Have a routine for my cat that wants to go out

Question

Problem Description and Situation

I recently moved to a new apartment with my cats Moe (female) and Joe (male). They are brother and sister. It didn't take long for them to get used to it.

Moe started exploring the place on the same day that we arrived. It took Joe three days to get out of the closet and start exploring.

I have a big roof in front of me. it's around 70 m² (753.47 ft²). Other cats have also access to the roof. There's a fatso cat and another quiet grey cat. There is also another orange cat which is very aggressive.

Joe found a way to get to the roof. I allowed him to go out because the apartment is not that big. I have plenty of high ground for the cats. But Joe still wants to go out. He explored almost half of the roof, but he stepped on the territory of an orange cat. So, the orange cat ran after Joe and kicked his sorry behind. Joe ran towards me, and 10 minutes later he licked his paw as if nothing happened, and went back to exploring. He wasn't shaken at all.

I also have to be out every day from 7:30 AM to 7:00 or 8:00 PM. With the exception of the weekends, where I'm home all day long.

Basically, I want Joe to go out but only when I'm home.

Proposed Solution

I'm trying to make a routine for Joe the mule head. I'm only letting him out when I'm home. Between 7 PM and 11 PM or on the weekends. All-day long.

For the past week, my idea was to place the litter box (because cats can smell their litter box a mile away), good cat food and water on the balcony and every time Joe steps out. I start calling his name if he tries to wander a little far. At 11 PM I call him, he jumps in and I close the door. When I'm out of course cats can't go out.

So far that routine has been working perfectly. But with a lot of stress. It's stressing me a lot.

Questions

Do you agree with what I am doing? Can cats learn a specific routine like that? Or, is what I am doing risky?

Answer 1

Cats are great with routines.

Each cat has a very well defined daily program. Waking up, grooming, playing, cuddling, going for a bathroom are all planned to a finer detail than most humans. When there is a change to their routine, they resist it. In the long run, they adapt to the new settings, but this long run depends on how much the cat wants to accept the changes.

Your cat running to you at 11 PM when you call him is an absolute proof that he accepted this new routine. Cats don't really respond to calls unless it suits them.

The second part of the problem is whether this is sustainable by you. You say you are too much stressed about the situation. If your stress is about your cat getting hurt, I would say it is actually quite safe. Cats know what they are upto in territorial fights and your cat just licking his paw casually after a seemingly major fight proves it. If your stress is due to some other problem, like having to do extra daily chores, it is your decision whether this is a good idea or not.

Also, cat fights are never too dangerous and most deaths occur due to infections from minor wounds. As long as you are around to give prompt medical treatment, there is little to no chance your cat will be hurt. If you really want to be safe, just make sure that you have anti-septic ready in your house.

A good way to improve safety is to install a microchip operated cat flap on the path to the roof. This will ensure that your cat can reach safety even if you are not there.

Finally, cats roam 40-200 meters so giving your cats an extra roaming distance is quite helpful to them. Most apartments do not provide cats enough roaming range, hence they want to get out. I gave my opinion about letting cats out here and about fights between stray and domestic cats here. The other answers to these questions would also help you a lot about your final decision.

I hope this helps!