# Letting out our two 5 month old kittens first time.



## kash80 (Mar 29, 2015)

Hi all. 
Well it has come to that time when we would like to let out our 2 cats. 
They have both been netured and vaccinated and micro chipped. The vet said that they are now fine to go out. 

Recently we have been letting them out in the front garden for about 10 mins then get them in. Trying to get them used to the cat flap which feels quite hard work. 

Anyway I cannot help but worry about them. There are quite a few cats in the area. Will they get bullied as they new? As they younger will they be ok? They are between 5-6 months. They seem smaller than the other cats in the nighbourhood lol. Vet said they should be fine though 

Also apart from cars 'quiet area though' the biggest worry is will they come back. I know most say yes they will. Yet I am sure every new owner has the same worry. If we let them out on there own will they come home? They been with us since they were 6-7 weeks old. Will they see our home as there territory yet?
Is there a danger they will get lost?

Anyway thanks for any help you can offer. They are beautiful cats with different personalities. Feels starnge letting them into the big old world. They just been in house and back garden the past few months.


----------



## buffie (May 31, 2010)

At 5/6 months they are way too young to be going out to "free roam".
Vets know lots of stuff but there are somethings they are clueless about.I would think ,or at least hope,when the vet said they were "okay to go out" it was meant that as far as being protected from disease or pregnancy/wandering looking for a mate yes they are "okay"
At such a young age their little heads are full of fun and chasing stuff to see the dangers,also they are not nearly big enough or strong enough to protect themselves if they get into any trouble.
You could invest in a harness and take them out with that or just wait till they are nearer 12 months old and better equipped to cope.
The other option is that you cat proof your garden or build a run then they can be outside in safety.Have a look at this sticky which shows ways of allowing some outside time but keeping them safe.............http://www.petforums.co.uk/threads/cat-runs-cat-proofed-gardens.211361/


----------



## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

Completely agree with @buffie. I am always amazed why people are so desperate to let their kittens out at the earliest opportunity in such a dangerous world.
Don't you want to enjoy their company for a bit longer? Once you let them out you'll probably rarely see them (especially in summer).
Just because they 'can' go out it doesn't mean they have to. I'd wait til next spring to be honest.


----------



## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

I agree with the others ^^ 5 months old is far too young to be allowed out to roam!  Too many risks for such little ones to be asked to cope with, and also like you I would be worried they might not come home. 

Even if you live in an area where there is NO traffic at all, and are surrounded by all cat-friendly neighbours, there are still risks to kittens from e.g. falling out of trees or off fences and hurting themselves, or being attacked by an adult cat who objects to the kittens invading his/her territory. I would not take the chance. 

Also, as moggie14 has said, once you start letting them roam they grow up very rapidly and they go off on their adventures, so you will hardly see them all day in the summer. This time in their lives passes so quickly anyway, so I advise treasuring every minute you have with these precious little ones indoors whilst they are still kittens.

By keeping them indoors (perhaps with an outdoor run) until they are at least a year old, you will be able to enjoy watching them play and have fun together, which you will miss if they go out. I kept my kittens in, with access to an outdoor pen, until they were 18 mths old, and am so glad I did, as they stayed kittenish for longer than any of my previous cats did, whom I let out to roam at about 10 months old. I never allowed a kitten out to roam at 5 months old though.


----------



## kash80 (Mar 29, 2015)

Thanks for your replies. I will have to be brief as about to go out the door. 
Hmm. Well now I am confused as most people I know say they let there kittens out at around 5-6 months once neutured. 

They are constantly trying to get out the house and have started to run out the door if we not careful. 
We wanted it to be on our terms they going out rather than escaping. 
We have been having to keep windows shut even though its been SO hot. 
It is only a matter of time before they escape. They have had access to back garden the past couple of months and very enclosed.. However as they get older they will be able to climb the fence. 

I have to be honest the thought of keeping them inside till they are a year is a no go! As said they always trying to get out. 
I asked the RSPCA when we microchipped them at 8 weeks. They said wait till they 5-6 months and neutured etc. 

OK will have to give this some thought as was not expecting anyone to say another 6 months. 
Of course I want them safe which is why I am worried about letting them out. Yet as said they are doing all they can to get out as it is, so need to think this through. 

Thanks


----------



## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

As they have already been in the back garden, could they not continue to have access to it with you supervising them? No all day of course, but for two periods a day for a couple of hours a time in the warm weather. They will be older come the winter and less interested in being outside much.


----------



## jill3 (Feb 18, 2009)

If you have a nice enclosed garden then why not cat proof it. There is a sticky at the top of the page in cat chat. There are a lot of forum members pictures of cat proofed gardens on there. It is easy to do with strong netting. Then when they get to be a year old, if you want them to have freedom you can take the cat proofing down. At 5 months they are too young to let out. In our cul de sac we have a very young cat that has been let out and I worry about her. The other day she managed to get in a neighbours house and was hanging out of the bathroom window!


----------



## The Wild Bunch (Jul 16, 2014)

Our neighbours have kittens who are left to roam and we get knocks on our door frequently asking if we have seen them. There are playing fields behind our house and their kittens are out all day and all night rarely returning now. It wouldn't surprise me if one day they don't return at all as they are not very tame due to being let out while still young so they never properly bonded to their people. Good luck with whatever you decide


----------



## Julie Elliott (Jul 13, 2015)

Came across this thread .. I'm new to the forum with a new 9 week old kitten & also have a 1 1/2 year old tabby Ragdoll who I was so worried about letting out. She showed signs of wanting out from a very early age (had her since she was 8 weeks) story behind her was her mum was attacked by a fox after her little so kittens had to be hand reared by previous owners, when I saw her I fell in love so always been pretty protective of her. The bigger she got the more she wanted out, running out front door, gazing out window etc. Eventually I decided I would let her out, supervised her in front garden couple of times a day for a few weeks then brought her in, she loved it. Got her neutered & d-day came the day she went out herself, I was worried sick. But like everyone told me, she came back pleased with herself after her wander. I agree with what most people are saying - 5/6 months is a bit young to let them out themselves, they are still play full fun loving kittens at that age with no sense of danger. Id keep them supervised for a little bit longer!


----------

