Hey, I have just recently bought a 6 month old kitten, we are due to get her speyed soon, and i really don't

Question

know how to gradually let her outside, as i don't think its fair to keep a cat locked inside all day. I'm worried about her getting lost, hurt, or run-over. Any suggestions on how to stop these, andf how to make sure she comes home? She has no road-sense.

Answer 1

I'm not an advocate for allowing an indoor kitten become an outdoor cat, but I do understand your concern. To start with, you should buy a figure-8 harness and lightweight leash and try taking her outside a few times per day. One of my cats is leash-trained, and I assure you it CAN be done, especially with a young kitten. Let her get used to your front and back yard while you are there to supervise her and keep her safe. She will eventually build an internal map that will allow her to find her way home. I would not recommend letting her roam about unsupervised until she's attained adult weight and until you are confident that she's capable of escaping potential dangers - dogs, larger cats, mean kids, etc.

The life expectancy of an outdoor cat is significantly shorter than one who is kept indoors. Fighting, cars, abusive neighbors and kids, fleas & ticks and diseases are all major threats to a cat. You need to ask yourself if subjecting her to all these dangers is worth the risk. If she has never been outdoors, she doesn't know what she's missing and if you keep her entertained and exercised indoors, her quality of life will be just as good.

Another option is to install a kitty door in one of your windows and build her a safe outdoor enclosure out of chicken wire and wood or PVC. She will be able to bask in the sun, chase insects and watch the birds from a safe location. You can build it yourself, hire someone to build it for you, or order a pre-designed enclosure that requires simple assembly. The cheapest option is do-it-yourself and you can probably find lots of design ideas and instructions on the internet.

Answer 2

Are you in the UK or the US? In the UK there are far less dangers than in the US and cats live long and healthy lives. There is actually no scientific proof that cats live longer indoors. If you are in the US where there is a possibility your cat may be eaten by wild animals then only letting her out while you are with her is a consideration. If not then obviously your concerns could still happen but keeping her indoors for a few weeks then letting her out for a few minutes at a time with her food dish in your hand ready to call her back is the way to start. I would never keep an indoor only cat. They like the great outdoors too much.

Answer 3

Firstly, are you right by a main road? If so, I'm sure your kitten would rather be kept in the house then run over by a car. If you're in a residential area where the roads aren't busy, start off by letting her out in the back garden. Do it for longer each time you do it. If she wants to, she will attempt to go over the fence wall. Don't encourage it, but don't discourage it either.
Your cat will find its way back. She will go off for longer and longer each time as her confidence grows.
No kitten has road-sense. It comes with experience.
Just for the record, I have 2 cats, and the female stays indoors. She has never tried to go outside of the garden, and is perfectly happy in the house and garden. She gets loads of attention and is thoroughly spoiled. More importantly, she's safe. I know that she wouldn't react well to roads and strangers. Although my other cat is (touch wood!) perfectly fine going outside.
Good Luck anyway. And well done for getting her speyed.

Answer 4

I'd advise keeping her in for at least 6 weeks so that she gets used to your home being her home. It won't do her any harm, besides, she's got many, many years ahead of her to play and explore the outside world! Once she's had her operation, you must keep her indoors and in the warm, she'll feel terrible and will just want to sleep but she'll get over it quite quickly, cats are great at bouncing back! Once she's been kept indoors for 6 weeks, maybe less, let her know that its YOU letting her out rather than her thinking she's made a great discovery and escaped through the crack in the door! Of course she'll wander off, exploring her new neighbourhood, she might be gone for hours on end but she will come back - cats know when they're loved and well fed but don't encourage her to stay out overnight - theres too many dangers at that time of night for a little miss! Hope it goes ok, happy new year.

Answer 5

the inside life is the best life a cat can have. they stay fed, watered, loved, and safe. If you think it's unfair for her to be cooped up in the house all day you should think about leash training her. That's the only way you'll prevent any of the above you've mentioned (lost, hurt, run-over). Make sure however, if you do decide to leash train her that you teach her not to run out the door every time it's opened. Set a specific schedule when you take her out and try to maintain that schedule. I'm a cat owner myself and I'd hate to have one of my babies get outside and get lost or hurt or ran over.

Wait at least a couple of weeks after you get her spayed before you try taking her out. It'll give her time to recuperate and de-stressed from her surgery.

Another note. If she's sitting meowing at the door and wanting out now it might be that she's in heat. 'Coming of age' for each cat is different so it might be her time already. Don't let her out if you don't want a pregnant cat!
Hope this helps!

Answer 6

The most common cause, if she isn't vomiting along with the diarrhea, is the wrong kind of food. But she should see a vet, because she may be extremely dehydrated and need IV fluids for a while. the IV fluids also give her system time to heal before she goes back on solid food. See what food the vet recommends, & take his advice. There are a lot of products out there, & they aren't all right for all cats.

Answer 7

Many cats do absolutely fine having never seen the outdoors. In order to completely prevent the dangers of the outside (getting lost, killed by wild animals or cars, catching disease from other cats), keep her inside.

If you still insist on letting her out, follow others' advice about keeping her home for a couple of weeks following the spay, THEN let her out. Also, have her microchipped at the time of her spay (and REGISTER the microchip otherwise it does no good!!!), and it will make it easier for her to be found if she is lost.

EDIT: Have you considered leash-training her? I haven't read all the other answers to see if anyone else has suggested it, but it's an option you may want to think about.

Answer 8

I was worried too with my cat. I started by always shouting dinner when it was its dinner time (to this day).

When I was letting him go outside, I would no feed him in the morning and wait an hour then let him out for five minutes - then shout dinner, and then move it to ten, twenty and so on for about an hour from there. For me it worked a treat.

I would advise for her to get speyed asap, as it will be unfair if she is young - regarding the road sense, I am sure it will follow.

Answer 9

Why don't you think it is fair to keep a cat inside? They live longer, are much healthier & if properly trained, won't make a mess of your house.

My cats only go outside with my husband or myself & they do fine. They love the backyard & RUN for the door when they hear it open. We stay out there with them at all times, just to be on the safe side.

The only way to guarantee your cat won't get run over is to keep her in the house. Cars, people who don't like cats, other animals, people who like cats so much they keep them when they find them outside, animal control will pick up a cat with no tags & even if your cat has a collar & tags, there is no guarantee you will get her back if she disappears.

Answer 10

You are right to be concerned about the dangers of the outside world. The average indoor cat lives 10+ years. The average outdoor cat lives 2. The reason is the dangers you yourself mentioned, and others.

Really it is NOT cruel to keep a cat inside.. A cat raised strictly indoor will not know "what it's missing." With toys, and eventually maybe another cat, your kitten will get all the stimulation, exercise, etc... that she needs right inside.

Many cat experts agree that it is more "unfair" to let cats face all the dangers outside.. Is it "unfair" to keep your three year old from playing in the street and running around unsupervised in dangerous areas? Think of your cat as a three year old.. That's about how high their intelligence goes..