# Letting the kitten out of the safe room for good...



## kittiegirl

So we've had Ninja for 4 weeks tomorrow, and he has his safe room to himself and doesnt seem to mind being in there during the day or at night (a few meows here and there but no real commotion).

Our house has an open living room and all bedrooms/kitchen etc can have their doors closed if need be.

We have popped to the shops and left him with his safe room open and access to the living room, and it was no big deal. But surely after 4 weeks he is competant enough not to be confined to that one room all day?
He knows where his food and litter tray is as when he sits with us he often darts upstairs for the toilet.

Am i just being paranoid and over protective by keeping him in the safe room for this long? Im not overly fussed if he knocks things over and nothing of real value is in the living room.

How long are they supposed to stay in the safe room for before they can be given the run of the house?

And with regards to sleeping, the book we got said that he shouldnt be allowed to sleep with us before he is 4 months old. did anyone else let them before this age? Im worried me or my partner might roll over on him in the night? :scared:


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## Cliffy Byro

Interesting post....Be nice to hear other ppls views on this.

I am collecting my two girls on Saturday and was only intending on keeping them in a 'safe room' (sunroom and kitchen actually...tiled floors..lol) for no more than a week, maybe less if i am confident in them being able to find the litter tray etc, and of course if they are confident in having a wander around. We will more than likely spend more time in there with them too, so they can get used to us, so in answer to yr question I dont think there is a right amount of time, just go with the flow and monitor yr little ones behaviour, im sure he will love to have a run around...

As far as sleeping in your bed, the last kittens we had always wanted to sleep on our bed, but thankfully at the bottom end on our feet...lol, not so good when they grew to over 5kg each. But I have never heard of anyone rolling onto a kitten in the night, just depends how you sleep, i pretty much wake up the same place i went in..lol


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## buffie

I still dont feel confident that my kitten is "safe"with the freedom to roam bit Iam still inclined to keep him safe when he is left on his own for more than 30mns,he is 20wks old now but still has a death wish regards climbing ,wires ect .Have tried to cover most wires but he will still try.He has freedom at all other times and at night sleeps in/on the bed and has done since he was 9wks
old,Idont think there was ever a time where he was nearly squashed.Just go with your gut feeling if you think he is ready for freedom then he probably is.Good luck


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## hobbs2004

Oh my, I never had any of my kittens confined. They were allocated a room with their tray, food and bedding with something familiar. The door was left open so that they could explore when they felt ready.


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## Sorcha

No safe room here either, ever 
With us, they also got their own little place, got shown where the litter tray was and the food and that was it.


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## Kaitlyn

Harley didn't have a safe room as such.. he was just in the living room with us and crated in there on a night. In the day the doors were let open for him to explore. The only thing is now he's still crated at night although his crate is now in the spare bedroom. Only crate him because of him eating Tiggrs food and making himself ill. The rest of the time hes got the entire house... and has a fascination for the bathroom for some reason.


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## Tig'N'Soot

We picked up our three 5 week olds back in April and kept them shut away in our spare bedroom where they had two comfy beds to snuggle in, two litter trays, food and drink over on the other side of the room. We have quite an open plan house, and a 12 year old male cat, so we decided to break them in gently.

From memory I think they stayed in that room entirely for about 2 weeks. Then it became more and more difficult to keep them in there. Every time we opened the door they were there waiting to run out! So gradually we let them out in the day but put them back in their bed on top of the wardrobe in their room at night while we slept. 

Within a few days of being let out to explore they were nightmares at bedtime and would howl to be let out of their room. So we had no choice but to let them roam free from the age of about 8 weeks. So there we would be, two adult humans, one adult cat and three baby kittens, all sleeping on the same double bed at night. 

I can't say that rolling over and squashing them in our sleep was an issue. More of an issue was us being woken up in the wee hours with our faces being licked. Tiger-lily woke me up one morning licking my hair. Next trip to the hairdresser she told me I had a bald patch! Thanks Tiger!

