How do you get a kitten/cat to stay?

treascon

Ok so we got a kitten last week (5 mths old we were told). We confined him for 3 days and then took pity on him and let him out. Everything was fine that day and the next. Put food/drink out for him & he fed and stayed around. On the third day he was gone and haven't seen him since & doubt he is coming back. We don't want an indoor cat so any cat we get will be kept outside. The other problem is that we live on a 8 acre site out in the countryside with lots of places to wonder off to. My question is how do we get the cat to stay? Do we have to confine him for longer or get a much younger kitten? Thanks

morganafay

It'd help if the kitten was younger, maybe 3 months. And keep it in for a week or two if you can.

If you were willing to, the if you let it come in sometimes like at night, then it'll be more likely to stay around. And give it plenty of food so it won't go looking for food somewhere else.

babychuckles

Puss is probably not gone far so please keep putting out food and see if puss comes back
once back keep puss indoors for minimum of three weeks.
with any cat of any age and any kitten we adopt out we recommend that they are kept indoors for 3 weeks or in a secure shed for 3 weeks until they are used to their new adoption home and new people.
Once allowed out they should be supervised the first few times and this when they are hungry and if they love the sound of their favourite meat or food or box of biscuits bring that out so that they follow you back indoors when you rattle the food or biscuits.
As said above cats should be securely indoors at night and or have access to a shed that they can use at night that is easy for them to get into and is comfortable for them not to wander.
Also if puss is not neutered it will wander off.
if it is five months old it is still only a kitten and as such is still not worldy wise so please keep looking for it.

Shenshen

Don't give up hope of him returning, but do ask around with the neighbours to let you know if they see him.

When I got my cat from the ISPCA, the fellow there advised me to keep her inside for at least 4 weeks first, to give her time to get used to me and the house, and think of it as "home".
When I decided to let her out, he said not to feed her that morning and if possible make sure it would be a rainy day. Leave her explore for a while, then call her back inside and feed her. Just to drive the message home that this place is food, warm, dry and shelter

Worked a treat.

MsFifers

Would you reconsider your decision to only have an outdoor cat? If your cat is allowed inside where its warm & snug it'll be much less likely to wander off and will also be at a less risk of accidents and illnesses.

I have a friend who got 2 kittens lately and I couldn't persuade her to let them in the house. Within 6 months this happened:
one kitten hit by car & broken back leg = massive vet bills,
second kitten lost & found days later alive but distressed in a ditch = massive stress,
both kittens picked up severe ear mite infection = more vet bills,
second kitten hit by car & killed on road = upset family.

Cats are such clean animals I can never understand why people don't want them in the house.:D (Well apart from the hoovering up cat hair, I suppose)

treascon

Thanks for the advice. I have allergies thats the main reason why I don't want a cat in the house. We thought we were getting a young kitten. When we arrived we were handed a male cat & when I asked its age I was told roughly 5 mths. We thought a younger kitten would have been better. Anyway he still hasn't turned up. I am keeping a look out but as we live around field upon field he really could be anywhere. If we decide to get another one we will just have to confine it for longer!

boomerang

Hopefully your kitten has found itself a new home where it'll be allowed indoors to snuggle on the couch and sleep in a cosy indoor bed.

To be honest I don't understand why you want a cat if it can't come in the house. You don't get to spend much time bonding with a cat if it's outdoors-only and it will more than likely wander off as cats love company and comfort just as much as dogs.

By the way, five months is too young for a kitten to be allowed out unsupervised. Just my opinion. I definitely wouldn't letting a kitten out to roam until it's neutered - and they can be neutered at 12 weeks.

I can understand why you were given an older kitten - no way would I rehome an eight or ten week old kitten to live outdoors! They just can't protect themselves and have no savvy whatsoever. They also are more prone to the cold and wet at that age. Baby kittens are very vulnerable.

The Sweeper

Treascon, if you want an outdoor cat for vermin control on your property, please adopt an adult cat from a pound and have it desexed. You can pick either a friendly one or a quite wild one, because it's for vermin control, not sociability. You'll take the cat off death row and give it a chance, but it's up to you to be responsible about it.

Keep it in, whether that be a shed or in your house, for up to three weeks. Feed it well, on tasty food, and give it a constant supply of fresh water. Give it some toys too.

Do not 'free feed' the cat with a permanent supply of dry kibble - a hungry cat will return to its home for food. Cats are crepuscular - active most at dawn and dusk. If you wait until the sun's well up before allowing the cat out, and then don't feed it until it comes home in the evening, and shut it in for the night with its evening meal, you'll reduce the amount of roaming it does.

Generally then, feed it well, please do take it to the vet if you see injury, and ensure you keep it vaccinated at least every three years, and worm it every three months. As an older cat, it may be more street smart than a kitten, you're giving it a chance to live instead of the green dream in the pound, and it will hopefully settle onto your property, keep the vermin down, and basically get on with it's daily cat stuff without wandering off.

You could go through, quite literally, 20 small kittens before you find one that gets lucky enough to survive long enough outdoors to get the street smarts to allow it to last on your property.

treascon

The Sweeper, yes thats what we wanted a cat for. Thanks for advice will take it on board. Boomerang, plenty of people have outdoor cats that live happily outside (with a shelter of course)! I was told that the kitten had always lived outdoors.