Where do we begin on letting our kitten roam outside?

Bubs99

Hi,

A few weeks ago we adopted a 5 month old kitten. He is neutered, treated for fleas and worms and due his next vaccination in 2 weeks (he's not allowed outside until he gets that).

He has settled perfectly in his new home and loves cuddles and is very affectionate. He's a great little hunter, catching flies, spiders and his favourite toy is a tiny mouse teddy (we live beside a large park and lake and minutes from the beach).

He is eager to get outside, any chance he has to get out the front door, he goes for it and loves to sit at the windows watching birds and feeling the breeze.

I want to let him roam outside soon but where do we start? He's so young still. We live in a cul de sac lane along with many friendly neighbours who have dogs and cats also but our garden wall is just over a metre high and we have no fence or gate.

We have a bell collar for him which is still too big for him. I would like to be able to let him out in the mornings or whenever and let him play and roam but how do I know he'll return safely and for definate daily?

I have heard of peoples cats being fed by others and practically becoming their pets eventually, I dont want that. He's adorable!
Also, is it worth getting him microchipped? (I dont hear of cats being microchipped often)

Any advice appreciated, thank you.

sambuka41

Bubs99 wrote: »

Hi,
I want to let him roam outside soon but where do we start?

Hi OP be prepared for a lot of comments saying dont let him out at all. But thats your choice, I have a male cat and recently started keeping him in (after 4 years, plus he was a stray) It is much harder to keep him in at a later age then to never let him out.
They can be kept in happily but it will take work and time to play with him and keep him occupied.

Bubs99 wrote: »

We have a bell collar for him which is still too big for him. I would like to be able to let him out in the mornings or whenever and let him play and roam but how do I know he'll return safely and for definate daily?

You wont. Thats the risk of having him outside, he may never return. Or if he is like my fella he will return bleeding and bitten from fighting. My vet bills for the 4 years were approx €2,500 (that included another male cat for a while) but each bite required an antibiotic,cause cat bites always turn into abscesses. Not pleasant. Some required an aesthetic so that it could be soldered. Plus the risk of feline aids.

I know I'm painting a grim picture, and it is just my experience. But if I could do it again I would have kept him in from the start.

Bubs99 wrote: »

I have heard of peoples cats being fed by others and practically becoming their pets eventually, I dont want that. He's adorable!
Also, is it worth getting him microchipped? (I dont hear of cats being microchipped often)

Any advice appreciated, thank you.

Def get him chipped either way,mistakes can happen, even if you keep him in he may find an open window or sneak past when you are getting the post!! My guy still tried to escape every time (he's in about 5/6 months) I've nicknamed him Steve McQueen!!!:D:D


Best of luck whatever you decide.

Bubs99

I see exactly where you're coming from. I did a veterinary assistant course and worked in a vets for a while and I saw some horrible things. Also, Ive heard of so many stories about peoples pet cats.

We play with him alot, we even made a giant scratch post for him, a few feet high out of a pipe, MDF wood, a cushion and a rug. He loves it. He also has loads of toys.

But at the same time, he sits and lies and sleeps on the window sills and I feel guilty keeping him in. I dont know his situation before he was in the vets. They had him for over a month and he's now 5 months and we adopted him from there. Maybe he was an abandoned kitten and left outside, I dont know.

My friends male cat comes home full of fleas alot although she treats him alot and I dread the though of him being infected with anything. He's a very nosey little kitten so Im sure he'd go snoop anywhere he could.

Sorry to hear about your cat and the vet bills, sounds like a nightmare.

Im so confused though.

Sigma Force

Microchipping cats is pretty common now but not common enough but yes get him chipped whether you let him out or not. Be careful with collars for cats they can get caught on branches etc. there are quick release ones but not sure how realiable they are.

If you allow him to roam neighbours will end up feeding him or they will be the opposite and find him a nuisance. Under no circumstances allow him outside until he is neutered.

There is a high risk of him being killed by a car, injured etc. and don't forget it's coming up to Halloween it's not a good idea to start letting him out right now tbh. Plus evenings are darker which is another risk when it comes to the road.

Would you consider making an aviary type enclosure for him? Dogs don't want to be indoors all the time either but (most) people keep them safe and don't allow them to wander...well ok they don't all but they should. So why shouldn't cats be awarded the same care.
No animal wants to be enclosed and that includes dogs, rabbits, rodents, horses and cats why people think it's ok to enclose all pets except for cats I don't know.

An avairy type enclosure or cat proofing the garden so he can't get out could be a compramise. If you're not good at DIY you can get cat runs hayses modular and cilldara.ie are two places but there are others as well that cater for cats.

