When to let adopted adult cat outside

We reently had a feral cat we brought back from Spain and kept him inside for 3 weeks. When we let him out he seemed terrified and disappeared. I waited up half the night for him but he eventually came back and was OK after that.

A good tip from Cats Protection. Empty some of the litter tray (the poo bits) into various spots in the garden, as this is their own smell and reassures them that this is their territory.

humptydumpty when we moved here 2 yrs ago we already had Oliver and he had been a house cat (we lived in a 1st floor flat) up until then,we where very nervous about letting him out to explore our new back garden.
We kept him inside for 4 weeks and on the 4th week we fitted the baby gate across the kitchen door so he could smell the surroundings.When he did go out he never went far at all and always came back I kept food outside all the time,needless to say he did go missing after about 6mths and I spent the worst 48hrs of my life worrying about him but he came back hungry and demanding attention at 3am in the morning.
I would certainly wait a wee bit longer just to be on the safe side,I can now say Oliver is the boss cat in our area and all the neighbours now know him well even what he likes to eat !! say no more. Best of luck and enjoy your new friend. x glamma x

paddyann, thank you for yooour good wishes, and so sorry to hear about your experience, you must have been devastated. I have a laser toy which is awaiting batteries! I am definitely thinking this weekend might be too soon, buut I may try briefly in the morning before she has been fed, to see how she behaves. My great worry is that she won't come when called, and she hates being picked up, so I can't take her outside for a walk-around.

Humptydumpty I have two 7 month old kittens an dI'm terrified of letting them out.Our last cat was hit and killed by a car last summer and I'm worried the same would happen to these two.Ours do the tail chasing/running around thing every evening ,I thought thats what all cats do,every cat we've had has a "mad half hour" ,mind you my son did that as well .Have you got a laser toy for her to chase or other toys she's happy to play with? I bought some little furry mice from Amazon and they have had so much fun with them .If she was used to being outdoors she might want out but I'd try keeping her in a bit longer .Good luck with her ,our house wasn't the same without our cat and its lovely to see them relaxed and happy so I hope your wee friend settles well and stays for many years .

If she came from a recognised organisation they might be a good place for information. I seem to remember being told it was about 4 weeks when we took on a couple many years ago. Do make sure she is chipped, just in case. Some people manage to use a cat harness, is this possible?