Kitten and outdoors!

wicklowgal

Quick query, how do you introduce a kitten to the outdoors? He's approx. 16weeks at the moment, and so far been indoors since we rescued him from an overgrown garden at about 6 weeks old. I hope to have him as an outdoors cat but don't know where to start! I'm planning to get him neutered in 2 months time and then letting him outside but don't want to just let him out and never see him again! Any advice?? Thank you!

animalcrazy

I don't recommend keeping a cat as an outdoor cat unless really necessary, for example, the cat was never kept indoors and hates it. It could easily be knocked down, especially since it's not used to the outdoors. Or someone could do something to it, I have been down that road where someone tortured my cat and I live in a totally rural area. Is it totally necessary that the cat is kept outdoors? Or could it even be semi-outdoors, even though that is risky too.

Rancid

Mother cats teach kittens how to survive outdoors, and even they can't teach them how to avoid cars and similar dangers.
Your kitten has missed out on this vital lesson from mom so it would really be very vulnerable outside.

If you want to get it used to your garden, I'd suggest letting it out for a few mins just before feeding time when it's good and hungry and sure to not stray too far.
I've also heard that rubbing a little bit of butter on it's fur will distract it from straying, it should just sit down and pay attention to cleaning itself!

I caught a semi-wild kitten recently, had it neutered and released it, feeding it every day and keeping an eye on it only to find it dead one morning, killed by a car.

Indoors is always safer.

mary123

Why do u want this kitten to be outside? My cat was killed last week by a car not outright and had to suffer for 3 hrs with a broken back and bleeding from the nose and mouth before we could get to a vet to PTS. Bonny was an indoor cat who happened to get out of a window, was out for no more than 5 mins. Please to not put ur cat in a situation where it could end up like Bonny.
If for some reason u cannot keep the cat in, please think about rehoming him to a indoor home or at least a indoor/outdoor home. Please.

wicklowgal

Hi, it's not really possible to keep him indoors, my mum doesn't want him in the house any longer than he has to be!

I presumed it was totally natural for cats to be left outdoors, am I wrong?

My other huge concern is the fact that there are 2 large cats that often roam around the neighbourhood, and also our garden. I had Timmy out in the back garden on a leash one day, to get him used to the garden, and 1 of the cats arrived. They seemed to be ok with one another at first but the other cat soon started to hunt Timmy and frightened him awfully! I had to take him indoors again straight away. I dont no who these cats belong to, they seem to be well fed, therefore belong to a neighbour presumeably.

Any further advice?

If I could convince my mum to let me keep the cat indoors, trust me, I would!

echosound

If you must have the cat outdoors for part of the day, introduce the kitten to your garden slowly - go out yourself with him, watch him at all times and bring him back if he strays too far away from the door etc. Make sure he's hungry when he's going out so he won't go too far. Have an easy "escape route" (ie an open door to the house close by) so that if he gets spooked, he runs for the door (and safety) instead of away out of the garden. If you must have him outdoors for a while at a time, make sure he has a hideyhole with a little bed there (can be as simple as a box with a bit of bedding) so he can have a little den he knows is his to snooze in and feel safe in. Feed him indoors so he knows that he has to come in for food, it will keep him coming back to the door.

I'd advise not letting him out on his own until he's pretty much fully grown, especially with the other cats around. They are territotial and will see him as invading their territory (even if it is "your garden"!) It's very easy for a little kitten to be badly hurt (or even killed) by two full grown cats who are intent on driving him away. Is there any way you could convice your mother to let him be more of an indoor cat with brief forays outdoors? When he's older, he'll probably happily sleep curled up on a windowledge of the kitchen but for now he's a kitten with no awareness of how to cope with outdoors.

Please don't have him spend overnight outdoors, no matter what age. Let him in to sleep indoors, do you have a utility room or some other room that your mother wouldn't mind him being in? Make this "the cat's" room with a bed there so he will sleep there and not be destroying other rooms (as I'm assuming this is your mother's fear). Kittens are very prone to straying and not being able to find their way back or getting spooked and running, then not knowing how to get back. The amount of kittens I've rehomed over the years that have landed on my doorstep in a pitiful condition is unreal.

best of luck and try to persuade your mother that cats are great pets for indoors - they mostly sleep curled up in a sunny spot (perhaps on an indoor windowledge) and don't do much else other than mew for food and a bit of affection, and are great with housetraining - show the kitten the litter tray once, let it scrabble around in the grit, and it will usually cop that this is a good place to go to the toilet in and there won't be any accidents around the house.

hardly work'n

I know a lot of people think that cats should just be let outside the whole time. But you should read the thread "those bloody cats" or something like that. Basicly, your cat, when he is outside is not only is at risk of being knocked down by a car or injured fighting with feral cats or getting sick. But he will become a nuisance to your neighbours. Using their gardens as his bathroom. You can easily and cheaply build a cat run, just like a dog run and your cat will be perfectly safe happy and healthy.