Hi Sherry
You'd be surprised! Both mine will come running to my other half's whistle - problem is, I can't whistle! Most of the time they will come when I call, but I think Jagger has selective hearing... When we started to let them out, we would call or whistle and when they came back always gave them treats so the incentive is there for them to respond. And I didn't feed them until they came back in either which helped!
Yes, I get the impression the UK is very different from the US when it comes to letting cats out. To be honest, I worry about them all the time when they are out, however they are creatures of habit and they've had nearly a year of being let out in the morning, to be brought back in and kept in until we are home and then they will be let out and then brought in again at night. Even at weekends when we are home and have the doors open, they tend to keep to this routine. We live in a small cul-de-sac and our garden backs on to other gardens - in fact I think they can get to 30 odd gardens from ours without encountering a road. They tend to be within ear shot most of the time and we know which directions they both have preferences for if they decide to ignore us! They won't go near strangers and there are no predators really, other than foxes and the only time they are likely to pick a fight with a cat is when they have young. I'm always checking on where our two are and will call them so they touch base regularly.
I have been looking into trackers this week and I think they are smaller than they used to be, but it would definitely be helpful to hear from someone who is using one and can recommend it.
_________________ Clare Hendrix and Jagger, Brown Marble Boys (born 18 August 2013) Hampshire, UK
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