When To Let Your New Kitten Outside

Day one with your new kitten is very exciting but you ll want to be careful that you don t overwhelm it.

When to let your new kitten outside. Ensure there are areas of shade for them to shelter from the sun and provide an area of loose soil or sand to encourage them to go to the toilet outside. Show your kitten where their room is and let them explore by themselves. However before you allow your kitten free access outdoors. This will ensure that your kitten does not pick up any small illness that ends up making it very sick.

Even after they ve had their jabs it s best to keep your kitten indoors for the first two or three weeks. Four months old is the earliest kittens can be neutered. I d suggest starting with just a minute or two for a timid cat who has never had an outdoor experience. Let the kitten explore in the small room you have already set up or if you didn t have time to prepare for its arrival set up a safe room and sit on the floor while the kitten acclimates to it.

Ideally cats should be six months of age before they are allowed outside unsupervised. As well it is recommended that your kitten has a safety collar with a tag and your telephone number on it or is microchipped by a veterinarian before you let them. However carrying your cat is a great way to. Let your kitten out while they are hungry so that they have a good reason to return home.

If it s a large area and especially if you have dogs fence off or somehow enclose an area where they are free to explore without them dropping off a wall or getting snatched up in rover s jaws. You could then let it explore outside if it is supervised. Because of potential infection with diseases such as enteritis or cat flu your kitten should not be allowed outside until at least a week after it has finished its first course of vaccinations at about 13 14 weeks old depending on the vaccine. Keep your cat indoors for the first three weeks to give him time to settle in.

Mike s nose led gary on their walk and each outdoor expedition was a bit different than the last. Start bringing the kittens outside when they re four weeks old. Let them settle in. When a cat is introduced to a new home he will need to get used to the new sights and smells.

Check there are no other cats noisy children or other disruptions that might spook your kitten. He needs to feel safe in his new surroundings so that he will want to return once he s been let outside. Once it is fully vaccinated and has become used to living in your house you can start to let your kitten go outside a bit more. These explorations are best kept to a very short time 10 or 15 minutes as most cats will become too eager to jump down and explore on their own.

Use this time to ensure that your cat is vaccinated neutered and microchipped. Does your kitten need to be vaccinated or micro chipped before going outside. Choose a dry quiet day to let your kitten outside for the first time. You should also make sure your kitten seems confident enough in the house first as going outside can be a little daunting to begin with.

Since this age is also ideal for taming them interact with them outdoors so they aren t afraid of you. Be careful when leaving windows and doors open during this period. We would recommend letting your kitten out with supervised access to the outside once they re about 4 months old and have been neutered had all their vaccinations and are fully settled into your home. Leading up to their first outdoor encounter you might want to train.

Finally remember not to let your kitten outside until they ve been vaccinated. Leave a door slightly ajar so your kitten can come and go as they please. Your new arrival will soon let you know when they re ready to explore a little further.