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Join our community of cat lovers on the Mumsnet Cat forum for kitten advice and help with cat behaviour.

The litter tray

Letting my kittens out

12 replies

Motheroffourdragons · 18/08/2019 23:25

I have 2 5 month old kittens. They have been neutered a month ago and have healed well. Our intention is to let them out but I am a wee bit scared because we lost a cat many years ago, who never returned.

This weekend we have let them out for the first time, for about 10-15 mins before their feeding times, but they have been really hard to get back in.

I thought that if they're hungry it would have been easy, but they just want to explore everywhere.

Can any experienced cat owners put my mind at rest and give me any tips?

They will do anything for dreamies inside, but not outside.

Who knew I'd be more worried about my kittens than my children!

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ChocolateAndMoreChocolate · 18/08/2019 23:27

I’d say they were way too young!

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Motheroffourdragons · 18/08/2019 23:28

Oh really?

How old is the right age?

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Motheroffourdragons · 18/08/2019 23:29

They haven't been out unsupervised, which I thought was right.

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Saltycinnamon · 18/08/2019 23:37

5 months isn't too young?! Neutered & all healed sounds perfect! Let them out hungry & they'll come back. We've got a cat flap so ours just hop in & out all day. Sometimes they'll go for a whole day & we worry a bit but I think they've made friends with the neighbours!

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LizB62A · 18/08/2019 23:38

I let my two out at about 6 months old - the first couple of days I was scared they'd disappear (especially as they climbed up a huge tree !).
They only took a couple of days to settle down and they were fine and happily come in when called

You've got them chipped I assume?

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Lindy2 · 18/08/2019 23:42

I thought 5 - 6 months was about the right age to start letting them out.
Our cat was older as she was a 1 year old rescue. When we started letting her out it was very nerve wracking. She disappeared under the fence into the neighbours garden the second time she was out and was gone about half an hour. I was convinced we'd lost her.
We did our best to build the time up gradually (when cat would co operate) over a period of several weeks. She wears a bell on her collar so even if I can't see her I can quite often hear she is in a nearby garden.

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Motheroffourdragons · 18/08/2019 23:43

Thank you Salty - I think I am just a woose, worrying they might not come back after our last experience.

So hungry is best then, what we have noticed though is they're not terribly interested in their food to get them back inside, which is what I thought they would be. Although obviously outside is very exciting.

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Motheroffourdragons · 18/08/2019 23:46

Yes they are chipped, but hate collars so Ive not managed to get them on them all the time yet.

I am letting them out for about 10 mins, then 15 mins etc but they just won't come back themselves, although tonight it was raining so they didn't go too far.

But maybe I am a helicopter cat parent, and need to sort myself out

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viccat · 19/08/2019 11:01

Well there's no rush to start early, at 5 months they are still really daft and don't have any sense of what's dangerous and what isn't.

I assume you are letting them out from the back door only, into a reasonably contained (fenced) garden?

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Grumpyoldpersonwithcats · 19/08/2019 11:40

My latest 2 started going out accompanied at about 5 months (they had already started making bids for freedom before that). After a couple of weeks of that they started going out by themselves. Don't expect them to come when called though. You do get used to it .

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Georgiemcgeorgeface · 19/08/2019 11:43

I was the same and kept my two in until they were almost a year old. I also sprinkled some of their used (wee) cat litter around the garden before I started letting them out just to let other cats in the neighbourhood know mine were about and the garden is theirs! I also thought this might help them find their way back - not sure if thats actually true but it reassured me

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Motheroffourdragons · 19/08/2019 13:38

Yes, viccat they go out the back door only - the garden is quite big though with lots of bushes and hiding places. It is fenced, and I don't think they can jump too high yet.

Grumpy - I hope I get used to it, and they ignore me when I call them

Georgie - I didn't know that about the litter. There's only one other cat that I have seen so far in the garden, we haven't been here long, so maybe there will be more.

Thanks for the tips, gratefully received.