Help With Introducing Cat to Outdoors

Dilemma:
Cat wants to get out, badly, I'm trying to orientate her with the outside of our house and that this is where she is to come home to. Shes not keen on me keeping an eye on her and wants to just go. I just want to make sure she doesn't want to go back to Doncaster or where ever she originally came from.

She is chipped and has a collar with a tag (which she may try to ditch as shes not keen on it)

Should I just let her go out and hope she eventually comes back and starts crying at the door to be let back in or just keep letting out for larger intervals at a time until I' can find a time I'm comfortable with?

Today she was nothing but trouble (jumping on counters, scratching at the door, trying to go out windows, biting me) and I just want her to settle..

I should say the other day we let her out for 5 minutes, then the next 10 and today its was about 20 minutes - all with me watching her. She'll respond to her name while in the house, but the moment she gets outside I'm completely ignored

Thanks

Kerri, it is my opinion that she knows what shes doing and she's ready to get out on her own terms.  She's 5, she's been outside before and she should be fine.

My cats would do the exact same to me me if I was trying to regulate their outside time.  I have a cat door so it makes a world of difference - I don't have to worry about falling asleep without letting them in or leaving for work and worrying if they want in or out.

It's a leap of faith, and it gets worrisome sometimes.  My boy goes on walkabout every summer right at midsummer - there are always a few weeks where I never see him and it scares me sometimes but he always comes home and wants to snuggle up after he's done whatever he needs to do. 

I seriously doubt Pippa would try to get back to her old stomping grounds, but the truth is that if you have an inside/outside cat and they decide to hit the road you will never be able to stop them.  It they are happy they will stay.  If they aren't they go.

It's warm out and the days are getting longer so it's about time for my cats to start staying out for longer, so I wouldn't worry.  Well OK, I would worry but I'd also just trust that they will be OK   

Yeah, we need to get a cat flap installed... Its just hard as tomorrow Im starting a temp job so both of us will be out of the house for 8 hours, so dont just want to dump her outside like that right away. Maybe on Saturday stay in and let her out by herself and then listen for her.

I think, if we had the flap, it will be ideal for all of us.. Its just getting one and installing it. I was hoping to wait until next month to do that as thats when money will be more flush... (We're looking at getting one that scans her chip, so the other cats in the area wont want to come in after her)

Im sorry if I keep asking a lot of obvious questions, Im just not used to an outdoor cat and trying to adjust to it all...

I should say the other day we let her out for 5 minutes, then the next 10 and today its was about 20 minutes - all with me watching her. She'll respond to her name while in the house, but the moment she gets outside I'm completely ignored

I would do this (but probably a bit longer to start, maybe 30 minutes?), but if you can, do it right before dinnertime. Then she has a reason to come home because she knows food happens at X time. (Or if it makes you feel better, do it before breakfast so that if she does stay out, at least it's daytime.)

As hollyberry said, though, it is a leap of faith. You'll have to trust that she knows the house, and knows you guys, and will want to come home regularly to see you. FWIW, though, before my cat decided to be a chicken and stay indoors all the time (his current "exploring" consists of walking out onto the landing for 2 minutes), he left the house after breakfast each morning and came back like clockwork by dinnertime.

You could also put out some wet food to lure her back earlier (say after an hour or two initially).

I trained my cat (kinda by accident). Every time I fed him some treaties, I would repeat over and over "want some".  Now I just wait till right before dark and call outside "want some" and he comes running. 

When I moved from the US to the UK, my cat went from being an indoor to an outdoor cat as well. I did it gradually - at first I only let him out into the garden when I was sitting out there with him. He didn't venture very far at all in the beginning - just sniffed around the grass and borders. In fact, it wasn't until the next year that he even went beyond the garden. Then I couldn't stop him exploring the woods! And now that he's getting on in years, he's gone back to not leaving the garden, which is fine with me.

I should say the other day we let her out for 5 minutes, then the next 10 and today its was about 20 minutes - all with me watching her.

We did the same with our cat when we moved.  When we eventually let him go on his own, he stayed out for so long we were starting to really worry about him, and even went out looking for him.  Eventually (12 hours later), he came back on his own.

My guess is he just wanted to take a good look around the neighborhood, because ever since that day he mostly stays in our garden, and doesn't usually stay out for more than a couple of hours at a time.

Thanks guys..

Got in from work and she was okay.. Shes still scratching at the front door, but yeah.. Saturday I'll see how much longer I can go with it. I'm going to start to put her wet food down at night and then in the evening.. Hopefully that will encourage her on Saturday to come running back