My handreared kittens are 17 weeks old now - should they be going outside? Help or advice please?

[PinotsKittens]

I know I'm an overly-protective Mama, but having bottle-fed them since one day old, I'm sooooo attached to them and so nervous that the wild world outside will ravage them

Ahem.

Advice please?

Yay, more kitten pictures!

Oh really, Reality? GREAT! They've had all their injections but must wait until 6m for spaying etc. Brilliant, I'll keep them inside where they can sleep on me and be cute and playful instead.

Any tips on stopping them squeezing out of windows?

DD has just came thru to see why i was making so much noise .. i was squeeling at your kittens they are getting so big and are just the cutest things in the world aaw!

i wouldnt let them out until they are all 'done' by the vet needles and bits tied or whatever it is they do totally clueless about kitty needs and would just want to keep the kitties in the house forever anyway like a selfish bum

Oh Pinot, they are getting so big!

Yes wait until 6 months old. Although I did let my kitten out for heavily supervised play in the snow because there might not have been snow after he'd been snipped. He was very cute in snow. So exceptions are allowed for cuteness.

Yes, keep in until they've had their ops, otherwise you might get more unexpected kittens. Off to coo over your pictures now..

Soooooooo cute! All cuddled up together and with proper grown - up cat collars too! secretly hopes for cat to come and give birth in her garden

Aww, you're all lovely & mad loving kittens like meeeee! OK, so aside from cuteness, I'll keep them in. They're both sunning themselves in the conservatory...tarts, the pair of them!

Keep them in until they have been neutered etc. and are a bit more 'grown up'

I remember reading somewhere (probably on MN) that when they are very young they have no real sense of fear and are much more likely to explore further away from home. If they are more mature when they first go out they are less adventurous and stay closer to home.

Great user name, Ancients!

Thanks!

Great new photos by the way. I've been following your Kitten thread from the start and have loved reading all the updates.

I've two cats that were hand-reared from two weeks by a friend and then I had them at eight weeks. They are so much more affectionate than previous cats I've had and I'm sure it's because they were hand-reared.

At the moment they are both asleep on a pile of clean washing and I'm too soft to move them! DH will no doubt moan that his clothes are covered in cat hairs, but he understands that he has been demoted by two cats in the MuMu hierarchy

Can I just point out the patently obvious? You have one of each sex right? Siblings do shag each other. DH was astonished at this; we had a boy and girl sibling set and I said I was taking them to be doctored. He wanted to know why, seeing they were house cats. He virtually refused to believe me.

Oh gawd, you're right. I can't imagine my babies getting the Barry White CD on the iPod & getting their groove on. Together!

Vet says they can't be spayed/neutered until 6 months so until then it's careful watching! They're 17 weeks now so only another 9 to go!

Ha! are you catholic like DH?
I would ask the vets about the boy at least. I had my boy done when he was around 5 months old (in Oman) the girl was a month older because her innards could be confused with kidneys .
My current boys are just about 5 months old now, they are going in next week for de knackering.

Oh that's interesting. I will ask again - I use the vets in our local Pets At Home store as they were brilliant on the Sunday when I found them. So I changed all our pets to them as a way of saying thanks.

Our boy cats were done at a little over 5 months - vet said 'if we can see them, we can remove them' (and you could definitely see them!)

They went outside aged 8 months, mainly because they were supposed to be housecats, but one in particular had other ideas. I have this thing in my head that if a male cat is neutered before he gets to go outside, his territory is going to be smaller from the start, but I may just be making some logical extrapolations from cat behaviour that are not necessarily true. :)

Your kittens (who are ADORABLE btw) look like they have buckle collars on - I have a bit of a thing about quick release after my friend's cat was injured by her collar. One of mine doesn't wear a collar because he constantly loses his quick release ones - he's chipped, but I'd rather he did wear a collar, however given he keeps losing them it's fairly clear he would have done himself a mischief by now in a buckle collar.

They are adorable!!!

I think at least one needs to be re-homed.

Seriously though - they are gorjuss. Where did you get that furry climbing frame thingy?

They are so gorgeous!
My kitten is 22 weeks old now and she just likes going in our back garden she hasnt tried to jump over a fence yet, she seems happy just exploring, at first I would just stay outside with her but now she just sits in the plants :)

Thanks :) The climbing frame (thinks its called a cat tree) is from zooplus website - I have 4 of them (from a sale) and they're in different areas of the house to try to save my furniture!

Pinot, your kittens are gorgeous. I have brother and sister cats and they were neutered around 21 weeks. What made me call the vets was that the boy started 'practising' humping his sister!!! Could have waited a bit later for the girl I guess but my vet advised to get both done. When I explained what was happening to DS he said they couldn't have kittens as they weren't married!

I didn't let them out until around 6 months and they have never wandered off. Looking at your gorgeous ones and reading about your bond with them, I doubt they will go far either.

Oh i've not looked at your photos for ages - they are so gorgeous!