# Should I let my 7 month Maine Coons kittens outside



## Cazzi (Jun 25, 2010)

Good Morning All

We are really struggling to decide whether to let our 7 month Maine Coons kittens outside and could do with some advice please....

Here's the situation....
We are in London and live in an area where there are quite a few cats domestic and a couple of strays along with dogs. We have a long garden which is fenced in on one side and high bushes on the other which beyond that is a overgrown walk way ( where foxes go on an evening) this then leads to the neighbours garden who has no pets. From this walk way the cats could get to the road outside the front of the house.
A bus runs past the house every 15 mins but other than that the traffic is not too busy.
We are lucky enough to have a reasonable sized house where they have plenty of room to play/create havoc  They have a big climbing frame and lots of toys...however we can't help but feel bad when we are out in the garden that they should be allowed some time outdoors.

I bought a huge pet carrier 2x2x1m which they occasionally use in the garden, but still it doesn't seem fair.

We have had both our kittens spayed,chipped and their injections are all up to date.

As you can imagine these cats mean the world to us and after loosing a little stray last year who got knocked down there is a lot of fear about letting them out.

Looking for advice from other cat lovers please.

Cazzi


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## ellie8024 (May 4, 2009)

i wouldnt let them out unsupervised however if its your own home you could think about building a run for the cats in the garden


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## IndysMamma (Jan 15, 2009)

could you look into catproofing your garden?

also... if you got your kittens from a registered breeder did you agree to keep them as indoor only?

I have 3 mogs that I keep in for safety reasons... and walk them on harnesses if that could be an option (in garden)

Maine Coons are a distinctive and beautiful cat... what's the crime rate in your area? people have been known to steal pedigrees to try breed them then dump the cats in random places when they find out they've been neutered.


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## Amin (Jul 31, 2009)

My wife and I had The exact same dilemma as You have. After a long think about things we decided to let our 7 month old MC in the garden, That was after I built a fence and chicken wired a lot of places he would get out. He is mostly watched But he loves the garden and hasn't strayed yet, - been about 6 weeks now.

We too lost our first cat last year to a car, It was Very distressing, We too have moved to a bigger house and Indie just loves it in the garden. I will post a couple of pics. But at the end of the day, Its your choice.


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## Cazzi (Jun 25, 2010)

Thank you all for your comments, they are very much appreciated.


Some good fence suggestions for the garden and I have since looked into the bite proof chicken wire for the hedge side.
I have also just bought a couple of harness' so I will try those first to get them used to the garden. I only plan on letting them out supervised for the time being.

ooohh what a beautiful MC ... majestic! (i'd have more if I could).


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## Dally Banjo (Oct 22, 2009)

I would build a run MC's are to friendly for there own good & not that scared of most things, people, dogs etc & hopeless at playing with traffic  most dont roam far if you are out with them & fine on a harness


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## colliemerles (Nov 2, 2007)

i would build a run or cat proof your garden, you wouldnt want him to wonder off,or get stolen,


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## HollyM (Feb 21, 2010)

I agree about cat proofing your garden or a cat run. Your MC will have the best of both worlds then.


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## messyhearts (Feb 6, 2009)

Have you signed a contract & if so was there a clause about the cat roaming outside?

I would never let a cat outside to roam & even more so when the risk of theft is higher.


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## Janee (May 4, 2008)

The contract is not really enforceable - how would the breeder know unless they did a spot visit without prior warning?

If you let your cats out only do so in daylight hours - never at dawn and dusk or night time. 

Get them used to coming to a sound - I bang a steel catfood dish with a fork - it carries more than my voice.

You could put a locator on a collar as well. Pros and cons to this - you have to make very sure the collar is a snap free collar and will break if under any stress - available at [email protected]

You have to think of you too - how will you cope if your cat does not come home and goes missing? Is it worth the stress?

I think cat proofed gardens are the ideal answer; you can do this yourself if you are good at diy but there are also a number of commercial firms that will do it for you - google.


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## messyhearts (Feb 6, 2009)

Whether a contract is enforceable is one issue. Disregarding a breeders' wishes & lying to them is another. This clause is ONLY for the interest of a kitten if it is in a contract.


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## Amin (Jul 31, 2009)

Janee said:


> The contract is not really enforceable - how would the breeder know unless they did a spot visit without prior warning?
> 
> If you let your cats out only do so in daylight hours - never at dawn and dusk or night time.
> 
> ...


Very Good points, Janee. Our Breeder was quite happy for us to let The cat outside After I told her it was going to be fenced Off.

Indie absolutely Loves the garden and also likes us to call him now and then - A reassurance thing in cats I Guess, to let him know we are there - if you know what I mean.

As soon as it starts to get dark he knows its time to get in, And first thing in the morning he is out, then in then out and so on.

After loosing our last mc to a car accident last year, No way is indie getting beyond our back Garden.


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