Welcome to PIF Tails Lost and Found SiteBefore any cat is allowed to roam freely outside, please make sure that the cat is over 6 months old,
has been microchipped, vaccinated, neutered, settled in the new home and trained to use a cat flap
At the very minimum a cat should be fitted with a safety collar with ID tag. As collars can be lost and barrels can unscrew losing the message, PIF Tails highly recommends that all cats be micro-chipped before they are allowed to set foot outside. Remember if a cat is found with no ID, it is legally a stray and can be taken in by another family or be put to sleep by a shelter.
Entire (not neutered or spayed) cats wander further and are more likely to cross roads to fight and breed with other cats, hence they are more likely to pick up fatal illness like Aids and Leukaemia. Remember female cats can get pregnant from four months old. Read more about the advantages of neutering
It is essential that a cat is up to date with all vaccines including Leukaemia before being allowed outside.
An eight week old kitten is only as mature, as a two year old human. A good parent would not let a two year old deal with the road on his own and a good cat owner would not let an eight week old kitten deal with a road either. At six months old your cat will be as mature as a ten year old child. As a ten year old can be trained to cross roads with specific boundaries, this is a safer time to introduce your cat to the outside world. Find out how old your cat is in human years by using the PIF Tails Cat Age Calculator
All cats need to spend a minimum of four weeks in their new home to bond with their new family and to feel secure with the house.
Read more about introducing new cats to your home
Observe your cat's behaviour; are they confident and showing signs of wanting to leave, like pawing at windows or locked cat flaps.
Don't force a timid cat to leave the house wait until they are ready, some cats choose to stay inside and this choice should be respected.
Make sure you have a couple of recent good pictures (film or digital) of your cat showing any unusual markings.
What colour are your cats eyes ?
What colour is your cats fur ?
Note the length of your cats fur ?
Note specific markings or patches of colour ?
How big is your cat note height and weight ?
Does your cat wear a collar ? If yes, note the material and colour of the current collar.
If your cat is microchipped, make sure you know the number and that your records are up to date with the ID Chip Database. This is especially important if you have just moved home.
Make sure these details are written down. If your cat goes missing, this information can be used to make a lost poster. Pictures help to prove ownership of a cat, though microchipping is the best way to prove ownership of a cat. Read more about producing lost cat poster
It is more important that your cat can get into your home than leave it !!! As the majority of cats will only use a cat flap if they can see what is outside, buying a cat flap with a clear plastic door is a good investment. Take the cat outside and show them the cat flap, then push the cat gently though the flap and ensure a good food treat (i.e. Ham or chicken) is waiting for them on the other side. Repeat this several times until the cat walks though the flap themselves to get the treat. If you have someone helping you, the cat can be push both ways though the flap and rewarded with food each time. Some people wire the cat door open or remove the door whilst training their cats, I have never needed to do this with our cats but if your cat won't push the cat flap open, you can try this intermediate step.
If your adoptive cat is an older cat, which already has road sense,then this step can be omitted. In order to control my six month old kittens first visit outside, I fitted Bramble and Tigs with Rabbit harness with leash and walked them around our garden. When a cat is taken outside for the first time, they can react in a number of different ways. Bramble, a feral kitten who was born outside, was delighted to be outside and ran around sniffing things and trying to run around. In contrast Tigs, a domestic kitten who had never been outside in his life, collapsed to the floor and cowered at the sky in fear. I took the six month old kittens on several walks to get them used to being outside and on the return to the house, I showed them the cat flap so the kittens knew how to get back indoors. Over time both kittens played happily together outside in our garden.
Take all food up, several hours before you plan to let your cat outside. I would suggest taking the food up at night and letting your cat out in the morning. Letting your cat out hungry, means the cat will not wander too far and also shaking a bowl of food will entice your cat back to the home. The first few outside visits should be during the day, with a hungry cat and the owner calling for the cat to return after a set time. Each outing allow your cat to be out for a 10 minutes longer than the last visit. When you are confidant that your cat knows where home is and returning home when called, let your cat have their freedom to go outside for as long as they want and go back to feeding your cat at the standard times.