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ddraig said:
They don't mind being picked up and the only time they've struggled to get free is when I took them outside for a look at the garden (birds were possibly a factor)
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My cats are indoor only so I'm not going to try to give specific advice about letting yours outdoors.

What I would say though, is that being carried somewhere unfamiliar is for a cat an experience that is fraught with anxiety, and they are in all probability not going to like it (and may involve a possibility of getting accidentally scratched if they scrabble to get away) - so I think let them pick the pace and the timing is the best bet, rather than trying to physically take them outside :)
 
Just looked over from the computer as something had caught my eye.

The lurking kitty had snuck-in to the kitchen and was watching me from the living room door. He flitted out pretty quickly.

Thankfully madam was sound asleep on a soft cushion and didn't notice the invasion!

Looked outside and he was sitting on the grass just out from the back door and he came over to me to about three/four feet and meowed a couple of times before scooting back up the garden and into the night..
 
ddraig said:
Advice please
It's been 6 weeks since Kizzy and Misty have moved in, Misty is still hiding but not much can do about that

Some places say 4-6 weeks keeping new cats inside, partner wants to let Kizzy out and thinks it might chill them out and stop attacking her sister??

Obviously meant to leave them out when hungry so they come back for food

Would you take them outside, put them down and see or just open door and leave it to them?
Experience and advice welcome, thanks in advance
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Getting outside certainly helped my two establish their own territorial divisions/pecking order in my house - when we got them, the were indoor cats and we were in a flat but whilst the tabby socialised/settled-in very quickly and didn't seem too bothered about being in or out, the black and white was spent most of her time in hiding, although she did come out more and more after a few weeks and sort of socialised - esp when I had a bag of crisps and she was straight-up on the chair arm to claim one!

Once she got out though, she quickly established herself as the outdoor cat, her confidence and socialisation improved no-end. She was boss out there, whilst the tabby was boss indoors - so they rubbed along just fine with only the occasional hissy episode.

The downside was that for the first couple of weeks, we thought the black and white had taken-off forever but then I occasionally caught sight of her watching from some point in the garden so kept putting her food out in the greenhouse - which after a while became her's. Then she started coming-in again.
 
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My housemate, who's a bus driver, got off tonight's shift to find this postcard left by a passenger. It's Tiddles, the Paddington Station cat! Apparently he lived in the ladies' toilets there and got fat on all the treats staff and commuters gave him. By the end of his life, he weighed two stone and won London's Fat Cat Champion title.IMG_20210709_015537513.jpg
 
ddraig said:
Advice please
It's been 6 weeks since Kizzy and Misty have moved in, Misty is still hiding but not much can do about that

Some places say 4-6 weeks keeping new cats inside, partner wants to let Kizzy out and thinks it might chill them out and stop attacking her sister??

Obviously meant to leave them out when hungry so they come back for food

Would you take them outside, put them down and see or just open door and leave it to them?
Experience and advice welcome, thanks in advance
Click to expand...

When we let ours out for the first time, we went out with them so they had a visual reminder of home (& who feeds them). They were pretty cautious since they were entering a world of alien smells and very likely other cats’ markings. After exploring the garden for about 15 mins they came in for some food then went out again to establish some territory. Job done. It’s natural to be a bit nervous but cats know when they’re on to a good thing when it comes to their bed & board and they won’t want to mess it up. All your work of the past month or so should pay off. Good luck 🙂
 
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LeytonCatLady said:
My housemate, who's a bus driver, got off tonight's shift to find this postcard left by a passenger. It's Tiddles, the Paddington Station cat! Apparently he lived in the ladies' toilets there and got fat on all the treats staff and commuters gave him. By the end of his life, he weighed two stone and won London's Fat Cat Champion title.
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more about tiddles and some photos here

over-feeding to that extent isn't kind...
 
Years ago my mate’s cat used to score his drugs for him. He had a dealer living the the flat upstairs and his cat was a frequent visitor there so, if he was feeling lazy, he’d wrap a fiver around the cat’s collar and send him upstairs. The cat would eventually return with a piece of hash (tied to the collar). Job done! 😼
 
seeformiles said:
When we let ours out for the first time, we went out with them so they had a visual reminder of home (& who feeds them). They were pretty cautious since they were entering a world of alien smells and very likely other cats’ markings. After exploring the garden for about 15 mins they came in for some food then went out again to establish some territory. Job done. It’s natural to be a bit nervous but cats know when they’re on to a good thing when it comes to their bed & board and they won’t want to mess it up. All your work of the past month or so should pay off. Good luck 🙂
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Pretty much this for me too, although there was just the one of her. I was very nervous, but she just seemed curious. From the off she didn't regard the fences as barriers of any sort, and went straight into other gardens.
 
stavros said:
Pretty much this for me too, although there was just the one of her. I was very nervous, but she just seemed curious. From the off she didn't regard the fences as barriers of any sort, and went straight into other gardens.
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This is why I’m intrigued as to the difference between our fences (as homeowners ) and how cats see the neighbourhood 🙂
For example, there’s a hole in our hedge that is a common walkway for the street’s moggies
 
Not seen Mr Fox for a few days now. He was in the garden a couple of days ago. I was in the bathroom attending the litter, when I heard someone say "bloodclut' with banging on the fence. I knew it was fox related. Went to the kitchen and saw Mr Fox outside. Chucked food out but he didn't jump over the fence into the garden. Then a guy walks past uttering "why aren't you afraid?" in an annoyed tone. Mr Fox then ran off. Looks like he has been frightened off. Hopefully will be back again...

PXL-20210528-221855579-01.jpg
 
So, if it's not one thing, it's another.

Earlier in the week Sonic developed an earache in his left ear - head tilt, scratching at it, shaking his head. I booked the earliest vet appointment I could get (fortunately the pain seemed to be less severe on Friday or I'd have taken him to the emergency vet). Of course after all the faff with my dear departed Radar and his ear polyps and the considerable aftermath/complications, I spent a couple of days having nightmares about polyps and surgery and feeding tubes.

Got him up to the vet this morning, turns out the poor thing has a bacterial ear infection, also yeast infection, and a ruptured ear drum - poor wee sod. Have a gentle earwash for him (can't do strong stuff right away due to the rupture) and anti-inflammatories for the pain and inflammation and have another appointment next Saturday to check progress (under instruction to phone if it gets worse in the meantime).

Also had his claws clipped (he has arthritis and cannot retract his claws so they over-grow and curl under very quickly) it was all a bit much for him bless him what with his painful ear being examined and cleaned and his claws being done - typical of Siamese/OSH cats he went into full on screaming/screeching/yowling/yodelling/hissing mode - fortunately he is all mouth and no trousers and wasn't going to hurt anyone, but the receptionist came in to check we were ok because of the demonic noises issuing at high volume from my small gentle cat :D :D

One piece of good news - his weight has stabilised, he is still a bit on the skinny side but has not lost any weight for a few weeks so hopefully whatever that was about has resolved.
 
seeformiles said:
This is why I’m intrigued as to the difference between our fences (as homeowners ) and how cats see the neighbourhood 🙂
For example, there’s a hole in our hedge that is a common walkway for the street’s moggies
Click to expand...
I don't think Missy regards anywhere outside her domain as existing. It's the equivalent of dark matter to her.
 
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