Tips for letting kitten out for first time

[user1495451339]

How does everyone introduce their kittens to the outside world for the first time and what age? My vet has recommended 6 months but says I could take him out on a harness now was he is up to date on his injections.

When they are 6 months do you let them come and go as they please or do you always bring them in at night and keep a litter tray at the house? I was thinking of doing that at first and seeing how it goes.

But how do you ensure they come back? He will be chipped and snipped by the time he is allowed out alone.

Yes harness first and just walk them around the garden. Definately get him in of a night and if you decide to do this you would still need a litter tray. When you let him out I would make sure you are at home and reward him with some dreamies when he comes back. We whistle for our cat when we want her back and reward her with dreamies when she does. Good luck it is nerve racking.

www.birdlife.org/americas/news/five-neat-tricks-keep-your-cat-attacking-birds

Good luck getting him to use a harness. Any time I tried on one of our younger ones (before she was able to go out alone), she just fell over and refused to move!

You can get a locking cat flap which will let the cat in/out/both ways/locked. I would ensure the cat is in at night.

First time you let him out, make sure he hasn't been fed so he doesn't go too far and comes back for food.

If he doesn't mind being carried you can take him outside in your arms for a look around and then bring him back in.

We always have litter trays, when the weather is dreadful, only boy cat goes out, the girls look horrified and prefer to go indoors!

When they are 6 months do you let them come and go as they please or do you always bring them in at night and keep a litter tray at the house?

I still bring mine in at night and he's 3! Does mean having a litter tray in the house, but reduces his opportunity to hunt or get in fights.

Agree harness for the first couple of times, when you let him go free make sure he is already nice and hungry, that should make sure he doesn't go too far!

When we started, we simply opened the back door for half an hour a couple of times a day and let them prowl around.

Crucially, we did this just before meal times so they gladly came in afterwards.

They're now adults. We always call them in at night - usually I keep the door shut once I've called them in for tea at about 5pm.

We went outside with ours but didn't use a harness. To start with i would lift them down from fences if they climbed up and then after a few weeks let them get on with it. I still bring them in at night (nearly 10 months old) and we still have a litter tray that they seem to come inside to use

I took my cat outside on a harness for short bursts just before dinner and then I'd open the door just before dinner and let her potter around outside. I still whistle and reward with a treat now she's 2. Both my cats come in at night and the older cat is 10! But they are free to come in and out all day

Please don't put your kitten in a harness. Take a couple of days to let him out for a while (always stay with him) so he can get used to the noises and smells and texture. He will let you know when he is ready to go out by himself (usually jump up to a window or wait at a door). There's noting special you need to do to keep him coming back. If you have fed him and been kind to him for these 6 months he will know your house is a safe place to come back to when he's finished exploring x

I've been taking mine out on a harness and lead for a couple of months, mainly because we live in a top floor flat, so although there is a large communal garden she can play in, the route from the front door to the garden isn't quick or obvious. She hated the harness for about the first ten minutes she had it on, but was fine after that. Get her used to the harness on its own before you try the lead.
I've just started taking the lead off mine once we get outside and just sitting in the garden while she does her thing (mostly chasing wasps, as far as I can tell), and then I'll build up to taking her out and leaving her down there for a bit.
Taking her out when she's hungry is a good plan, so she associates coming home with getting fed. Also have some treats with you, in case you need to bribe her down/out/in from anywhere.
If you do decide to start with a harness and lead, be prepared to attract interest from passers-by. EVERYONE wants to have a look and a stroke and a chat. Especially children. This is nice the first time

Mine is 6 months, btw- part of the reason for waiting until now to let her off the lead was waiting until she had been spayed, just in case.

Oh yes and be prepared for him to run up the biggest tree

Thanks for the advice. I suppose I am worried he will run off in excitement and not find his way back! Letting them out close to dinner is a good idea!

I have bought a harness and extendable lead and he loves it as he can run around a bit. Am afraid to let him out without it as he isn't chipped yet and we put him down once and he ran off through the neighbour's garden towards the road, luckily we caught up with him. Hopefully, in a couple of months time he will be used to the smells and will find his way back easily.

You could get a walking jacket instead of a harness, more comfortable and more secure.

Do think carefully about letting him be an outdoor cat though, so many are being killed in the last 2 years:

We kept our kitten in till he was six months so he'd had his op and also been to the cattery while we were away at the start of the holidays. Then we let him out during the day, but hungry so he'd come back. Kids were in the garden and I left the back door open. He's been fine. Day two he found the big apple tree, next day he found he could run along the fence and jump into the extension roof, both ours and next doors! But we knew he was a climber so we knew he'd be like a rat up a drainpipe in the great outdoors!
We still keep him in overnight, just lock the cat flap when he's in about the time it gets dark.

I'm also in a flat with a fire escape to get outside. I'm going to do exactly what I did with my first one with my six month old. Put her in the cattery in November in an outside pen. If she still has the urge then I'll let her go out if I am home and she won't be fed. I tried to do a 6pm curfew with the big one but it is now midnight. My baby will be 9 months by then. I don't trust her as far as I can throw her. If she's not interested I won't be pushing her out. I'm happy with the indoor litterboxes and they have loads to do inside.