How To Prevent Your Cat From Darting Out The Door | TheCatSite
Bored Cat? What Cat Owners Need To Know (including 10 Actionable Tips) | TheCatSite
Playing With Your Cat: 10 Things You Need To Know | TheCatSite

Is making her a catio, an option?
Cat Enclosures | TheCatSite

Catio Incoming | TheCatSite
Catio access (need some ideas to teach cats!!) | TheCatSite

 

[banana queen]

If you live next to a busy road, she's better off indoors. If she's not showing an interest yet, she will be completely happy as an indoor cat with no problem (and even if she is, I have trained my outdoors loving cat to like being in) If you want to keep her at the back of the house, you can cat proof your back garden with a high fence (you can put netting at the top that goes inwards to make it harder to climb over) to allow her outdoor access in a safe place but without her being able to sneak off round the front by the road.

 

[Willow's Mom]

I live next to a busy road too. After losing an indoor-outdoor cat to a car in my college years, I only had indoor kitties.

Recently I adopted a kitten who had literally never been inside a house before. This was after reading the Adventure Cats book and rabbit trailing in the general direction of Jackson Galaxy and some of the other modern cat behaviorists.

We're figuring it out as we go. Harness and leash training are a must, but if your kitty takes to it the whole world opens up. I also made a point of getting Willow accustomed to the car as well as riding in a sling and an astronaut-style bubble backpack.

She enjoys all day hikes in the woods, "helping" to walk the dogs around town in her bubble backpack, running errands, and generally going anywhere a well behaved small dog would be welcome. She does enjoy her own back yard, but safely and with supervision.

There is a link to an article about catios upthread. That is another option, especially if your kitty doesn't take to a harness and leash. I've seen everything from an inexpensive ~$30 mesh tent to multi-thousand dollar home improvement projects.

Not all cats enjoy outdoor adventures. Many former ferals are so relieved to finally have safe, indoor homes and have negative associations with the outdoors, so I would take it very slowly under the circumstances.

She could have a very nice life indoors. Many cats do. You could even pick up some crickets from the pet store for her to hunt from time to time.

 

[izzyiess]

Thanks for all the replies! I am going to make my backyard cat proof

 

[rubysmama]

Sounds great. I hope you'll post a pic when it's complete.

 

[di and bob]

Sounds like the best plan!