I think it is a bit like bringing up children when you look after kittens - do whatever feels right to you. We bought a kitten book before we picked our little tribe up and studied it intensively, but once they arrived it may as well have gone in the bin. We just did what felt right and as long as you have a sensible head on you then I don't think you can go far wrong.

Good luck!


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## buffie

Iam surprised that so many of you seem to think protecting small kittens when they are left alone is such a strange thing,It is impossible to make every room kitten friendly,and safe from little teeth and inquisitive minds.It is better to be safe than sorry and if that means that they are "kept out" of potential problem areas then that is surely better than running the risk of injury.


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## kittiegirl

i completely agree with you buffie.

I dont feel i am a bad owner for keeping him in one room whilst im not around to supervise him.

I kept our door open last night and he did indeed kip on the bed with us for a while and when i woke in the morning he was keeping guard by the door, ha.

I have left him out of his safe room today while im at work too, as after last night we let him roam the house for over an hour and half and there were no problems.

I felt that we kept him in the safe room for his safety rather than the vanity of our house.

Fingers crossed he has fun and i dont come back to chaos! :lol:


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## buffie

kittiegirl said:


> i completely agree with you buffie.
> 
> I dont feel i am a bad owner for keeping him in one room whilst im not around to supervise him.
> 
> I kept our door open last night and he did indeed kip on the bed with us for a while and when i woke in the morning he was keeping guard by the door, ha.
> 
> I have left him out of his safe room today while im at work too, as after last night we let him roam the house for over an hour and half and there were no problems.
> 
> I felt that we kept him in the safe room for his safety rather than the vanity of our house.
> 
> Fingers crossed he has fun and i dont come back to chaos! :lol:


Hope all is well when you get home from work,I too only keep meeko "safe"for his own good,you can replace a vase ect. but not a kitten and if you still feel he is better kept safe then dont feel bad about it.fingers crossed every thing is where you left it (well nearly):thumbup:


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## Tje

These are critical times in a kittens life for socialization. I would never (and have never) isolated kittens for their own safety. They need socialization!! Of course the obvious risks like cables, open windows etc need to be addressed, but I feel confining a single kitten to a room is just plain cruel andvery detrimental to their social development. 

I foster kittens and because of the health risks that can entail for my own resident cats (and vice versa) I do keep kittens in a separate bedroom until I can establish that theyre not carrying ringworm or ear mite or anything obvious like that but I have never (and will never) restrict a single kitten to that room (by that I mean a kitten on its own, without company). Cats (especially kittens) are sociable animals and need to be around other people or other cats or kittens. Many shelters and rescue organization will not even allow a foster family to just one kitten, for this very reason. They need company and constant stimulation during their waking hours.


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## Sorcha

Completely agree with you Tje :thumbup:
I too keep the fosters separate, but indeed, only till I know they're healthy.


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## Tje

Sorcha said:


> Completely agree with you Tje :thumbup:
> I too keep the fosters separate, but indeed, only till I know they're healthy.


Yes Sorcha, and were talking about a litter of kittens (or a group of kittens coming from different litters) so at least ours always have company, and were also talking about kittens of a much younger age (pre 6 weeks usually). The last two kittens I had were two tiny bottle feeders, for the early weeks they were penned in my living room in daytime, and penned in my bedroom at night. When they got to about 4-5 weeks old they had the run of the kitten room at night time, and were only but it in the kitten pen or the kitten room during the day when I couldnt keep a constant eye on them  if I had to go out during the day they had the run of their room. I know people want to protect their pets from possible accidents (and believe me, my home resembles Wormwood Scrubs, lol, all for the protection and safety of the fosters) but socialization is not an optional extra with kittens its *vital*.

What I've read on this thread saddens me... more so because people obviously have taken time to think about what is best. Often when I read things in the forum that I don't agree with, I know it is often down to the people just not thinking things through properly ... but this thread, the thought process is there... I just don't agree with the conclusions drawn.

*sigh*


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## kittiegirl

Im sorry that you feel i am being "cruel" Tje, however as a first time kitten owner, i read up about what to do with him.

It said in the book i bought to confine him to his "safe" room when i was out of the house and unable to supervise him, eg work and sleeping.

