The best age for letting a cat outside

[arlyn]

Originally Posted by othie

Is this really the best Idea? I live in a country area (we have cows and goats a few houses over and lamas on the other side of the town) and we have always let our cats out (well aside from when they are sick or there are fireworks going on) It always seemed cruel not to. They just sit at the door and cry until we let them out...The reason I ask is that I'm about to move to a more suburb area, and tomorrow I'm getting a new cat (I'm moving in a month) It shouldn't be that hard to teach him not to go out....if I never have. But don't they miss it? I always thought it was natural for them....

No they do not miss it.
You just have to be sure there is lots of enrichment and mental stimulation for them inside.

My 14 year old has never wanted outside.
She'll go outside with me once in a while and follow me around the yard, but as soon as I head for the door, she beats me to it.

As long as they have plenty of choice napping spots, a nice large window to look out/sun in, and lots of things to keep them entertained, they do just fine.

 

[othie]

Originally Posted by Arlyn

No they do not miss it.
You just have to be sure there is lots of enrichment and mental stimulation for them inside.

My 14 year old has never wanted outside.
She'll go outside with me once in a while and follow me around the yard, but as soon as I head for the door, she beats me to it.

As long as they have plenty of choice napping spots, a nice large window to look out/sun in, and lots of things to keep them entertained, they do just fine.

thanks, I think I will try it. I dont have alot of room in the new place (I'm renting a room (well two, also have a study) while in college up there, but the owner is my friend and she also has a cat, so I'm srue she won't mind me letting this cat roam the house after the old cat gets used to him. There have been alot of cases of cats getting worms up there for some reason, so its one thing I wont have to worry about.

 

[yayi]

Originally Posted by Siren

Hi..im a new member so greetings!
if someone could give me some info on whens the best time to let him start roaming around outdoors that would be great

Hi Siren!

Once your cat reaches sexual maturity he will start wanting to go out and stay out.

So have him neutered and you will have better success with him coming home whenever you call him.
I am one of the few here with indoor/outdoor cats and happy to be one. They are all fixed, healthy and quite a bunch of very contented felines.

 

[kernil]

I also am one of the veeery few people on here who endorse indoor/outdoor cats. The way I draw the line is the location of your home->downtown city area is a definite no-no for me, but a more secluded acreage is a yes. But, it sounds like you have about as ideal of a community as you can get in a city for an indoor/outdoor cat, so I agree with your choice, and that you want to make sure kitty is safe as he can be before letting him out.

The first thing I would do is neuter your cat before you even think about letting him out. I did this with my little boy Zorro, and it has saved tons of stress and worry. I also believe neutering cuts down on the wanderings, as they don't have the instinct to look for a mate. So, I would say talking to your vet and having it done the earliest he is willing to do.

Second, I would make sure he is absolutely 100% trained to come when you call-no matter what. Some people say it is impossible for cats, but I do it with every single one of my cats, and now, no matter what time it is or what their doing at the time, or how far away they have managed to wander while hunting, all I have to do is call their name a couple times, give a loud whistle, and they come running. You can start doing this in your house with a bag of treats-every so often call his name and give a short whistle, and if he comes, give him a couple treats and praise and coddle him to the best of your abilities, so he understands beyond any doubt that is what you wanted. If he ignores you, give the treat bag a little shake, that usually makes them come running. Do this all the time, at random times throughout the day-even at feeding times, where instead of a treat you give him his bowl of food. Once he never(or very rarely) hesitates when you call him, start very slowly phasing out the treats. Never phase them out completely though, as you still need the enthusiastic response

Once you are done with the training, and he has been neutered for a while, start letting him out for short periods of time, while you are outdoors acting as support, and a protector, wince strays usually wont come near you, but they will definitely come near him. Always keep reinforcing the come-when-i-call rule of thumb. I would wait until he is 8-12 months, depending on his size/how well he comes when you call him. Just remember it is not a very good idea at all for your cat to be outdoors when night falls-that is when the nighttime creatures start coming out, and that is when you have to be concerned about losing him.

Good luck with the little one

 

[sharky]

I have always done indoor / outdoor also ...

I usually get babies that are already "fixed" but I keep them in for at least 6 months after they come to my home... while they are in they are trained to come to their name and follow basic commands

 

[jen]

I think he is still a little young yet. He must at least be neutered first. He will go out looking for fights and urine marking all over the place if he isn't neutered. Not only is it a greater health risk (FeLV and FIV) if he isn't neutered, but its just rude to let him spray other peoples homes and bushes and mailboxes and everything else.

You can neuter him asap but I know some vets like to wait until 6 months. As soon as the vet will do it you can neuter him, make sure he has all his vaccines, rabies if that is an issue in your country, and I would even have him vaccinated for FeLV just in case. I don't usually recommend that but in your case I would.

Then slowly open the door and let him out on his own. I would wait until he starts to ask to go out specifically. Don't put him out and also if he shows no interested in going out the door don't force him. Some cats just want nothing to do with it. I have one that will destroy things to get out and another that won't go near the door.

 

[angryrectangle]

I think letting your kitty outside is a perfectly fine idea. I'm hoping you either live rurally or in a quiet residencial area, and not somewhere surrounded by busy streets.

I would let him out IMMEDIATELY under supervision until you think he's old and smart enough to fend for himself. I think it's even getting to be too late!

The older the cat is the more accustomed he'll get to being an indoor cat, so it's important he learns the dangers of outside when he's young.

Let him out for short periods of time, each time letting him go a bit further and stay out a bit longer until he's old enough to run off on his own.

 

[angryrectangle]

I also wanted to mention I think the reason alot of outdoor cats get hit by cars is because they're let out too late, and are full adjusted to being indoor cats first.