First of all, your kitten must be given all the necessary vaccinations. After this, you can allow supervised excursions into the immediate garden or yard territory. Make the initial explorations brief and interactive, with food treats and clicker training, so that a positive association is made with the outside world. In any case, an adventurous kitten will probably already have been crying to make a visit outdoors, especially if it has caught a tantalizing glimpse of other cats through the patio doors.
When Should I Allow My Kitten To Go Outside For The First Time?
September 8th, 2007 · 16 Comments
Tags: Caring For Your Cat
16 responses so far ↓
1 Betty Huff // Sep 20, 2007 at 11:25 pm
Why didn’t you advise her to keep the kitten
indoors. Cats let outside are in real danger,
from other aggressive animals but mostly from
people. After losing cats-I finally learned.
2 Cat Training Tips // Nov 4, 2007 at 5:13 am
I agree that once your cat has had her shots, take her outside and spend some time with her. 5 minutes at a time until she is about 4mths old, then she can spend more time outside.
Also, getting her used to her backyard first would be the best way to go.
3 lesley rhodes // Mar 10, 2008 at 5:15 pm
its totally unnatural to keep a cat indoors 100%. Life, even for humans, is full of potential dangers, but you wouldn’t stay indoors or keep your children indoors for what could happen! I had a cat who loved to be outdoors and he died of cancer at 5 years old!! I’m soooo happy I allowed him to have the life he loved. I don’t want them to live in a zoo. If you a want a caged pet buy a hamster! This is even the advice from the biggest pet insurer………let them LIVE A GOOD LIFE
4 lesley rhodes // Mar 10, 2008 at 5:19 pm
My 2 daughters LOVE horse riding – do I stop them as it is a dangerous sport, do i stop them learning to drive when they reach 17 because they could die in a car crash, or do I allow them to live their lives and enjoy the experiences around them whilst sensibly assessing their risk…..the same is for cats
5 peter // Aug 20, 2008 at 9:35 pm
just throw it out their and ignore it, it will get used to it…my cats have been living outside for 8 years, I wish they would just die already…so annoying.
6 Michelle // Jul 15, 2009 at 3:41 am
Peter – Your obviously should not have pets then with an attitude like that!
7 Melissa // Feb 10, 2010 at 2:22 am
I thought it was cruel to keep my cat indoors too! So I let her out in the backyard and suppervised her every once in a while . . . well one night she got out when I didn’t know . . . and when I realized she was gone I went to look for her . . . I found her dead in the road!
A cat will be perfectly happy and safe kept indoors . . . as long as you give them plenty of things to do to keep them interested. A cardboard box to play in or a ball of yarn. The outside is a dangerous place for a cat who has been kept inside . . . they don’t know how to survive like a feral cat does.
8 Jesselyna // Jul 9, 2010 at 8:32 am
I have an older cat of 16 now and a new kitten of 14 weeks. My older cat also goes outside but only in our garden. The reason why we dont give her access out of the fence is because she is a cat that we expirienced a bit clumsy outdoors… she will climb into the pipes underneath a car climb in trees and cry because she’s scared to go back.. she will climb into impossible places and wont know how to go back. However she did manage to go outside of the fence several times… she usually didnt know her way back but would end up sitting somewhere infront some neibours door.
I am convinced that you can teach your new kitten to get used to her/his invironment. By supervision ofcourse, attach her to a rope like a dog take it to places around your house and let it get used to it on a positive way. Always reward your cats with some nice food or something they enjoy like love from the owner when you bring them back home safe. This will show them that they feel safe at home and its a good place to always come back to.
Its inevitable to avoid complete danger if your living in a city then its best in my opinion to keep your cat indoors and if you have a child thats close to the cat take it for a walk like a dog ( eventhough it wont really walk like a dog ) Atleast the cat gets some fresh air and an adventure because everything around them outdoors is interesting to them, even if its just a matter of sniffing around. ( I knew a cat in the city that even took the elevator by itself, the cat would wait till some people took the elevator and hitch a ride. )
So once again you have to try it out and see what kind of cat you have and how safe the cat is by itself. Some cats are just perfect for outside life and others are just risky to let outside but that doesnt take away that you can let them out on a leash and be creative make sure it can just stroll around plants without getting caught. Or just make your garden cat proof
A cat needs its own terrotorium and its always good for them to get some fresh air.
