Please or to access all these features

Add post

Watch this thread

Save thread

Start a new thread

Flip thread

Hide thread

My feed

Active Unanswered threads

Getting started FAQ's

Unanswered threads Acronyms Talk guidelines

Hide shortcut buttons

Talk

The litter tray

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

Flip

Original poster

What age to let kitten outside

13 replies

NeeChee · 31/12/2017 10:14

My kitten is now 5 months old. He's still very small (1.9kg), and to me he seems far too tiny to be outside on his own.
He is vaccinated, microchipped and neutered (only just for the last two).
I can't remember what age I let my older cat outside at. Neither of them wear collars. It's not a problem with the oldest, because he's scared of strangers, and he never goes far.
With him being so small, I'm tempted to put a collar on the kitten when I let him out so he doesn't get stolen or thought of as a stray.
What age did everyone wait until?
I've walked outside with him in my arms, and placed him on the grass for a sniff, but he seems a bit bewildered so far.

OP posts:

pilates · 31/12/2017 12:12

Mine was six months. To begin with we took her out on a lead around our garden and then took the lead off but made sure we were in the garden with her. I hated it, still do if I’m honest but she loves going out exploring and gets stressed if we make her stay in. Perhaps give her a whistle and if she comes back straight away reward her with some dreamies.

MaudesMum · 31/12/2017 12:41

Mine is 5 months old and will be neutered next week. She seems very interested in the outside, and has rushed through the door a couple of times and then its all seemed a bit scary and she's rushed back inside. I really don't want to let her out until she's slightly more grown up, so my plan is to wait until the spring and then start letting her out when I'm outside to keep an eye on her. If anyone has any ideas about how to make kittens scared of cars, please let me know - we're a bit of a way off from the road but if she got there I'm not convinced that she wouldn't try and pounce on a car...

GrooovyLass · 31/12/2017 14:02

Mine went out in the back garden where he could be supervised from about 3 months! Gradually increased until he could be let out on his own for 5 minutes then 10 minutes etc. He's now 9 months and often gets left out all day while I'm at work. Exactly the same as I did with the older one who's now nearly 3.

Original poster

NeeChee · 31/12/2017 15:22

My older cat is 2, he only really goes out when we're home. I keep him in during the day while I'm at work, then he's out for a few hours. I like him to be in at night though.

OP posts:

Original poster

NeeChee · 31/12/2017 15:24

@MaudesMum I wish I knew, I lost a cat to the road last year, and it really worries me :(

OP posts:

mimibunz · 31/12/2017 15:27

You could start training him to go out with you and make sure you interact with him so he will be ‘controllable’ when he’s outside. If he likes to hang out with you then he won’t tend to go far.

Yorkshiremum17 · 31/12/2017 15:37

Mine went out as soon as he'd had his jabs, been micro chipped and neutered at about 5 months old. He loves dreamies, so I used to let him go for 10 minutes and then call his name whilst rattling the dreamies tin and every time he came, he got some treats. Worked like a charm! He goes out all day now, pops back to see us in an evening for a couple of hours and then goes out again, we always get him back in with dreamies tin before we go to bed(unless it's a warm summer night and he's chasing bats!)

Original poster

NeeChee · 31/12/2017 17:30

We have bats! I love watching them, am hoping none of the cats manages to catch one :(
Big cat broughta tiny bird home yesterday, I got it off him and released it, it flew off.

OP posts:

EachandEveryone · 31/12/2017 19:08

I kept mine in as long as possible and we got to seven months with one but the baby was having none of it and she was six months. Calling sweeties used to get her in but now she just ignores me. Theynonky gonout when I’m home and they are always in on a night. Can you cat proof your garden?

Original poster

NeeChee · 31/12/2017 19:18

I can't really cat proof it, unfortunately :( The older cat generally hangs around with next doors cats in the bushes. I'm hoping they'll stick together and all get on.

OP posts:

purple12 · 01/01/2018 14:13

I got to about seven months (was neutered/chipped at 6 months but he was just so desperate to go out). The whole thing stressed me so much! But for the first few months, he didn't leave the garden at all which kind of suited me and i wish he'd stayed that way. He just pottered around in the open air. He doesn't really answer to his name but he did come for treats.
Now, a couple of years later, he does go a bit further and sometimes goes for the longer periods in the summer, anyway, but I know he knows his way back and he'd be so miserable if he couldn't. My sisters' cats never leave her garden (male and female) so I think it's sometimes something about their personalities as well,

SpadesOfGlory · 01/01/2018 14:20

Mine went out in the garden supervised from he was very young.... 4 months or so? He was vaccinated and chipped. When he was neutered at 6 months we let him get on with whatever adventuring he wanted to do. He's 18 months now and has developed a routine of going out after breakfast and coming home when it gets dark. Loves it!

He sleeps inside mostly, some nights if it's mild he won't come home. I'm not too worried about dangers though, our back garden runs on to fields and that's where he hangs out.

AnnaMagnani · 01/01/2018 14:38

Ours are going out now at about 6 months. One started sneaking out at about 5.

Neither goes out for long, probably because it's cold! The more adventurous one has gone a bit further but they spend most of their time in our neighbour's hedge.

We don't let our cats out overnight even when grownup anyway.

Flip