So I took the plunge two days ago and let Nancy out into the courtyard. Its walls are probably slightly lower than the fence at Albion, where the (court)yard was probably bigger, a bit more foliage and of course included the famous stump which she so relished clawing on a regular basis. I can't remember totally but I'm not even sure Nancy had to have a litter box at Albion (maybe there was one for emergencies) because basically she had a big outdoor toilet. She would hate to think I was discussing this in a public forum. Anyway, I let her out into the courtyard where there are slightly lower walls but they are brick, and probably not scaleable, though I imagine if she was motivated she probably could get over them, but I don't think she is motivated. What she is, though, is absolutely in love with the courtyard and keen to spend a lot of time out there. I did not realise how deprived she was when she was 100% inside, as she was at Parkville, where her outside experience was once or twice when I took her out on the front door balcony and a couple of times when she went to the vet (in a carry cage). She seemed completely accepting of her circumstances, and had no desire to leave the flat, at all, as far as I could tell. But she absolutely has the desire to go outside into the courtyard and just experience the ambience of it. The birds here are very loud (particularly for winter) partly I suppose because there are big trees in the street outside and also because there is smaller foliage in the garden area (where nothing can grow too huge as the whole development is atop a car park).
I am told there is a lot of cat action in the garden area and indeed news has already travelled about the new kid in town as we have had at least one big fluff invade our territory, press his/her face up against the glass and make a big hero's noise at Nancy. I think she'll be able to control her territory and I doubt she will want to venture beyond it and I think on balance, considering it now as I write, I don't want her to.* But I am happy the whole scheme worked (so far) and while I had semi-considered getting a flat without a garden something in the back of my mind kept telling me that the Nancy I knew who spent whole days on the couch actually had a more adventurous individual hiding inside her and wanted to explore.
So now Nancy has got four things she loves - food, me and warmth have to make room for outside.
* to the extent that if she starts jumping the wall I'll put some kind of barrier around it so she can't.
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