Letting Percy Out

I let Percy roam about free today. I felt sorry for him sitting on his step-ladder trying to see out across the neighbourhood so I relented. Blimey, I was like a nervous mum, constantly looking out the window for him. He was out for about two hours when I couldn't take it anymore and cooked fish to lure him in. I really thought I'd be okay with him roaming free (I've been thinking about doing it for a few days) he's two now and I know he wants to go out. He did stay close by but I just didn't like it, I'm so selfish!

He's shut in the garden again and I've just seen him sitting on his step-ladder again. Poor Percy, I do worry about him!

Hi Laura,

The old *should I, shouldn't I* question eh? The drawback now is Percy has had a taste of freedom and might well want more.

I can understand why people who've spent a lot of money on a cat, or it's disabled in some way (deaf/blind,etc) or there's heavy traffic nearby, are reluctant to let a cat have total freedom. Personally, I think they should be let out, but there's always the risk of them coming to harm somehow, but against that is a cats happiness at being able to roam free.

I know I encouraged Beckett to go outside, virtually from the first day I got him at 12 weeks old. Of course he was under supervision at first, but as he got older I let him wander at will. I won't deny there were more than a few *stomach in knots* moments when I thought he'd disappeared, but he always came trotting home when his tummy started rumbling. He'd still be with me if I'd kept him indoors (cat proofing the garden was out of the question) but would he have been as happy? I know he wouldn't, so even tho' his time was short with me, I'm sure I did the right thing in letting him wander whenever/wherever he wanted.

Ian

Hi Ian

It's such a pickle isn't it. I've grown up with cats being able to roam free and it's what I feel they should be able to do. Since I've had Percy I've been unhappy about enclosing him, I worry he's unhappy. The fact that he wants to roam tells me it's the right thing to do but I'm such a worry wart.

My original plan was to keep him enlcosed here and let him roam free when we move to a less dangerous area (we have a very busy main road out the front) now I'm not so sure. The main problem is we've enclosed the garden really well and it's hard to let him out. I could remove the fencing but that makes things so final, imagine if I changed my mind!

He prob just likes his ladder and enjoys surveying the area. He's got the best of both worlds, he has his freedom in the garden and is safe. Like Ian I can't really cat proof mine as Mads loves going out the front (remember when I was toying with the idea, I still want to, but it would be for me rather than Mads) and if she were to jump over the back fence via a neighbours, the cat proofing would stop us being able to get over to retrieve her. Although I would love to do so.
As you have a busy front road, I expect you let him out the back and the worry is if he goes round the front? All I can say is you need to do what you think is right. You know your Percy better than anyone, just try not to put more 'human' emotions on him (that sounds awful, but I'm sure you know what I mean). Is a few hours roaming a day, better that complete come and go freedom in his safe garden?
I risk Mads possibly 'playing on the motorway' daily, and its worth the risk for her happiness as the other alternative would be to keep her in or restricted to the back, which wouldn't be fair as she has been used to roaming her whole life, so I understand where Ians coming from, but is Percy used to roaming? Or is he used to his garden? If he's used to his garden and has only had a taste of roaming, then the decision is potentially easier. If he's used to roaming.... then its a bit more of a difficult decision.
Good luck with this one Laura, its a tough one and Percy is the only one with the answer.

Hi Laura,

If he was *really* unhappy, you'd know about it, I would have thought he'd have tried to escape before now if he was. Two years old surely isn't too old to learn road sense, but there's only one way for both of you to find out.

A lot of the problems are imaginary....what if this happened?...or that? when the odds are nothing will happen. That's not to say accidents don't occur, we all know they do, but they are few and far between. I'd much rather have a contented cat, even if like Beckett, disaster struck when he was poisoned, than one who was obviously bored.

I'm lucky in that Bola seldom goes round to the front of the house where the road is, but against that is that the direction he chooses to wander most, is towards the house where I'm 99.9% sure the person who poisoned Beckett lives.

