Introducing kitten to the outside world.

[chrisso]

Had mouser the kitten (4 months old) out the front this evening and another big fat friendly looking cat appeared in literally seconds. Is this normal? They seemed to make friends but then they dashed off and disappeared. I paniced but found her pretty quickly. She had gone across the street with this other cat. 

I've always thought cats are really territorial and their first time meetings can often be violent? This big fat cat just seemed to want to play though, and seemed very curious about mouser. 

Won't be letting her out again for a while, but eventually she will get out. Are there any safe ways to wean her into this? I'd love for her to be an inside cat but not sure if it's possible in my situation. 

After this meeting she's been VERY keen to get back out there. I was thinking she'd be scared after not being around other cats and having a bad encounter with a feral tom. 

What have been others experiences with kittens and their first experiences outside? 

 

[merecat]

..hadn't you posted a few days about the kitten being "possibly raped" after she managed to slip out of the house?''

 

[chrisso]

Yes.

I figured it was better for me to go out with her so I could supervise, the plan was to go out for five minutes, I had the crazy idea that making outside forbidden would make it more attractive to her, and by letting her out on the porch with me for 5 mins wouldnt be a big deal. I didn't expect another cat to literally appear in front of me in seconds! Or that mouzer would be so brave to make friends (so it seemed to me) and want to go on an adventure with this cat. I noticed no threatening or tense behavior in eithier of them, and the mystery cat looked well fed, collar, and came right up to us. I'm sure it would have let me pet her.



I have little faith that the other people I share the house with will be able to keep the kitten inside. Their windows do not have screens, just bars, which mouzer can easily slip through. It's been very hot so the windows have been open, and occasionally they'll forget to close their doors...the potential of her getting out and no one noticing for some time is very possible. I can't be at home all the time constantly watching her Unfortunatly.

 

[yayi]

Kittens are curious and although at first they are shy about the outdoors, they will overcome their fear of the unknown. By being with Mouser and meeting the neighbor's friendly cat, your kitten feels more assured about being outside. However, at 4 months and no one to watch her when she goes out, is very risky. She may wander far and get lost, be ran over by a car, chased by people or dogs or other cats. An outdoor enclosure (preferably accessible from the inside) will allow Mouser to go in and out in safety.

By the way, is Mouser spayed?  My cats are indoor outdoor and 3 of them are 6 months old. One of the reasons my cats have not wandered away is because they are fixed. 

 

[chrisso]

Ok so from the advice I've gotten here ended up installing screens on all windows. 

The backyard I thought was kitten proof but last night I got a funny feeling, went out the back, and up on the roof is mouzer gazing down at me. People always forget to close the backdoor, or mouzer sneaks out with people very easily. Managed to coax her down with some ham (her favorite) 

Kind of feels like a losing war. There's no way I can kitten proof the backyard more than it is now. I wish she would just stay in the house...

I guess all I can do is my best to keep her contained. She's been sleeping in my room the last few nights. She's got a collar with my details on it, and taking her to be spayed in a few weeks. 

 

[chrisso]

By the way, is Mouser spayed?  My cats are indoor outdoor and 3 of them are 6 months old. One of the reasons my cats have not wandered away is because they are fixed. 

Not yet. Her owner doesn't believe in it. So I will sneak her off to the vet when he's out of town. 

Hrmm that's interesting...even a young kitten would be discouraged from roaming? I didn't think she had gone through puberty yet, and didn't think sex or hormones would be a factor yet. 

 

[stella123]

cats are sexualy mature at 6mth onwards..and all they want to do is eat,mate and sleep..my cats 8mths old and is male and he really really wants to get out and party...he's getting neutered next week...i'd keep your cat in a lot longer til she knows where her breads buttered..and get her spayed before letting her out again..cos she will attract alot of un-neutered males and they will be spraying your home and crying out all night to her...my cats 8 mths and i only got him friday last week..he won't be going out for a few months yet..even after he's neutered...don't want him getting lost or hurt...he needs to know that my home is the safest place for him so he don't go to far...good luck

 

[orientalslave]

cats are sexualy mature at 6mth onwards..and all they want to do is eat,mate and sleep

<snip>

OR LESS.  I have a friend whose 4-month old kitten came into heat.  She's an indoor cat but if she was allowed out she'd be a pregnant cat by now.

