When Is It Safe To Let Your Kitten Outside

You could then let it explore outside if it is supervised.

When is it safe to let your kitten outside. If you ve decided to give your kitten a cat door which is the best option for them to explore the outdoors whenever they want to in the long term take some time to train them to use it. You can start to slowly introduce your kitten to the outside once his recall is in place for short supervised sessions always keeping your kitten in sight. The first few times you let your cat outside it s a good idea to go with them. Accompany your kitten into the garden the first few times you let them outside.

Farm and barn kittens can be your best friends say good bye to mouse traps and poison. The first time you let your cat or kitten outside. Once your kitten is big enough to defend themselves from small predators and birds it is safe to let them roam free outside without supervision. A hungry kitten will be more likely to respond when you offer a bowl of food and call it back indoors.

Once your kitten has spent time with you in the garden and seems confident you can leave them outside for 30 60 minutes. All they need is access to a safe haven from flying hooves snarling jowls and snow flurries. Don t worry if they spend it under the shrubbery. You might want to supervise your kitten the first few times you take them outside for peace of mind.

Make sure your kitten s access back into the house is easy for the first few trips. If you free feed your cat take its food away several hours before you train it to go outside. Hardy baby kittens can thrive outdoors even when young without you needing to do a thing. You can do this by tempting them through with some tasty treats.

Un neutered male toms will go far and wide seeking females will howl at night outside any homes where they suspect a female cat inside and will also mark everywhere around your home and outside the smell. Go outside and leave the door to the house open so that your cat is able to join you but can also quickly get back inside if they want. Introduce your kitten to the outdoors just before mealtime. If you do not want your cat to get pregnant or your tomcat to impregnate all of the un spayed females in the area it is wise to have them done at your vets before allowing them outside.

It s best to let him out just before mealtime so you can use your recall to call your kitten indoors and reward with tasty food or playtime. Allowing your kitten to explore outside for the first time can be daunting so we asked a behaviourist a vet and another cat owner to share the practical ways that they helped their own kittens to stay secure while out and about. However before you allow your kitten free access outdoors make sure it has been neutered at around 4 months. Once it is fully vaccinated and has become used to living in your house you can start to let your kitten go outside a bit more.

If you re going to use a cat flap have a look at our cat flap tips.