Only you can decide about Percy, but it sounds like he'd would be grateful if you let him wander.

Ian

Oh Laura it is difficult. As you know mine are allowed out, and I worry all the time, as I write this Sophie hasn't been home at all since we came in from work, so I worry about what could nave happened, probably nothing, Sophie loves to roam. Remember when I had Mischa and she escaped, she came back one happy wee cat, ok she isn't wee, and then I had to kep her in that pen and I felt so bad for her. It was really her that made me decide that cats should get their fredom. Yes it could all and in disaster, but that can happen with us, not just our cats. I know if Moto or Sophie was in a road accident , I would find that so hard to live with, BUT I also know they would have had a carefree life and been hapy until then. I even toyed with letting Teddy out, but the odds were stacked against him. we have a busy road right in front of us, but it's a chance I take.

Hi Laura,

By coincidence, I had a *stomach-in-knots* moment with Bola last night.

It took me ages to get him in as I was ready to go to bed at midnight, he came in, demanded food so I gave in and put some down. I'd no sooner put his bowl down than he saw something thro' the flap and he was off, a bit narked, I put the food back in the tin and went to bed, sure he'd be back soon as he's only stayed once out all night that I can remember.

I drifted off to sleep, only for to soon wake up after dreaming I'd seen him (surrounded by a strange light) trying and failing to open a door, then collapsing on the floor I had this same dream again, a few times in fact, so convinced he was in trouble, I got up to check. There was no sign of him outside, nor in any of the places he sleeps in the house, which didn't help, and he always jumps up onto my bed before going for a midnight snack before going to sleep if he's in..................but I did hear a very faint jingling of a collar bell, which really spooked me, but then I remembered Fudge was asleep on the junk room windowsill and she has the same collar as Bola, so thought it was probably her (it wasn't as it turned out)

I couldn't go back to sleep so got up again at 3am, even more convinced he was in trouble, and again there was no sign of him anywhere, but on my way back to bed, I happened to glance under my pc desk, and there he was. It's an old dressing table tbh, and what with a litter tray and other odds and sods there, there's little room for a cat to sleep, and he'd never slept there before.

Bola is street wise, he'd been let out at all hours of the day even when I first found him in my garden at barely a few months old, but when a cat suddenly does something out of the ordinary, panic can soon set in. Ok, this story is down to a overactive imagination on my part, and as much as I think you should at least seriously consider letting Percy out, at some point you're almost certain to have a few times like this happen to you if you do.

Ian

That's so true Ian, the little sods don't think like us, so we get all wound up about where they are what they're doing, which when you care is only natural. The first few times are always the worst though, I couldn't settle when we first let ours out, always wanting to get home, and they were fine. Even now if they don't follow their *usual* routine, I start to worry. Madness I tell you.

Eeek! Laura such a big decision to make. Ive only ever had cats that have gone out and have actually never known anyone before with cats that stay in, until I came on this forum, so have never been in this situation.
Like others have said, you will know if Percy is truly happy/unhappy.
I like everyone else, worry about Prince, and have "heart in mouth moments" like Ian has just described, and PrinceyPie aint the most street-savvy of moggies I tells ya!, but I do love the fact that he has his freedom.
Good luck with this one, and you know whatever you decide, we will all be behind you sweetie. xx

I've kind of changed my mind this morning - bad mum! Although Percy doesn't seem bothered, he hasn't made a fuss to leave the garden to I might keep things the way they are.

I made a terrible mistake last night. He was having a scrap under the fence with another cats, you should have heard the noise, it was unbelievable. I ran out and foolishly grabbed him and he went mental, biting and scratching me. I KNOW you should never mess with a cat when it's fighting but I thought they were going to scratch each other's eyes out but it was just me that got scratched and jeez it hurt! Another reason I wasn't keen on him wandering is he HATES other cats.

