Anyone watching The Secret Life of Cats?

[YoureBeingASillyBilly]

I am and i have a question.

They have just said that at 12 weeks kittens are ready to go outside. Well i have a 12/13 (halfway between) week old kitten and there is no way in hell i would let him outside yet. He is my 5th kitten so not a PFK but i dont think i let any of them out that early. What age did you all let them out at?

Just to give background. I live centrally in a busy town, right beside a school on a crazy road. Neighbour's dog hates cats and got hold of my other neighbours adult cat a few weeks ago (no damage done thankfully) and lots of other adults cats around here. So maybe my kitten has more risks than others.

5.5 months, post castration and a full course of jabs. 12 weeks is snack sized.

Yes thinking 6 months once neutered fluffy.

'Snacksize'

Hijacking, my billycat is watching. Sat bolt upright in sofa fascinated.
He went out at about 9 weeks after he pissed on the ironing board
Smackhead was farm cat so was out from weaning.

Smackhead! brilliant name!

And yes, just realising that as a child (farm, rural, mother cat still there) they were out as soon as she allowed them.

We're in a quiet area of a fairly small town, but our Betsy was out at about 3 months. She didn't stray further than the garden for a few weeks, and I panicked when she first went over the fence. I think if the area was busier I would have waited longer.

It's not a 100% amazingly accurate documentary, though very interesting. I had to laugh at the bit where they were explaining about all cats hating having their sensitive feet touched, because at that exact moment I had two paws in my hand and was stroking that lovely soft bit behind her pads.

I only just started letting my nearly 10 month old kittens out about 6 weeks ago.
They only ever go in the back (enclosed) garden though. I am still not entirely comfortable with it as they have shown an interest in going a little further (neighbours garden and driveway) but am not even willing to consider letting them go any further just yet.

I lost my 11 month old female to the road last year I don't want a repeat.

They may have been allowed out as soon as, Youre, but just remember the attrition rate in non-domestic cats.

Good point cozie we had one that died of a mammary tumour aged 17 but apart from that most of them seemed to disappear after a few years.

Out of my 5 domestic cats, the first one disappeared after a couple of years, number two was beaten by some scumbag i'd love to get my hands on when he was 4 and the other 3 are still here although aged 4, 3 and 12 weeks. 4 year old has moved in with my neighbour though.

Mine were 8 months - they were going to be indoor cats but one of them was having none of that. He'd've dug a tunnel if we'd not let him out.

They were 'outdoor-ready' at 5.5 months, chipped, vaxed, neutered, in case they escaped.

I was wondering if the different colours of the kittens actually meant it was likely they had different fathers, or if it was just statistically likely. Mine are black and white, and had a tabby mother and tabby littermates, I'm intrigued!

I have taken him into the garden to explore but not left him. He also ventures out past the back door by himself if i'm bringing the dog out but i put him back in. Looks like he'll be another that's hard to keep in. I will until 6 months though.

The different colours = different fathers thing was interesting wasnt it? One of mine was from a ginger and white mother, she is tabby, ginger and white and so were two of her siblings but one was completely black!

There's some pretty heavy stuff out there, Dont, but \link{http://www.cfainc.org/breeders/catcolorsgenetics/basicfelinegenetics.aspx\this} might be more accessible as a start.

Which channel was it on?

Itv.

thanks - will torment the puppy by watching on catch-up

Re colouring of the kittens yes it is possible to have different fathers for the same litter but also to do with the genes they inherit from mum and dad.
It is my understanding that male cats get all their colouring from the mum and female cats get their colouring from both mum and dad.

Mandarin that's what cozie's link says ... now I am very confused! My cats are both male, their mother was tabby. Doesn't that link say they should be tabby themselves, or dilute tabby? Interestingly you CAN see tabby type markings on one of them, in very bright light. But we also met a litter of all male kittens a few weeks back, two tabby and two ginger.

My cats dad was a marble bengal but the kittens were all spotted like mum.

My other male was white but his mum was ginger.

Okay - let no one say you all didn't ask for it!

\link{http://www.fanciers.com/other-faqs/color-genetics.html\cat colour genetics}

You are so mean sometimes

I'm trying to recall every cats sire now & who shared a dad.

That would be the girls who fessed up, I presume. (Fibbing little hussies the lot of them!)

So ... brown tabby cats are genetically black, but the dominant agouti gene causes them to present as tabby. The non-agouti (solid colour) gene is recessive, so you need two copies to get a solid colour kitten. Therefore, two brown tabbies (black/agouti) could produce black kittens (black/non-agouti) if each has a non-agouti gene to pass on. Black and white cats are also genetically black, as white markings are a further genetic feature/mutation.

I've not accounted for which genes are on which chromosome, as a fear my brain may burst. But I think I've worked out my cats ARE the same colour as their mother, because tabby cats are actually black.

So a b&w is actually black?

Definitely a case for .

Ha Ha I deliberately didn't open cosies link as my brain becomes a pile of mush trying to figure it all out.

I knew tabby cats were a little bit more complicated so couldn't even begin to explain the ins and outs of it all.
Solid colours are so much easier to work with!!!