If you have misunderstood my post as "i keep my kitten confined 24/7, i never let him out of the room" then i would agree this is cruel, however this isnt what i do.


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## The Twins

I think of safe rooms as beneficial but only for the first few days of settling in to a new home - ours had their 'safe room' as our downstairs living room/dining room/kitchen as its all open plan... Any longer than a few days and think its over kill. They need to explore and get used to their surrondings and they would be doing this in the previous homes so a safe room is only for a settling in period not weeks and weeks or months. As long as they're 12wks and older they should be fine left to explore - providing you have kitten proofed your home. 

As for letting them sleep with you, this is personal preference and again i cant see why there would need to be a age limit on this. I personally have never let mine sleep in with us over night - they are allowed in the bedroom in the mornings at the weekend and often have a sunday morning lie in with us! But the bedrooms are shut when we're not there - they have the rest of the house to roam through tho. 

How old is your kitty?


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## HollyM

The first few days that i had Walter i kept him in our bedroom, mostly because we have another cat, and me and my OH were at home during those few days. Yes i agree it would be cruel for a sustained period of time, but beneficial for the first few days.....if you have another cat that is.


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## Tje

kittiegirl said:


> Im sorry that you feel i am being "cruel" Tje, however as a first time kitten owner, i read up about what to do with him.
> 
> It said in the book i bought to confine him to his "safe" room when i was out of the house and unable to supervise him, eg work and sleeping.
> 
> If you have misunderstood my post as "i keep my kitten confined 24/7, i never let him out of the room" then i would agree this is cruel, however this isnt what i do.


Kittiegirl, that's why I said it saddened me, because I could read from your post that your decision wasn't just based on a thoughtless whim, you had obviously thought about what you were doing.

There's confinement and confinement (in my opinion). In the example The Twins gave, I am all for that, a few days "confinement" in the whole of the downstairs is perfectly fine in my book, in fact I wouldn't really call that confinement, I'd just call it "taking sensible precautions" … but your example of 4 weeks in one single room, sorry, that's a whole other kettle of fish, and no matter how I look at it, I can't condone that as good or acceptable, sorry. And I know you said it's just when you're at work or are in bed… but for most of us that takes up 16-19 hours of our day. A kitten need a LOT more mental stimulation than that.

Please reconsider this confinement of your kitten, not for me, for your kitten - even when he is alone, he needs to explore, stimulate his mind… it keeps the old grey matter ticking over and active. Yes he will get into things he's not supposed to me… but please believe me, kitten proofing a home is not rocket science… if you want tips on how to make your home kitten-proof please feel free to ask and I'll share my thoughts on the matter, as I am sure many of the other posters would too.


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## Sorcha

It is such a big change for a little baby cat. First he/she is with mother and siblings and after that on his/her own in a room for a good amount of hours every day.
I know you mean so well, but it is cruel.


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## kittiegirl

Tje said:


> Kittiegirl, thats why I said it saddened me, because I could read from your post that your decision wasnt just based on a thoughtless whim, you had obviously thought about what you were doing.
> 
> Theres confinement and confinement (in my opinion). In the example The Twins gave, I am all for that, a few days confinement in the whole of the downstairs is perfectly fine in my book, in fact I wouldnt really call that confinement, Id just call it taking sensible precautions  but your example of 4 weeks in one single room, sorry, thats a whole other kettle of fish, and no matter how I look at it, I cant condone that as good or acceptable, sorry. And I know you said its just when youre at work or are in bed but for most of us that takes up 16-19 hours of our day. A kitten need a LOT more mental stimulation than that.
> 
> Please reconsider this confinement of your kitten, not for me, for your kitten  even when he is alone, he needs to explore, stimulate his mind it keeps the old grey matter ticking over and active. Yes he will get into things hes not supposed to me but please believe me, kitten proofing a home is not rocket science if you want tips on how to make your home kitten-proof please feel free to ask and Ill share my thoughts on the matter, as I am sure many of the other posters would too.


Tje,

As per my thread previously, you can read that today i felt confident to let him explore the house while i am at work, not because of your forceful opinion on to me.