 

[ktlynn]

Chrisso - please take the collar off your kitten now.   She is only 4 months old and will do a lot of growing in the months ahead.  If she were to become lost and was able to survive, the collar would get tighter around her neck as she grew bigger.   Collars can get caught on fences, shrubs and tree branches and can choke a cat or kitten, or trap them where it got snagged.  Instead, get her microchipped when she goes to be spayed.

Window screens are an important first step and it was smart for you to do that.  But rather than trying to get her to go outside, why not work on just keeping her from running out the door?   Teach her to "stay" and "come".    She should know her name and come to you when you call her.  There may be a time when obeying these commands will save her life.  You can train her not to go near the front door if everytime she comes within a yard of it she hears you blow a whistle, or shake an empty soda can with coins in it, or any other loud noise that will scare her.   You need to be consistent and have patience.   It would help if you could get your housemates on board.  And until you're 100% sure she's trained to stay inside, put her in your room when you can't watch her.  There's a ton of info available that will help you train her. With such a young kitten, you have the perfect opportunity to teach her the commands and behavior that will keep her safe.

 

[ktlynn]

Not yet. Her owner doesn't believe in it. So I will sneak her off to the vet when he's out of town. 

Wait a minute, this isn't your kitten?   What's the story here?

 

[chrisso]

Chrisso - please take the collar off your kitten now.   She is only 4 months old and will do a lot of growing in the months ahead.  If she were to become lost and was able to survive, the collar would get tighter around her neck as she grew bigger.   Collars can get caught on fences, shrubs and tree branches and can choke a cat or kitten, or trap them where it got snagged.  Instead, get her microchipped when she goes to be spayed.

Window screens are an important first step and it was smart for you to do that.  But rather than trying to get her to go outside, why not work on just keeping her from running out the door?   Teach her to "stay" and "come".    She should know her name and come to you when you call her.  There may be a time when obeying these commands will save her life.  You can train her not to go near the front door if everytime she comes within a yard of it she hears you blow a whistle, or shake an empty soda can with coins in it, or any other loud noise that will scare her.   You need to be consistent and have patience.   It would help if you could get your housemates on board.  And until you're 100% sure she's trained to stay inside, put her in your room when you can't watch her.  There's a ton of info available that will help you train her. With such a young kitten, you have the perfect opportunity to teach her the commands and behavior that will keep her safe.

Best option is stopping her from going outside I agree. My cat physiology knowledge is poor so I thought taking the mystery away from 'ze OUTSIDE' would make her less escapable. You guys know more than me, so won't be doing that again!

Other people living in this house are incapable of keeping tight security on doors so she sometimes escapes without anyone noticing. IF I could pound it into their heads that it's important to keep a young kitten off the streets I would.  

Thanks for the tips about 'stay' 'come', I had always assumed cats were too strong willed to be trained. Currently using ham or throwing a toy in the house to get her in, but if I could get her to do it on command even better. Will def. give the whistle/shaky cans a go. Have trained Labrador pups in the past so I'm pretty good at patience. 

I have taken the collar off. Thanks for warning me! It's a very stretchy, loose one that breaks easily. I just wanted her to get used to it while young, but micro chipping sounds the way to go. 

 

[chrisso]

Wait a minute, this isn't your kitten?   What's the story here?

I share a house. The other housemates got a kitten. They've had cats their entire lives and won't be told how to care for it. Very difficult thing to approach when two very different values and it being their 'property'

I'm a huge fan of animals and can't live comfortably in a house where there's one not being looked after properly. Unfortunately this is the situation for now (and fortunately for mouzer) 

Thanks for all the help and feedback guys.

 

[chrisso]

OR LESS.  I have a friend whose 4-month old kitten came into heat.  She's an indoor cat but if she was allowed out she'd be a pregnant cat by now.

That's amazing and kind of frightening too. Wouldn't it be dangerous for such a young cat to go through a pregnancy? 

No big cats become fertile that early I didn't think. I need to do some more research on cats. Did they come from a common ancestor like the ocelot or something?

 

[arlyn]

Domestic cats' are descendants of the African Wildcat

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_wildcat