How old should cats be when there let out?

mum2twinsx2

My kitten is showing eagerness to go outside. My older cat spend most of day inside then go out at 6pm then come in just before i go to bed.
The kitten followed me outside to take the bins out earlier, and i left the backdoor open as i was in out and she was happily playing with nextdoors young cat, and reluctantly came back in. She is still quite small for her age.
She has had all her jabs wormed etc.

Should i start letting her out? If so how should i go about it?

charlie-chan

If she has had all her jabs and her operation to be fixed then she will be fine to go out .

My kitten was small too and quite scared at first so I would let her out and shake her treats box at the door when I wanted her to come back in. She used to come back after a while but she learned to recognise the noise as home time.

PerfectPeaches

As long as your kitten has had their little "op" and that all their jabs are up to date and are worm free then there shouldn't be a problem letting it out.

I have two kittens (albeit one is 5 months and the other is 9 months) and both on the small, petite size and I just used to go outside with them a few times into the back garden - they went out the back door. I then left the back door open (just until they were used to it) so they could come in as much as they wanted. I didnt shut the door as I didn't want them to feel locked out. Now they go out for a while and meow to come back in as I now shut the door.

They seem to be perfectly fine. For me, it was just making sure that they knew how to come back in and that they felt safe.

925dancer

6 months is a good age as long as she has been spayed but if she is small I'd possibly put it off for a bit until she is bigger and less likely to be a target for other cats and even thieves.

Emmylou_2

We let our two out at just before six months. They wanted to go earlier, but we waited until they had been jabbed, snipped and chipped and had the post-op all clear from the vet. Saying that, though, it was April and lovely weather, with the nights getting longer. If it was now, I think I'd keep them in until Spring, or just have "supervised" trips outside.

mum2twinsx2

Thanks for all your advice she seems to have formed a friendship with nexts door young cat, she does still look reall small next to others cats. She wont stray further than ours or nextdoors garden and is rather vocal when she wants to come in.

Only dilemma im having on days she cant go out as im at work [im waiting for my dad to put a catflap in] she turns into devil cat and must just have a hyper hour and everything is knocked off the side and across the floor....... she plenty of toys but choses my tealights or jug....

[Deleted User]

This thread caught my eye as I have a 5 month old kitten who I think wants to go outside (she hasn't tried to go outside but she sits in the window all day looking out). However I am seriously considering keeping her in until the weather is milder, but it feels cruel to keep her in, but as she's not actually tried to escape, maybe she's not that desperate!.

If I let her out the back (busy road at front) living in a corner house means my kitten would have to cross on of my neighbours gardens (I have 4 whose garden backs onto mine) 3 of who have dogs. I too have a dog and she isn't worried about them,. but this makes me worry, one of my neighbours dog isn't too friendly.

Making the decision to let her out is proving to be a difficult one.

SL

Kimberley

Once they have been Neutured, Microchipped and all Vaccinations up to date and never before that time.

badmumof1

we put our little one on a harness to sniff round the garden when she was about 3 and half months old. She is now 8 months and has had her little op but not completed the jabs as she was a day late ( another story ) but is not going out on her own yet.
Neighbour over the back to us has 2 kittens about 6 months old and they were out within a week of moving in. This was a couple of months ago. They loved the snow and managed the fences fine lol
Cute little darlings but always hanging around for food.

[Deleted User]

I wish I'd thought of a harness when our little one was younger, don't think she's tolerate one now, she doesn't like wearing her collar

SL

badmumof1

harness are brillaint. I have had many years of using one especially on my dear old departed gal who had to use one when she was 15 after being stabbed in the eye and having to wear a buster cone for what seemed to be endless months