I do not appreciate being spoken down to though, "kitten proofing your house isnt rocket science" ...

Im sorry if you feel upset by my "cruel" treatment, if me being worried and over protective makes me an animal abuser/cruel owner i would insist that should make any referrals you deem necessary.

However, i did what i felt was right, thinking about my boys safety, i would hate myself if i came home from work to find him hurt or whatever after letting him roam around willy nilly, just because i was pressured and labelled as cruel by you!

As an experienced cat fosterer you most certainly have more experience than me with cats, however instead of a positive "Yes, if your house is kitten proof, then i would let him out of the safe room while you are out for long periods of time" you opted for the more personal attack and label of cruel, which clearly, as anyone else would, be offended by when all i want is him to be happy with us!

I urge you to perhaps choose your words more carefully in the future as you may end up deeply offending someone, and no matter what you may think, you're opinions may not necessarily be correct on every occaision.


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## kittiegirl

Sorcha said:


> It is such a big change for a little baby cat. First he/she is with mother and siblings and after that on his/her own in a room for a good amount of hours every day.
> I know you mean so well, but it is cruel.


Thank you Sorcha for your more tactful approach.

I have taken your views on board and can use them to make future decisions.


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## Sorcha

My more 'tactful' approach is trying to tell you the same as Tje is telling you. I think she was absolutely right and she did not at any time try to accuse you of doing anything wrong on purpose. 
We all love animals here and that's the most important thing.


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## queenie42

Our Sealpoint came to us at 10 wks, after a week of being hemmed in the kitchen kitty proof of course, I allowed her free roam of the house. We still dont let her sleep with us, but then again we dont let any of our cats do that. Gotta have some space to call our own  

:thumbup:


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## kittiegirl

Of course, if i for one moment thought that what i was doing was cruel, i wouldnt do it for a second.


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## The Twins

I think the OP now knows that some people feel safe rooms unneccessary and that if you do want to use them, that a few days is ok rather than weeks.

She was only looking out for the kittens best interests after all. 

Anyway, I hope your little one is enjoying exploring the house! I know mine did - and still do... when they tackled the stairs for the first time i was a nervous wreck! They, on the other hand, loved it - even falling down the last few steps into a head at the bottom... with me aghast and running to check them over. They now do tumble play on the stairs as a normal occurence and am sure they love to scare me even though they are nearly a year old! :scared:


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## kittiegirl

haha yes, our boy has some sort of vendetta against the stairs aswell :lol:

Well at least i (roundabout) got an answer, 4 weeks in our house is obviously enough time to know it well enough to roam freely, i hope he just doesnt get stuck somewhere (as i've heard they find places to hide that humans might not even think of)


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## buffie

I feel the point of this discussion is being missed.No one is saying that the kitten is shut up in a "safe "room 24/7 it is purely for safety when no one is there to supervise,If the owner is out how can the kitten be "getting socialised"it is, certainly in my opinion,of little difference if the kitten has a livingroom/bedroom/ or which ever room which is "safe" to sleep/play in.I certainly do not agree with crateing a kitten that would be wrong.Does everybody just leave all door open regardless and let kittens do their thing.


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## kittiegirl

buffie said:


> I feel the point of this discussion is being missed.No one is saying that the kitten is shut up in a "safe "room 24/7 it is purely for safety when no one is there to supervise,If the owner is out how can the kitten be "getting socialised"it is, certainly in my opinion,of little difference if the kitten has a livingroom/bedroom/ or which ever room which is "safe" to sleep/play in.I certainly do not agree with crateing a kitten that would be wrong.Does everybody just leave all door open regardless and let kittens do their thing.


I agree buffie, just for when we cannot supervise.

otherwise we let him go wherever he wants when we are home, although i do close the toilet seat in fear he might jump in for a dip :lol:


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## The Twins

kittiegirl said:


> I agree buffie, just for when we cannot supervise.
> 
> otherwise we let him go wherever he wants when we are home, although i do close the toilet seat in fear he might jump in for a dip :lol:


I agree too - we still dont let ours in the bathroom - ever! I know it sounds mental but its just one room that i can go in and its cat hair free and also as tidy as i've left it, no toys (aka newspaper balls) all of the floor etc... and am paranoid they'd eat dental floss or something! Mind you, whenever i go to the loo or for a shower, George and sometimes gil, is always waiting for me outside the door! Bless. I am sure they'd get in the shower with me too if i let them - maybe i will if this heat continues! haha.