My advice is try it out, on a leash and eventually try to supervise him/her without a leash. It will take some time… but all pets need that for training ( even hamsters
). If you dont trust it then atleast take it outside 30 minutes or an hour a day… I am sure there is time for it at night or during the day.
Enjoy your pets!
9 bertie // Jul 9, 2010 at 12:28 pm
Took kitten out for the first time, it promptly walked to the pool and tried to walk on water! Luckily I was there supervising. Now taking out for 1/2 hr visits, but want her to be more a home cat. Have an older cat that is more out than in… but still loveable. Takes time though
10 jarwell peter // Aug 3, 2010 at 2:30 pm
Michelle the cat probably died when you let it out trying to escape the indoor prison u had created for it.
Cat owners like you who want t0 project your insecurities about the outside world and negativity onto your own cat make me sick.
Your ignorant saying there is a big difference between “indoor” and “feral” cats. No there isnt in the fact that both are natural predators who kill other animals for the fun of it. Cats can be fluffy and friendly and a joy to behold but they need to be outside sometime to be cats be what they are. Chasing hunting rats and birds.
11 Scott // Oct 2, 2010 at 1:04 pm
Think that comment above is a little bit harsh. In fact, very scathing.
Come up our farmyard and I’ll show you where there’s a nest of feral cats. You try and get close to one or even attempt to pick one up.
Then tell me there’s no difference between domestic and feral cats.
12 MLC // Oct 17, 2010 at 7:47 pm
Cat owners who just let their cats out without a worry in the world, and look at their cats dead bodies and think ” oh well, it was just a cat, meant to die in its “natural environment” Pls do not adopt cats. Please leave the cat to be stray/feral instead of being an artificial owner who doesn’t really do much except maybe keep out a bowl of food. If you don’t have the time to think about your cat’s well being then let it be a feral cat.If anyways its going to live outside and fend for itself, then it does not need you.
13 andrea // Nov 28, 2010 at 11:44 am
9 months later – cat now has best of both worlds. Lies on neighbours roof in the sun while I am at work, meets me at the door for a long cat conversation. (never knew a cat could ‘talk’). When home, sleeps on my desk/bed/chair. When leaving, lies in the sun. Great life. Wont leave the garden, so I think one can train a cat. Even my older ‘wanderer’ cat seems to stay home more.
Next question: Help – how do you get two male cats to tolerate one another. THat seems to be my next problem. Didnt want another male – but strays present themselves, they dont come as ordered. So two males – they tend to be ok for 5 mins, then all of a sudden fight, and my older cat doesnt like to come into the lounge when the other one is there. Any cat owners of long standing got some advise?
14 Sheryl // Jul 1, 2011 at 11:46 am
First of all, if your cat is not spayed or neutered DO NOT let it outside!! WHY has NO one mentioned that??
15 Diana // Sep 17, 2011 at 8:33 pm
I live in a rural area and have kept cats my whole life. All my cats -7 in total- have been allowed outside whenever they wanted. They lived into their late teens and one into her mid twenties, that particular cat was a roamer and would wander the local woods on her own – always returning home .all died of age related illnesses, none were harmed by living outside. Letting your cat have an outdoor life – assuming there isnt a busy road nearby- is not wrong. The cat will learn how to handle the outside world, they’ve been in it a lot longer than we have. Don’t be paranoid people! Each case is different.
16 Emilia // Oct 11, 2011 at 11:36 am
guys I have 2 cats one is 3 years old and other one 6 months. the oler one was kept indoors for two years. looks bored of life not realy happy when I moved to bigger hose I have fix high fence i though he will be happy with the garden but he took any chance to jump over it! after few weeks I just let him go.. i was so scared, but whenever i call him he was coming back:) once he bring me a dead bird…. thats how they show their love!! i feel sorry for bird but I knew i have made a good decision. He look healthier, happier!! now is time for little kitten and I know I will let him be free!
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