Milly's First Day Out.

[PayItForward]

At the risk of encouraging another inside /outdoor debate

Today we introduced Milly to the big wide world.

She had her last injection early afternoon and vet said she was ready to be let outside.

No pictures as we needed our wits to herd Milly but I'll get some next time we let her out.

First we trained her to use the catflap. That consists of me standing on the inside and PaysForIt outside, encouraging her. She ran over to the cat flap and I pushed open the clear plastic door and her eyes widened and she jumped out. PayForIt praised her and popped her back inside again. We repeated this a couple of times.

I think Milly has been used to catflaps before, as she has been headbutting the catflap since we adopted her.

Then as our back door is actually on the side of our house. We had opened our garden gate and carried Milly into the back garden. She sniffed around a little bit and ran back into the house and straight back to the back garden !!!

This is common behaviour in indoor/outdoor cats. Cats map their world in relation to their home. Milly explores a garden and then returns to the back door to get her bearing . Then she turns around and heads out again.

As this was her first visit outside we monitored her at all times. I had to go into a neighbours garden, to show her the gap in the hedge, she had used to get there in the first place.

She is now sleeping on the sofa looking happy but tired

[ScantyNebula]

everyone has their own personal preference for wanting indoor/outdoor cats. Personally, I would never let my cat outside, living in a city, cars going by our street all hours, I would go crazy worrying about him.

Hopefully you have a nice backyard for your cat, its a dangerous world out there!

[ChrisH]

What a happy first day out for Milly Can we have some pictures of the next one! Please.

[Ally Cat's Mommy]

I'm glad Milly enjoyed her big adventure!

Ally gave me SUCH a fright today.

I arrived home with armfuls of shopping, only to be "accosted" by my chetterbox next door neighbor. She walked in after me, and obviously didnt close the door properly, and 5 minutes later I realised Ally was outside. (She is an inside cat).

Luckily she hadn't gone further than the back door - she had just run halfway round the house and then crouched by the back door waiting to be rescued! What a silly girl - nearly gave me a heart attack!

[jenluckenbach]

I am giggling at Milly head butting the cat flap to no avail. I AM GLAD THAT SHE IS HAPPY.

[PayItForward]

Yep, Milly is happy and George is happy. That just leaves little Milo in the house on his own.....Ahhhr.

His time will come, in fact we might let him out next week as he is well bonded with us & the cats, as he was most miffed when the other cats came in smelling of hedges and grass and general outside. Milo spent 10 minutes trying to sniff Milly and Georges paws.

PS. After Milly was herded back into the house. My partner saw her sat in front of the cat flap tapping it (Why doesn't it work now ?) with Milo sat behind her watching her with interest. I wish we had a picture.

[jenluckenbach]

your last post brings up a question. How DOES a can reason about a flap the works sometimes but does not work at other times?

[PayItForward]

I don't know ?

[PayItForward]

George has figured that, since the new cats, he needs to meiows and we alter the door to open and push it to show him it is now open.

I think they just keep trying. Milly watched George use the cat flap but whenever she tried it, the door was locked until today. But she always tried to follow him.

[PaysForIt]

I assumed it was like most problems a cat is presented with.

Sulk until it works right again.

[catmandu]

It all depends on your neighborhood , whether they stay in or go out. I live beside an old factory and 2 Cats have been run over in the last yeart! So my cats stay in where they are safe and sound!