OOoooooo I bet it still hurts. You will know best Laura and if you really are unsettled about it, there is nothing wrong in keeping things as they are. If Percy was depressed you would know. As for not liking other cats, he would get on with Sophie, not LOL

Laura wrote:Another reason I wasn't keen on him wandering is he HATES other cats.

ROFL! Oh he's a feisty one! lol!

Before I get into the indoor/outdoor thing... I'll make a little comment about this one. Pok was the same. Exactly the same. Very territorial, and would attack any cat that dared wander into our garden! But, as he passed his second birthday he started to calm down... and by the time he was 3, he could be seen in the garden happily sitting next to another cat... and now - we'll now he even brought a friend to our house! lol!

When we got Pok my partner wanted him to become an indoor cat. I however has always grown up with cats that have had freedom to roam where-ever they have wished. We sat an talked about it a lot, and made our decuicion based on what Pok would gain by getting his freedom, and the safety of the neighbourhood. There was a fast (as in the cars driving very fast) road less then 10 minutes walk away. There were of course lots of other roads too, but all being fairly quiet residental ones. Chances were that Pok would not go to where the fast road was the majority of times... so we decided to let him out...

Of course a few months down the line we realised that Pok wandered a lot further then we ever thought he would... as the motorway was about half an hours walk away... and he used to cross it to get to the fields! Eeeeeek! We still decided to let him continue to be allowed outside, as it would not be fair on Pok taking his freedom away when we'd already given it to him, due to my fears (clearly not due to Poks fears! lol!).

Where we got the hosue now, we are very lucky. There are no busy roads anywhere nearby... but this is not to say that something might not happen... he could still be hit by a car, but chances are of course much, much less then anywhere where there are busy roads.

And then came Edinburgh... and we did not even have to consider options... the A1 is less then 10 seconds walk away from our livingroom. They both had to become indoor cats. Yes... maybe Pok or Bg would not have wandered down to the A1, but chances are they would have. There are people who let their cats out here (we see a few), but I couldn't do it... even though it breaks my heart to see Pok so unhappy, I know that if I let him out chances are he would be hit by a car on the first day I let him out.

Yes... I feel guilty... I feel terribly guilty for making Pok (not so much BG, as she's happy to be an indoor cat) stay inside... but as the cons outweighs the pros of letting him out, that's the way it has to stay for now.

Unfortunately (I say due to the f-ing agancy that was letting out our house) we're now in a position which is very fortunate for Pok - he's being allowed outside at the house again!

Was I worried? Of course... that he would run off. We brought leashes to take them out on... but seeing how Pok wanted freedom we let him go. Was I worried about letting BG out without a leash - oh yes! Much more so then Pok. Pok might have run off, but he'd be having great fun whilst doing so, and I was pretty certain he'd come back... just maybe not at the time we wanted him to! lol! BG on the other hand is a different worry... she will enter into anything that is open, whether that being a cardoor or a house. She will also lay in the middle of the road, and not car at all if a car comes. Luckily it's a little cul-de-sac, and cars have to drive very slow due to the turn of the road, but she'll still just lay there without a care in the world.

So... should you let Percy out? Percy is lucky, he's got access to the garden, which is safe for him. However... giving him access to the garden is like giving him ONE treat, and he knows there's more treats... he can see that there is more to the world then just the garden, and it might be giving him urgest to exploere the rest (this is of course different from cat to cat... BG would have been very happy with the garden, Pok however would have scratched and clawed all over to see if there was anywhere out).

You're the one that will know if Percy is unhappy or not (he certainly doesn't look unhappy - gorgeous fellow he is!)... and then you will have to weigh out the good and bad things about letting Percy out... If you got plans to move in the future, where it is hopefully more cat-safe, then personally (depending on the timescale) I would have let Percy have the garden and stick to that for now... that way I would know (justlike we know here in Edinburgh) that it is a temp solution until he could have safer access where he would be able to roam.

Here's hoping you'e wounds have healed!