How long should my cat stay indoors after moving to a new place?

[Cannikin]

I've heard they need to stay indoors for at least two weeks, but I'm not sure...

Any advice from the cat people?

[radwriter0555]

1. For its entire life please.

:)

[purr]

2. I second that

[RebelOne]

9. And I third it.

I'm a dog person. And I do not believe any pets should be allowed to roam free outside. Unless, of course, the pet owner lives on a farm.

[ikojo]

3. Forever...think of the songbirds.....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=2500850

[Cannikin]

6. I do think of the song birds..every time I have to wash there crap...

off my car.

[barb162]

4. I know people who have moved and their cats keep trying to

find their way back to their old homes. As in many times. Some cats have a good sense of direction and some don't. Many cats get lost permanently trying to find their way back home. Please keep your cat inside permanently. There are too many hazards, including way more nutcases than people think, who like to torture and kill "strays."

[Cannikin]

5. How very "Jeffery Dahmer" of them.

[Heidi]

7. Our vet told us at least two weeks . . .

when we adopted our boy cat who was 15 weeks old at the time. I don't know how long it would be for older cats.

(Edit for spelling)

[maddiejoan]

8. Depends

Are you moving anywhere near Bill Frist?

[hyphenate]

10. Permanently? eom

[Milspec]

11. The life span of outdoor cats...

is half that of indoor cats.

[miss_kitty]

12. wow. you mean my avatar cat would have lived to be 36?

[miss_kitty]

13. here's my .02

I'd keep kitty in a week or two, then go out and watch (to make sure that it's not killing starlings, sparrows or swallows, all extremely valuable imports, brought over from Europe, and now crowding our native species) and/or disease-carrying rodentia, also mostly of european descent. Why? because every sperm is sacred.

Sheesh. nice of people to help with info you did not ask for. :eyes:

[NV Whino]

14. Right on, Miss Kitty!

[bertha katzenengel]

16. Hear, hear!

:bounce:

[NV Whino]

15. This pretty much depends on your cat

and your relationship with your cat. Recommended time is two weeks. My guys ventured outside after a couple of days. They are bonded to me, not the house. BTW, mine are indoor/outdoor cats. They come and go as they please. And the only birds they get are the kamakazis that whang into the windows and drop into their mouths. But rodents and reptiles keep their distance from the house.

[miss_kitty]

17. Mr Big, my diabetic guy, was a rescue cat

he'd lived in a kitty cage for a couple months before I got him. He was 25 lbs and pissed off when I brought him home. Went straight under the bed, hissing and growling.
It was summer, and I had windows opened. Here's a guy whose done nothing but hiss and growl at me, been in the house half an hour, and discovers an open window. Poof! He's gone and I am a freaking mess. I think "Dr A is going to think I'm an irresponsible asshole!"
And who came sauntering up to the front door a few hours later? Mr Big. Like he'd lived here all his life.

BTW he made it to 13, old for a diabetic, and lived to go out and greet everyone walking by. He'dve died indoors. He lived for the sound of footfall outside the door. It's been nearly 9 years and people still remember him. And his story encouraged several passersby, over the years, to get rescue kitties. 3 families I know of.

[Milspec]

18. "He was 25 lbs"!

and a diabetic? Most of the diabetic cats I've encountered are a shadow of there former selves.

[miss_kitty]

19. I got him to lose about 7 lbs.

That was the lightest he was, except the time he was ketonic (I didn't know what that was-I thought his diet was going well) and he made it to 12 lbs. Very sick looking at 12 lbs.

[Milspec]

23. 12 Lbs from 25

I bet he looked poorly. Was he insulin dependent?

[miss_kitty]

24. Yes he received 2 5 cc shots a day

for the last 10 years of his life, The Iletin family was great (beef or pork or beef and pork insulin), but about 7 years into the deal they came out with Humulin (synthetic or rDNA stuff), and that screwed him up, somewhat.

[SoCalDem]

20. Forever..n/t

:hi:

[Mutley]

21. Like most of the people said here

two weeks... but if you live in a high traffic area you really might want to consider keeping him indoors all the time. I've seen too many assholes try and purposely hit some of the strays around here. Thank goodness the cats are too fast!

[catmandu57]

22. I think it depends on the relationship with your cat

When we moved to our new house I tried to keep my mother cat in, but out the door she ran at first opportunity, she stayed right here though and came inside first thing the next morning.
All the others stayed in for a couple of days, then we let them come and go as they wanted.
It does give a cat a safer, longer life to live inside, but we have a couple who we couldn't keep inside unless we kept them in cages. They're like anything else you have to give them some freedom.

[Briarius]

25. Obviously you should keep them in a box forever

How dare you treat them like an animal?





:sarcasm:

Give them a week or two. If your yard is fenced, you could go with sooner, given you supervise them the first few times. In the end, it's up to you knowing your kitties! :D

[Ratty]

26. I did for about 2 weeks

Then I let her out with a loooong leash on so she could wander around, smell the yard and get used to the area. But DON'T leave them alone with a long leash on!! I went inside for just a second and came back out to find her hanging by her neck from the fence she jumped making strangling cat sounds (she wasn't hurt). It should be okay if you take a chair outside and do some reading for an hour or two. Of course make sure she's wearing a collar with your current phone number on it, that's obvious.