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## kittiegirl

The Twins said:


> I agree too - we still dont let ours in the bathroom - ever! I know it sounds mental but its just one room that i can go in and its cat hair free and also as tidy as i've left it, no toys (aka newspaper balls) all of the floor etc... and am paranoid they'd eat dental floss or something! Mind you, whenever i go to the loo or for a shower, George and sometimes gil, is always waiting for me outside the door! Bless. I am sure they'd get in the shower with me too if i let them - maybe i will if this heat continues! haha.


Ha, our boy has taken a liking to the bath too! He jumps in and slides around, very entertaining


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## buffie

Glad to see the meaning of the original thread has at last been sorted.:thumbup:If your kitten likes the bath there was a thread recently from someone who put 1kitten+4ping pong balls in the bath(empty of course)
and said it played for ages.


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## Tje

kittiegirl said:


> Tje,
> 
> As per my thread previously, you can read that today i felt confident to let him explore the house while i am at work, not because of your forceful opinion on to me.
> 
> I do not appreciate being spoken down to though, "kitten proofing your house isnt rocket science" ...
> 
> Im sorry if you feel upset by my "cruel" treatment, if me being worried and over protective makes me an animal abuser/cruel owner i would insist that should make any referrals you deem necessary.
> 
> However, i did what i felt was right, thinking about my boys safety, i would hate myself if i came home from work to find him hurt or whatever after letting him roam around willy nilly, just because i was pressured and labelled as cruel by you!
> 
> As an experienced cat fosterer you most certainly have more experience than me with cats, however instead of a positive "Yes, if your house is kitten proof, then i would let him out of the safe room while you are out for long periods of time" you opted for the more personal attack and label of cruel, which clearly, as anyone else would, be offended by when all i want is him to be happy with us!
> 
> I urge you to perhaps choose your words more carefully in the future as you may end up deeply offending someone, and no matter what you may think, you're opinions may not necessarily be correct on every occaision.


Kittiegirl, I come here in the hope I can help towards the welfare of a cat, not to worry about your or anyone elses fragile ego -- or to win a prize in some kind of forum personality contest. What I said was said in a polite enough tone and factually correct. If you dont want people disagreeing with you on the question of animal welfare, then you really shouldnt post on a public Pet Forum.

I see where youre coming from confining your young kitten in one room for 4 weeks (it will keep him physically safer), I just dont agree with it as I think his socialization skills and mental health and wellbeing will suffer from it.

I think well all agree that kiddy seats in cars are brilliant things, they dont just save the child in the event of a crash, they stop the child climbing in the car and injuring his/her self. No doubt there would be less broken bones, chipped teeth and skinned knees if children were confined in a car seat for a few hours a day while in the home too, but that doesnt mean it isnt still a cruel thing to do. Would I sugar coat my words to some parent who did restrain a child in car seat in the home? Absolutely not. Id be factual and polite, and puncturing an ego or hurting parents feelings would be the least of my concerns. Welfare of those who cant speak up for themselves is my priority.

And before you go into full drive hyperbole, at no point did I suggest letting your kitten roam around willy nilly. I just said 4 weeks (restricted 16-19 hours per day) in one room was cruel. There is a (vast) sensible middle ground between long confinement such as yours, and the willful neglect your roam around willy nilly comment suggests.

Its quite amusing you get your knickers in a twist because I said I find it cruel, while Sorcha also said it was cruel and you thanked her, lol.


