Letting cats outside.

borderlakland

happymoneysaver79 wrote: »

If you saw your cats playing with these rabbits whilst they were alive could you not stop them? My cats used to bring back live birds and often I was able to catch the bird and let it go?

its a bit different with a wild baby bunny.more often or not when we have tried they have died prob from shock.
if they do survive we have no idea where their nest was,on their own they cannot survive.


i don't mean any offence to anyone but the majority of cats,given the oppertunity,will and do kill animals(mice,birds etc) they will usually play with them 1st.it is in their nature,they are only doin what comes naturally to them.most of the way a kitten plays is basically practise for the day it might do it for real.

annaangeluk_2

My beautiful kitten, poppy, is almost 14 weeks and seems to show no interest in going outside.

She's not been vacinated or spayed yet (she will be though) but never seems try and go out of the door. One time someone came to the door, i picked her up and held her next to the open door while i was talking and she got quite agitated. it wasn't becasue she was being held because she loves that! (likes to be held like a baby and wrapped in a blanket!) It seemed to be the breeze that really worried her.

Is she more likely to happy as an indoor cat or will she get more confident as she gets older?

I'd like to keep her in but as she's an "only kitten" this doesn't seem fair but she is much smaller than an average 14 week kitten and her brothers and sisters are massive in comparison, so I wonder if she will always be too small to go out safely?.

STacey

tankgirl1

hiya stacey

the 'getting agitated' thing is quite normal - its just because they can see and smell the big outdoors!

as for her being small, i used to have a tortie who was tiny, but within a day of being let out had shooed all the local cats away from her 'territory' lol

its a personal decision whether to let her out. i dont think its cruel to keep them in, so long as you provide adequate stimulation in terms of play and boredom relieving activities. however, as long as you aren't near any busy roads, i think its better to let them out (once they are vaccinated, microchipped and spayed of course )

tg xx

iwanttosave_2

My kitten was like that, we started to take her in the garden just to get a smell of her surroundings incase she ever got out so would know where home was.

After a few times of this she is now itching to go out, but is only 6 months so feel she is way too young to go out yet.

anniestar

Well for what its worth I would keep her as a house cat. We have 7 cats, of them 2 are solely house cats, one occasionaly ventures out when its very sunny and only for a few mins at that, the other 4 go out first thing in the morning for a play and all are back in by no later than 1pm(this is LATE for them) they are all happy and (thank goodness) healthy. As hte OP said a few toys (doesn't have to be expensive-currently the "hottest thing in the world is a Able & Cole veg box wiht a Q tip a short distance behind) Honestly they are happy and do NOT miss going outside. Whatever you decide, the very best of luck.

FBThree

We've escorted all our kittens outside when they were young and they got used to it. Two choose to stay indoors most of the day, one (born feral) prefers to live out, one spends most of the day out and the 5 month kitten is only on "escorted short excursions" although he wants to be out. When I sit outside on summer evenings, they all come out with me and sit in the garden!

Yours will pick her own choice but depending on where you live it might be safer to train her to only go out if you are there. Cats not coming home for their usual breakfast can be very stressful I can tell you! Our kitten won't get the magnetic key to the flap for another 2 or 3 months, by which time I'm hoping he'll realise it's winter and cold outside so better to be home!

Re size, when we had a large invader cat inside our house, our 4lb weight 20 yr old was first in line to try beat him up.

Get her vaccinated first, and spayed. One of my kittens got out and was trapped behind a shed by 3 major toms before I realised she was nearly in season. She was very traumatised.

annaangeluk_2

meeps wrote: »

my kitten is 18 weeks and I have recently got a little harness and lead, after 2 trips round the garden she was perfectly relaxed with it, and we now have 2 strolls round the grounds a day.

I will be letting her out once she is done I think, but only when I am around as we don't have a cat flap, and she'll stay in at night too as I am a worrier!

I was actually wondering about this! We are hopefully (keeping everything crossed!) moving to a new house soon that has a massive long garden so i was thinking I might take her for little trips around the garden on those leads!

Poppy is very placid and i don't think she will mind having a harness etc put on. She's used to my 5 year old dd tying bows onto her as it is!!:rotfl:

I think I'd feel a bit daft though taking her for a walk down the street!

mogwai

Don't worry about her size, if shes anything like our little one, she'll be bossing everyone else around as soon as she is let out. If she is the timid type, she might just be happier staying at home anyway, but will probably be glad of the chance to go out now and again..

and she might even make some friends like our first cat did when he was an only kitten...we use to see them hang out in their little kitty 'seances' late at night in our garden....it was very cute! :rolleyes:

Kimberley

Aww bless Once she is going out she will nag you in the end to let her It's easier in the summer months because you have the door open nearly all day and the kitten would follow you in and out

carli_h

Hi all,

I would appreciate a bit of advice on introducing my two 19 month old female cats to the outside world. They have always been indoor cats as we lived on a busy main road, but we moved to a quieter village in November.

I am a little apprehensive as they are my babies and can't bear the thought of anything happening to them... I know I have to just get a grip. They are both microchipped, fully vaccinated and neutered and we are planning on getting insurance before they go outside.

How should I first take them outside? Is a harness a good idea? Do you introduce it to them in stages i.e. 15 mins, 1 hour? My intention was to eventually let them out during the day with the use of a cat flap (although Poppy didn't get the flap on the cat loo so we had to take it off) and shut them in at night.

Many thanks.