When is the best time to allow a kitten to play outside?

Having a new kitten at home is simply delightful!

They are so entertaining, loving, and fun to be around!

But sooner or later, your thoughts will turn to how they may broaden their wings and start living life to the fullest.

There are a few things to think about before allowing them to go out into the world freely.

When can a kitten go outside?

If you’re thinking about allowing your cat to go outside then the first thing that you should know is that it’s not something that can be done immediately and without preparation and precautions.

Does your cat respond to its cat name? If you need to find them, will it be easy for them to come or appear when being called?

You can simply give them the pet cat names!

Some people make the mistake of letting their cats out before they are old enough to take care of themselves.

They do this because they want their cats to have more freedom outside or because they are not planning on having them for much longer.

If you’re looking into the best time to let a kitten go outside then there are some things to look at before deciding if it’s the right thing for you and your cat. Cats are very sensitive and in case of discomfort, they might not hesitate to run away. That’s why it is very important to take care of the safety of your furry friend and use all ways of protection like ID tags, microchipping, or GPS trackers.

You can secure your cat with a GPS tracker and always receive information about their location. You can even set up “safe zones” and receive immediate alerts as soon as the pet leaves the zone.

How old should a kitten be before going outside?

There is no exact age at which a cat becomes old enough to go outside, but there are a couple of things you should keep in mind.

One thing that’s very important is the safety element – it would be really sad if your cat was seriously hurt because they were out on their own before they were ready, and this could even cause medical expenses if they were to need veterinary care.

If you’re only keeping the cat until another more suitable home can be found for them then it might not be worth worrying about this point so much, but otherwise, you should definitely consider it.

You should know when your cats are fully grown!

Another thing to think about is their general readiness to deal with outside situations.

Although your kitten may very happily jump up onto the windowsill every time they are let out, this doesn’t mean that they are ready to be outside without you there.

They have not had much experience of the world yet, so it’s possible that they could get frightened or overwhelmed if something happens while playing outdoors.

You should look at your cat’s personality before deciding whether they’re ready or not.

Possible problems for a kitten that’s too young to be outside

In general, the outdoors is much harder for cats than people think.

It can be hard to protect them from all of these things because they don’t always obey us in the same way that a dog might and so it can be very difficult to keep an eye on them every minute of the day.

An outdoor cat has many dangers to face such as:

• Cars and other vehicles – often this could mean death or a very expensive visit to the vet for treatment.

• Wild animals – there are a lot of wild animals that would see your poor little kitten as an easy meal if they had the chance, so you need to keep them away from these areas.

• Unpleasant weather – if the weather gets bad then this could be really inconvenient for you as well as dangerous for your cat (a loss of heat, hypothermia).

• Diseases and parasites – it can be extremely hard to make sure that they are protected against all of the diseases and parasites that they could catch, and this might mean regular trips to the vet for treatment.

• Poisonous plants – there are so many poisonous plants out there such as foxglove and buttercup which can be really dangerous to your cat if they eat them.

• Unpleasant people – you never know if someone is going to try and attack them, and if they do then it would be very difficult for your cat to defend themselves against this.

In general, the more experience that your kitten has of being outside before you let them go on their own, the better.

If you don’t have a garden where they can stay while you’re out of the house then it’s probably best to confine them to one room with some toys and litter, but make sure that you open the windows so they can get outside when they want.

How much freedom are you going to give your kitten?

You might be wondering if it is possible to give your cat some freedom when you are out of the house but still keep them safe. There are a few ways that you can do this, for example:

• You could let them out into a designated area in your garden where they cannot escape from.

• If you have a large enough garden you could fence off an area where they can play.

• You could put some cat enclosures outside on your gardens such as a large aviary or outdoor cat run that would allow them to go outside whenever they want, but not leave the boundaries of your property.

Summery

It’s important to understand that letting your cat go outside is something that should not be done until they are fully ready for this.

It’s much easier for them if they have had several months of practice before you allow them to roam free, both in terms of dangers and general readiness to deal with the outside world.

You also need to make sure that you do all of the things that are necessary to protect them and make sure that they don’t get into trouble.

Once this is done then they should be able to enjoy their time outside – it would be a good idea to buy them some toys or take them somewhere interesting such as a local park.