When Can Kittens Go Outside On Their Own
This gives them time to have all their vaccinations and they ll be almost fully grown.
When can kittens go outside on their own. While many cats live healthy happy lives as indoor pets there are also benefits to letting your kitten outdoors. It s unlikely you ll take ownership of your cat much before then anyway since a kitten should be with its mother until it s at least eight weeks old ideally 12 13 weeks. If you re going to use a cat flap have a look at our cat flap tips. That s when they re around 13 14 weeks old.
Kittens need to be at least five months old before they go outside on their own. Go outside with your cat. Keep your kitten safe inside until at least a week after finishing the first course of vaccinations at 13 to 14 weeks old depending on the vaccine. It s best to let him out just before mealtime so you can use your recall to call your kitten indoors and reward with tasty food or playtime.
It s not safe for a kitten to venture outside until at least a week after their initial vaccinations. Choose a dry day and a quiet time and accompany your kitten outside allowing them to explore their new environment. Adult cats will need at least two weeks to settle in so they have a chance to get used to their new surroundings. Start taking your cat out a little at a time.
Once your kitten has spent time with you in the garden and seems confident you can leave them outside for 30 60 minutes. You may be tempted to let your cat outside as soon as possible but generally it s best to allow at least 2 3 weeks and up to 4 6 weeks after you first take them home. By this age the kitten is already familiar with your home and will be able to track their way back after their adventure. Make sure your kitten s access back into the house is easy for the first few trips.
How long you leave it before letting your cat outside depends on the cat s personality and how quickly they settle. You can start to slowly introduce your kitten to the outside once his recall is in place for short supervised sessions always keeping your kitten in sight. At this early stage don t introduce the cat flap. You can either do this with or without a cat harness.
They need to get used to the garden its smells its borders and also the route back in again. When to let your kitten go outside. Kittens can become sexually mature at a very young age sometimes as young as four to five months old.