[jb1]

Hi, I'm posting this on behalf of my brother. He is about to move from Bristol to very rural Wales. His cat (Mark), a neutered rescue around 4 years old is quite a homebody who doesn't go much further than their back yard or maybe the neighbours. The street they live in now is back to back terraced houses (like Coronation ;-).

They plan to follow a process of keeping him indoors in the new place for a couple of weeks and then oepn door around dinner time. They were also thinking of buying a little doggy harness and long lead to visit his new surroundings during his confinement time.

Does anyone have any advice on introducing a city cat to the wilds of the countryside and what risks there are that we might not have thought of?

Thanks!
Jenny

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[sealhope]

Hi Jenny - in my experience a cat can very often become completely confused and disorientated by sudden exposure to wide open spaces - they get lost easily and then have no idea on earth how to come home.

Also, foxes and owls/bigger birds of prey will go for cats - if they do is going to depend on how big Mark is. I have seen owls take light cats from right at my feet (the worst experience!) and a fox or larger bird of prey would have no problems with a bigger cat.

So just be very, very careful. Good luck to him. Hope he enjoys the wide open spaces and fresher air. (I should also add, having just seen the news, that I hope Mark can swim well ).

[KDPW]

If your brother has something like a screen door or a large window, I have found that to be helpful. Leave the door or window open during the day and then the cat can sit there and watch what goes on and get used to the comings and goings of the local critters. Whenever I move to a new place, I always keep the cats in for awhile and then let them have surpervised visits outside. I usually stand at the door and let them out so that they can run right back in if they get frightened. Good luck!

[Lushbaby]

Sensible precautions are in place for his new abode the only other risk I can think of is Snakes.
Although they appear in metro areas it is much quieter in rural so they will be around more even if unseen.
When it is very hot I accompany even my small dogs out for piddles,just in case. My neighbour has lost 2 cats to snakebite,but she does let them wander. Clear grounds & the cat does not always win with a snake is worth remembering.
The vet is usually further away too.