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## Tje

buffie said:


> I feel the point of this discussion is being missed.No one is saying that the kitten is shut up in a "safe "room 24/7 it is purely for safety when no one is there to supervise,


I never thought or suggested that the OP meant 24/7 confinement. I think the OPs words were something along the lines of _confined when were at work or asleep_. For the average worker coming home around 5ish and going to bed around 11ish, thats 18 hours of confinement to one room.



buffie said:


> If the owner is out how can the kitten be "getting socialised"it is,


Its not just socialization that the kitten is missing out on, its mental stimulation too, which is very important to cats and humans alike.



buffie said:


> certainly in my opinion,of little difference if the kitten has a livingroom/bedroom/ or which ever room which is "safe" to sleep/play in.


If you were sick and had to be confined to your home, I am sure you would rather have free reign of your own home and all its rooms than just being confined to your bedroom. Cats arent much different. A 100 sq meter home provides 5 times as much mental stimulation for a curious kitten than a 20 sq meter bedroom does.



buffie said:


> Does everybody just leave all door open regardless and let kittens do their thing.


Hyperbole again... Plenty of cat owners can keep kittens safe with out the extreme examples of a neglectful owner who _just leaves all door open regardless and let kittens do their thing_ and without going to the other extreme of confining them to one room for 4 weeks. Most owners find a sensible middle ground between the two extremes.


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## kittiegirl

Frankly, I couldn't give a toss what you think. 

However I would like you to tell me who my kitten is socialising with when no one is home? And as for mental stimulation, who are you to comment on something that you know nothing about, have you been to my house? Do you know what's inside the room? No! So really you've got no grounds to say he is unstimulated

As for the thanking which you mentioned it was because she wasn't as rude and obnoxious as you!


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## kittiegirl

Also, isn't this a place where people come to help with other peoples questions? From the moment you read this thread you didn't agree with it, fine. But why you felt the need to get on your high horse and post on this thread is beyond me? You were clearly looking to cause friction.


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## hobbs2004

Wow - hang on a minute. Tje has given you some excellent advice based on her rather long experience as a fosterer, particularly of kittens. She did not post on your thread to have a battle of wits or an ego contest; this was about how she and others, including me, have gone about introducing kittens to a new household. 

Yes, this forum is about meeting people, getting advice, particularly from people who have some real experience. But sometimes that advice is not along the lines of what people want to hear. Unfortunately all too frequently people are not prepared to hear the other side of the story. They only come on to look for affirmation of their actions. That is not how advice works.


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## Miss.PuddyCat

I have never thought of a safe room and really dont see the point.But I respect your thoughts on it.

Each cat has been allowed to roam around the house as they please except for my brothers room when the door is shut as he is not a fan of cats at all (so its understandable) and when we first got Horris he was confined to the garage at times because he was not nuetured and therefore sprayed things. (for almost a year because stuff kept popping up)

Soda was about 5 weeks old when I found her and she was confined to the garage because I had to go to work when I found her and was in a rush. But when I got home that night she had free rain of the house.

I do confine my three to my bedroom at night because all three get into nasty fights with my moms cat. But this past week its been way to hot to sleep in my room so I have been sleeping downstairs with them having free rain.

I can understand the fear of cats chewing cables (so far my guys have never done that), them getting into things they shouldnt (but then again I am a neat and organized person so Im always making sure nothing is left out for them to cause trouble with)

Saying that we have had our few shares of incidents but thats life.

Any kitten that we get in the future will be integrated into the family ASAP. And allowed free roam.


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## Sorcha

The advice that was given here, was given to help improve the welfare of an animal. The advice is given by people who have a lot of experience in handling and caring for animals and who know what they are talking about.
None of the people that have told anyone on here about it being cruel for a kitten to be confined on it's own for various hours a day, was out to cause offence or hurt anyone. It is genuine care about the welfare of those we love to care for, namely cats and kittens.
If you do not appreciate that advice, please remember you are the one asking for it and can expect to hear things that might tell you you're doing something wrong. That is why you're asking for advice in the first place isn't it?


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## buffie

I think it is time to put this dispute to bed,obviously there will never be agreement, nor I have to say, understanding by some, of the concerns of the OP.Iam still of the opinion that if there are worries about a kittens safety while alone then steps have to be taken.I could go on and explain my comments but I dont see the point ,Iam obviously wrong but I would rather be wrong than be responsible for the preventable injury or death of a kitten.


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