How long do peeps think you should keep cats in when you have moved house?

The Shelter advises a minimum of 3 weeks, but that is an average rather than a set time. Some cats may be fine to go out into the garden with you for a little while before the 3 weeks are up, some cats may need months inside before they go out unattended (thinking mostly of feral cats or those who are very territorial).

I would say at the very least 2 weeks.

Thanks i thought it 2-3 weeks but theyre desperate to go out. It will have been a week next monday so theyre going to have to wait a bit longer.

I'm moving in a couple of weeks and dread having to do this with my little pussy cats. When we moved into where we are living now we were out in the garden after a couple of days and one of them found their way out of the kitchen window. I was terrified she would run off so I got her straight back inside but she was fine after that, the other 2 took a couple of weeks before they ventured past the front gate.

I'm just always so scared they'll run away and try and find their way back to their old home. Is this how cats think or do they know who their mummy is?

The only thing that I could suggest if they really want to go out is to put them in a harness (NOT a collar) and lead and take them out for an explore in their new territory.

Cats aren't suitable for a collar and lead like dogs because their neck is comparatively very weak and you could damage their windpipe or neck bones with a collar if you had to lift them up out of a dangerous situation. A harness is much safer because the attachment point for the lead is on their chest.

I'm moving in a couple of weeks and dread having to do this with my little pussy cats. When we moved into where we are living now we were out in the garden after a couple of days and one of them found their way out of the kitchen window. I was terrified she would run off so I got her straight back inside but she was fine after that, the other 2 took a couple of weeks before they ventured past the front gate.

I'm just always so scared they'll run away and try and find their way back to their old home. Is this how cats think or do they know who their mummy is?

Most cats know their mummy, but do you want to take the chance of letting them out and potentially them getting hopelessly lost or hit by a car whilst they try to find their way 'home'?

Most cats know their mummy, but do you want to take the chance of letting them out and potentially them getting hopelessly lost or hit by a car whilst they try to find their way 'home'?

No not at all, thats not what I was saying. I'd rather keep them in for months knowing they'll come home I just wondered if 1 of them did escape again before it was time for them to start going out if they would come back to me if I shouted them. I know cats are very selfish and just wondered if they actually know who their parents are.

No not at all, thats not what I was saying. I'd rather keep them in for months knowing they'll come home I just wondered if 1 of them did escape again before it was time for them to start going out if they would come back to me if I shouted them. I know cats are very selfish and just wondered if they actually know who their parents are.

Apologies if my answer came across as judging you.

The answer is that most cats are very much aware of who their humans are and hopefully if the need arose you could go out and call for them with their dinner and they'd know it was you calling them.

Ooohh thats ok then it's just my cats are little buggers and very sneaky so I know at some point they will get out before I'm ready to let them :)

Not strictly on topic, but my friend told me last night that males tend to wonder out further than females, something to do with being more teritorial. Is there any truth in that?

When I first moved to where I am now I kept my cats in for about 3 weeks, let them come out in the garden with me after they had become settled in the new house for about a week before I let them go out properly just to get them used to their new garden so hopefully they would beable to recognise it should they become lost. They were fine for the first week after I started letting them come and go as they pleased then both of them together went missing for 2 days which I thought was kind of odd but they came home on the 3rd day and never had a problem since. I would suggest having them microchipped. All of my cats and my dog is done, even though most of the cats live indoors and only ever go out in the garden with me in the spring/summer. Best to be save than sorry.

Not strictly on topic, but my friend told me last night that males tend to wonder out further than females, something to do with being more teritorial. Is there any truth in that?

Certainly entire toms tend to be more territorial and wander further than queens, but many neutered toms couldn't care less about territories.

Both toms and queens are territorial, but queens have smaller territories, several of which usually sit inside one tom's territory. The queens have the advantage of being looked after by the tom and the tom has the advantage of girlies on tap.

Of course, by necessity this means that the tom is the 'ardest tom around the area because he's managed to defend this territory against all comers so far and this means that he's potentially picked up FeLV, FIV and FIP from other toms and/or the queens that other toms have been with before.

Overlapping territories also mean that everyone shares their fleas, ear mites and worms around!