Taltos

We kept our two cats indoors for ten weeks.
Then we slowly started introducing them to getting outside, carrying them around the garden a bit.
Their first few trips out were not without problems though - the little one got lost down a laneway - so quite a bit of hunting by us to find her again - eventually found her crying walking up and down the laneway - swear I nearly heard her cheer when she spotted me in the distance.

Also keep in mind your neighbours - not everyone likes or tolerates cats. If they have outdoors cats then great. However if they do then get ready for the turf wars...
We recall ours by shaking their treat box - works 99% of the time - longest it has taken is 5 minutes.

In someways I would prefer to keep our two safe indoors - however since our dogs get to roam around the back garden it hardly seems fair - and since we have let them out the tom is alot happier in himself.

Best of luck - definitely go with the micro chipping - if you have a collar make sure it is one of the safety ones - last thing you want is the cat hanging itself. ON this point our tom lost 5 collars in less than 5 weeks - he is now collarless

Bubs99

I agree about not letting him out before halloween, his next vaccination isn't for another few weeks anyway so we have to wait by vets orders.

We got one of the safety collars also that are meant to unlock if the cat is caught in a branch etc. Hopefully they work and yes, I think we will get him microchipped. ill look in to the cost on his next vaccination. He's also due his next flea and worm treatment then.

I have seen large cat runways that look like fun but like you said, they're pricey and Im no good with DIY plus we live in a rented house so theres not much we can do to the place or garden.

There are other cats here that are often in our garden, neighbours feed them left over carcasses etc. We currently feed our kitten Hills kitten dry food which he loves and the treats you mentioned, they work for him too.

When I rattle the tin or shuffle his food bag, he runs in.

I think in a few weeks, we'll play with him in the garden and see how it goes. He's a fast little guy like all cats so fingers crossed.

Thanks everyone.

Zapperzy

It's really your choice. Have a look through this forum for indoor/outdoor cat debates there have been quite a few recently, some arguements are a bit petty but there have been a lot of very good points made from both sides. Basically every time you let your cat outside to roam freely there is absolutely no guarantee it will come back safely or at all.

There is an endless list of dangers including cars, traps and poisons intended for wild animals, your cat going up into the engine of a car, dogs attacking your cat, getting locked into neighbours sheds without food or water, attacks from other cats, falling down a drain pipe and drowning, cat-haters who have no qualms about leaving out poison, setting their dogs on your cat, kicking or hitting your cat, purposefully running over your cat or stealing your cat for baiting fighting dogs. I'v been on this forum and others for a while and through these and from my own first hand experience I have heard of each and every one of these things happening at least once so there not all rare once off occurences, they are real dangers. The annoying thing is you will hear loads of people say they have cats well into their teens who are allowed roam freely and have never so much as come home with a cut but you will also hear loads of people say they've had cats just not return home, and while you'd like to believe these cats just happened to move in with some little old dear who feeds them sliced ham and steak every day the reality is that they most likely met their end through one of the methods above.

You can decrease the likelihood of accidents through putting on a reflective collar, not letting them out at night and getting them neutered but really the only way to ensure safety is to either keep them indoors totally or with access to a specially built cat enclosure or garden with a cat-proof fence (google purrfect fence to get an idea of just one cat fence), you can also train them to walk on a harness and lead. Keeping cats indoors is starting to gain more popularity, there are quite a good number of owners who do already and I think in other countries (Parts of Australia and America I think?) it's more the norm. I let my first cat outside and he got killed on the road at the age of roughly 3, I keep my current cat indoors and she's 6.

If you do decide to let him outside then first let him outside before he's due a meal (or even skip a meal prior to it so that he's extra hungry) and call him back in by shaking his bag or tin of food after a few minutes. By ensuring that you always let him out before a meal then he won't stray too far if he's hungry and knows he's due food, also shaking his bag of food or tapping the side of a tin gives you a noise with which you can call him back in with.

Birdnuts

Zapperzy wrote: »

There is an endless list of dangers and poisons intended for wild animals, , , , cat-haters who have no qualms about leaving out poison,.

.

Well the law in on the side of the cat-owner here - poison is now banned for use except as a covered bait for rodents:). By law all currently licensed rodent baits have to be secured in pet/wildife proof bait boxes that only allow access to rodents. These can be bought or made from sections of wavin pipe etc. Personally I use traps for rodents as the risk of them dieing in the attic or behind walls means you could be subject to bad odours in your house for months on end. Its also far more humane.

