When can my kitten go outside?

[moosmom]

I have 6 cats and the only one that goes outside is MooShoo, and only when he's on a harness or in his kitty stroller. The rest are strictly indoors. Please, keep your kitty indoors or on a harness when you do let him out.

But for your furbaby's safety, please keep him indoors.

[Karen]

If your kitten is young, you can train him to a leash and harness now, and he will associate it with "ooh, goody - when I wear this I get to go outside!" Has he been to the vet yet? A good general check-up, and any needed vaccinations (I don't know what's needed where you are) and the kitten should be good for supervised (on a long leash) trips outside! That way you are not only there to scare off any predators (certain hawks and owls regard a young kitten as "snack food"), but you can watch and make sure he doesn't pounce on and eat anything he shouldn't! Certain lizards have Hepatic Flukes that can then kill a kitten or dog who eats the lizard.

[kt_luvs_kitties]

All of mine are INDOOR ONLY! And may I say, I have NEVER had a kitty that went outside that lived more than 6 months. My dad did not believe in indoor kitties, until that last one that got killed at only 3 months. He never let his cats outside again.

I went on my own knowing that I would NEVER allow mine outdoors, too many dangers.

I sure hope you will change your decision, and good luck.

Welcome to Pet Talk.

[Randy_K]

The culture isn't so different in South Africa as it is the USA or Europe. I have friends in Jozi (Johannesburg for the non-saffies here!) who keep their Abyssinian cats indoors.

Any cat can be perfectly happy living an indoor-only life and South Africa has its own special hazards for a little cat not commonly found on other continents. They don't need to go out!

[Pawsitive Thinking]

From the other perspective (well, you knew I was gonna pipe up didn't you? )


My Brody is 3 and she has access to the outdoors whenever she wants.

My RB kitty Cally was 14 when she died from cancer - she was allowed out and my hubby's RB kitty Tweed lived until she was 18 - she was also allowed outside.

Maybe it all comes down to the nature of the cat and the dangers posed by the outdoor environment........

[Medusa]

Maybe it all comes down to the nature of the cat and the dangers posed by the outdoor environment........

I'd say that's very sensible. Perfect world: all of my cats would be indoor/outdoor. It's their nature to be outdoors and to roam. Most of my cats, though, are special needs, so to allow them outdoors is out of the question. My parents didn't have pets when growing up and, when I came along and would drag a cat home and say that it followed me , my parents insisted on it being indoor/outdoor. But we lived in the city and I don't need to tell you of the dangers. Even as an adult, my cats were indoor/outdoor. It wasn't until I began actively rescuing that I kept them indoors because of their special needs. I have several friends who were born and raised in S. Africa and they told me that it is not their culture to have cats in the house but that it is a personal decision. They were shocked when they saw that I had 4 (at that time) indoors. I guess that may sound a little confusing, considering my previous post, because I do believe that humans pose the most dangerous problem but not everyone believes the way I do. That doesn't mean they're wrong.