Letting kitten out for first time (staffy next door)

[pilates]

The time has come to let our precious kitten out (she is coming up for 6 months). She has been vaccinated, wormed, spade, flea injection and chipped. Sorting out some pet insurance at the moment. Any recommendations? We have walked her round the garden a couple of times on a lead. I am so nervous and worried about it.

In particular, we have a cross staffy next door. What if she she gets hold of her?

I know I can't wrap her up in cotton wool, but she is idolised by the whole family and we would be devastated if anything happens.

Is it always out in the garden?.

Could she go out the front instead?. I'd be tempted to leave it until she's a bit older & a better jumper/sprinter.

No, the staffy isn't always out in the garden, but I think that is because of the weather. I'm sure it will be going out more often with the lighter nights/better weather.

I wouldn't want her going out the front because of the road.

What age do you think would be better to go out?

Keep up the walking on the lead to get her used to her territory. I have always kept my cats in until at least 6 months, preferably older - they seem to learn self preservation once fully grown. Is there any way you can make getting out of your garden more difficult for her by planting prickly shrubs by fences. Check there are no ground level gaps.
The staffy may not be a cat chaser - not all dogs are; could you have a chat to your neighbours and maybe introduce them in a controlled way? My daughter's kitten spits and huffs at the dogs and it completely confuses them!

How big is she? I'd leave it until the dog is out because she will roam the garden and decide its her territory, then she'll get a hell of shock when the staffy sees her.

Our old ndn had a dog outside most of the day so our cat avoided that garden.

Perhaps I might leave it a bit longer and carry on with walking her round the garden for the time being. Thanks everyone.

I used to have a staffy. Was absolutely terrified of the kitten, she'd just turn around and stare at the wall when he approached her, sort of like pretending she couldn't see him. He caught onto that, and would lie on the stairs, on guard. She'd sit there whimpering until we picked him up and moved him so she could negotiate the stairs.

He only wanted to make friends though. She gave in one day, and he would suckle on a benign growth (bleugh) on her tummy in ecstacy.

Obviously not all staffs are this soft, a lot of it depends on the owners, so I think the advice you've been given in regard to having a bit of a chat with NDN is very sound.

Thanks Rubbish. I didn't mean to be a "staffy basher", I know they aren't all bad. Just my experience to-date there doesn't seem to be a lot of control with this dog and my kitten looks so small and vulnerable.

Ah yes, it all depends on the owners. Sometimes people get dogs for entirely the wrong reasons.

And I worried like mad about MKitten when he first came to us. I got a friend to come round to babysit him when I was out, because I was worried MCat might chomp through his scrawny neck.

Oh, forgot to say, staffy was very old and senile and partially blind.

We had two Staffys growing up, one desperate to chase any cat she saw, the other was terrified of cats having had his nose scratched when he tried to befriend one!

Hopefully it'll be one of the latter!

Me too

Would it be ok if the dog next door was a fluffy poodle???
Don't assume that the staffie will rip your precious kitten apart!
My cat is snuggled somewhere between my dalmatian and my staffie as I type. The house rabbit would be amongst them but the staffie is frightened of her!

It's the word "cross" that sets alarm bells ringing. Our ndn had a massive boxer but it wasn't cross. It was out most of the day (by choice it had its own dog door) and our cat grew up watching it every day so he knew going in that garden wasn't a great idea.

So he'd sit by the dogs front gate & taunt it with the ginger cat instead.

A six month old kitten doesn't have the speed or the agility to always get away in time, plus kittens can be a bit stupid & not see danger. Op doesn't want her kitten harmed which is entirely reasonable.

It wasn't a staffie bashing thread, it's a minimising risk thread.

Exactly. Nobody's said anything remotely derogatory about staffies.

And yes the phrase "cross staffy". I'd be concerned about any cross natured dog around my cats, regardless of breed.

I would try and make it difficult for her to go into next doors garden, maybe attach some bamboo canes to fence with netting on to make a barrier that cannot be climbed over, I done this with my cats because of same problem and it worked.

Good idea re netting and bamboo canes. We have two 7 month old kittens who have been going out for a couple of weeks now but only a couple of days ago was the first time next door's dogs were out.

The dogs are enormous Airedale terriers (I think) but big enough to put paws on an adults shoulders. The dogs were banging the fence trying to get through to our garden at the kittens yesterday. It is our fence and in concrete posts at all areas apart from one where it is attached to a wall, which of course is the panel they were banging on. Who's responsibility is it to make sure they can't get through? I was a bit worried to be honest.

In your position, I would cat proof my garden so she was always safe and never at risk from the dog/ cars/ other hazards. I am extremely sensitive about this though; two of my relatives in totally different parts of the country both lost their cats to neighbour's dogs. One was a kitten who jumped into the neighbour's back garden and didn't get away in time, the other cat was mauled by an off lead dog in the middle of the street. The latter was a Staffie as it happened but I don't blame the breed - most dogs would chase or attack an unfamiliar cat given the chance.

I really and truly believe keeping your cat indoor/ a safe enclosed garden is the only way to protect them properly. The average lifespan of an outdoor free roaming cat is only a couple of years! Terrible when they have the potential to reach late teens and beyond.

That reminds me Goodpresent. When i was a teen, I worked in a hairdresser/beauty parlour. Sometimes the owner would bring her beautiful chilled out and friendly persian in. He'd just roll about on the floor, demanding tummy tickles, meeting and greeting the customers.

She came in distraught one day, because her husband's Airedales had killed him. They all used to hang out together, but one day they turned on him.

I think I will keep her in for another month or so, which will give me time to do some safeguarding work on the garden. Perhaps I should keep her in full stop and make her a house cat? I never thought I would worry so much over her .

If she's happy being a house cat then it's fine.

The danger is house cats escaping & having no street smarts, that's when they come off worse.

Cats have innate fear of dogs, ASBO cat bolts from dogs smaller than him. She needs to see the dog and I'd bet it's not been out in the garden much in this weather?.