Mr. Presentable

Be responsible - cat proof your garden so it can't get out. No-one likes a neighbour's animal defecating in their garden.

Zapperzy

Birdnuts wrote: »

Well the law in on the side of the cat-owner here - poison is now banned for use except as a covered bait for rodents:). By law all currently licensed rodent baits have to be secured in pet/wildife proof bait boxes that only allow acess to rodents.

Thats the law but it still happens, judging by the other thread some see no issue leaving antifreeze out for cats, and I know farmers who bait lamb carcasses or sausages with trodax or similar poison intended for dogs or foxes. Recently heard of 2 dogs poisoned in a similar fashion.

Birdnuts

Zapperzy wrote: »

Thats the law but it still happens, judging by the other thread some see no issue leaving antifreeze out for cats, and I know farmers who bait lamb carcasses or sausages with trodax or similar poison intended for dogs or foxes. Recently heard of 2 dogs poisoned in a similar fashion.

There are always a few rotten apples who engage in such illegal practices and thats why people should always be vigilante and report such activties to the Gardai or NPWS - however the vast majority of sheep farmers are law-abiding by dealing with vermin via shooting and trapping. Owners of dogs should never let them stray in rural areas as under the law, farmers are entitled to shoot dogs that are troubling livestock.

Aru

On the collar idea a handy trick if you have a young cat or adult that loses a lot of collars is to get a length of elasticated ribbon, cut the desired length and tie in a secure knot making sure its loose enough to stick 2 fingers under,add bell if you want and write your name and number on it in non washable pen...and hey presto collar that will easily detach if it gets caught and is really cheap to replace.

If you want to get him microchipped a lot of vets will do it while he is being neutered.Nicer for everyone involved and in some practices it is cheaper that way as well.

As for letting him outside the easiest way to ensure he comes back is to supervise him the first few times and send him out hungry!best thing is if he comes running to the sound of the nuts being shaken and gets used to that as the call home.
I would seriously advise getting him neutered as well preferably before he gets let loose on the world.Male cats get into a lot of fights and the abscess form the bites often need vet attention...plus tom cat smell is something else!not to mention that there are already way to many kittens.round 5 or 6 months is the best age as well and the sooner its done the less likely he is to start spraying and marking....

Bubs99

He's neutered already. He was neutered when we adopted him from the vets thankfully plus we're all for neutering. I try get as many people as possible to neuter their pets and to adopt/rescue rather than buy any pet.

Ill invest in a reflective collar, the one we have isn't reflective. Also, we'll go about the micro chipping when we bring him for his next vaccination in 2 weeks time.

He's so naughty and restless alot of the time although we do play with him alot but thats what young pets are like. He's so adorable though. Im very happy we rescued him.

He loves his food so Ill train him by putting him out hungry and playing with him etc. He's also very good with the litter tray, there hasn't been any accidents at all which is great.

What Id worry about is that we live beside a large lake and field which has rats in it, I know this sounds silly but Id be scared he'd get bitten by the rats. Is that stupid? He's still so young and dopey at times.

Birdnuts

Bubs99 wrote: »

What Id worry about is that we live beside a large lake and field which has rats in it, I know this sounds silly but Id be scared he'd get bitten by the rats. Is that stupid? He's still so young and dopey at times.

Get him inocculated against the major rat-bourne diseases

MaryK666

There's always the option for cat-proofing your garden or an area where your little monster can roam out in the fresh air in safety and there are fence additions that you can easily fix to existing fences. You just install them while you're there and take them down if you have to move without doing any more damage than a few screw holes.

Cats can, and do, live quite happily, and often longer lives, as indoor cats and although people claim that they want to get out and it's just their nature, this is not always the case.
If you close the door to a room in your house, they often want to get in there - just to see what's happening out of sheer curiosity and it tends to be the same thing with being outdoors.
We have four mainly indoor cats who are happy as larry to spend all their time indoors with free run of the house, more toys than Hamleys and several state-of-the-art climbing frames and scratching posts. They're warm, safe, comfortable and totally spoiled.
They love having us around chatting to them and spoiling them like good servants do but we decided that they looked so forlorn when we were out enjoying the occasional day of sunshine in the garden without them that we had to do something.
As we have an FIV+ boy, letting them all out wasn't an option and we couldn't keep Sully confined on his own as he's the most social of them all.
After a bit of research, we found a cat fence that suited our needs, ordered online and waited for delivery. It wasn't the cheapest option but once it arrived it was relatively simple to install and it just attached to the top of our existing garden fence. We then opened the door and waited for a response. They were initially wary of going out and only ventured out if we were with them. The fence was tested by our own little Harry Houdini, Genie, who can climb anything and get in and out of the most difficult places but even with her Olga Korbutt gymnastic skills, she couldn't get the better of it. Result!

We've had it for almost three years now and it's as good and reliable as it was on day one. The cats now go in the garden any time they like, once the door is open. Usually they don't bother unless we go out and we've found that when we come in again, the novelty wears off for them and they all come racing in, just in case they'd miss something inside.
When they are out, we don't have to worry about them being injured or lost or poisoned or hit by a car or any of the other horrible things that can so easily happen to cats.

Sometimes I'll see one or two of them sitting on a window sill chattering at birds but if I go and open the door for them to give chase but don't actually go out, they just look at me as if I'm crazy and walk away.

If there are other cats in the area who come in your garden there's always a risk in letting your little man out. The local area will be considered to be the other cats' territory and your boy will be an interloper and is at risk of an attack from any one or more of them. He may go on to win many battles and become king of the area but he may also sustain some pretty nasty injuries in the process.
I know it's up to each individual owner as to how they keep their cats and whether they let them roam but please weigh up the pro's and con's very carefully before you finally make that decision.
It doesn't take them long to worm their way into your affections and stake a claim on your heart and the fewer times you have to spend sleepless nights worrying about them, the better.

closifer

Bubs99 wrote: »

Hi,

A few weeks ago we adopted a 5 month old kitten. He is neutered, treated for fleas and worms and due his next vaccination in 2 weeks (he's not allowed outside until he gets that).

He has settled perfectly in his new home and loves cuddles and is very affectionate. He's a great little hunter, catching flies, spiders and his favourite toy is a tiny mouse teddy (we live beside a large park and lake and minutes from the beach).

He is eager to get outside, any chance he has to get out the front door, he goes for it and loves to sit at the windows watching birds and feeling the breeze.

I want to let him roam outside soon but where do we start? He's so young still. We live in a cul de sac lane along with many friendly neighbours who have dogs and cats also but our garden wall is just over a metre high and we have no fence or gate.

We have a bell collar for him which is still too big for him. I would like to be able to let him out in the mornings or whenever and let him play and roam but how do I know he'll return safely and for definate daily?

I have heard of peoples cats being fed by others and practically becoming their pets eventually, I dont want that. He's adorable!
Also, is it worth getting him microchipped? (I dont hear of cats being microchipped often)

Any advice appreciated, thank you.

Re the collar, we got an ancol kitten collar on ebay for 3 euro and it fit our teeny tiny kitten perfectly.

We had the same dilemma as you when we got our cat. What we did was we kept him inside altogether for 5months (when wegot him neutered) and by that point, he didnt have a huge desire to go out at all as the house was his territory.

Then we startedletting him go out the yard on small supervised stints of 20 minutes and he was pretty happy with that.

Thats pretty mush theroutine we stick to and he never wanders from our yard now. We are always in the kitchen or the living room when he is outside. Actually he is hilarious...Any time he begins to climb the fence to get out of the garden, my partner shouts his name and he looks back sheepishly and crwals back down!Who says cats cant learn!

Bubs99

Hi everyone,

Today, we decided we'd let our kitten (whos now 6 and a half month old) roam in the garden (which is a front and back garden all in one).

He was whining alot this morning so we thought we'd let him out to play. Although it was very windy out and a dark sky, i kept the kitchen door open to supervise him. Id much prefer to be cold than lose my little fluff puff.

He loved it, he was startled by alot of noises but so curious and chased the leaves in the wind and even the grass.Tried to jump the wall in to the neighbours back yard but i got him in time. We put his safety collar on him before we let him out so i could hear him also.

I must admit, i was so nervous incase he'd vanish down the lanes or go through the ditches on to the lake land. He loved watching the gulls and crows etc. He came in a few times and went out again.

I plan to let him do this once a day, maybe twice for the moment and supervise by leaving the door open and checking on him and listening for him and maybe longer when the weather improves and we can relax in the garden with him.

at one stage a car zoomed around the corner so i ran out to see where he was and he was hiding under our car and ran up to me so he's very nervous but i guess thats a good thing in a way.

He's now fast asleep in his armchair with his catnip teddy by the fire and is wearing his collar, getting used to it.

He's due his next worm and flea treatment in 2 weeks and his booster and i plan to get him microchipped also (hes already neutered).

Thank you everyone for all your advice. I will follow your supervised routine roam Closifier. Take care.