What to Consider Before Letting Go Cat Outside for the First Time

Letting go a cat outside is not an easy decision. That is particularly true if we have a young kitten that wants to explore the world with no experience about it. We need to introduce an outer world to him gradually and help him to enjoy it safely. To do so, feline experts advise us to choose a day with a good weather and accompany the kitten during his trip into unknown. If the kitten is too young (less than 14 weeks), they do not recommend letting him go outside. Namely, in this period, the kitten is still vulnerable to infection and letting him go can impose him to a greater risk. The best way regarding his safety is to vaccinate kitten and wait 14 weeks until his immune system grows stronger. The very sensitive period in kitten’s and cat’s life is adoption. Namely, when they move into another home, they need some time to adapt to a new environment. There is a huge risk of letting a cat go outside before he/ she does not completely adopt. Some cats walk away and do not return. Feline experts recommend four-week-period when the cat should be kept indoor. This period will ensure that the cat is acclimatised to a new environment, and will find his/her way home after an outdoor adventure. To learn more on what to consider before letting go the cat outside for the first time, the article “Outside Cats” give us the following tips.

When you first let the cat out ensure that he is hungry and will therefore be more likely to want to return home for its next meal when you make the call that he has become accustomed to.

Ensure that the garden and household is quiet. For example if you decide to let him into the garden when you have a busy family barbeque planned, the experience might be stressful and is not likely to be successful.

Feel free to accompany him out into the garden, leaving the back door open, (especially if it is a nervous cat), so the cat knows it can run back indoors if it needs or wants to.

When you need to get the cat’s attention, go into the garden, call his name and the phrase you have associated with feeding and rattle a tin of something tasty. When the cat comes into the home, reward the cat with a tasty treat.

Before you let your cat outside it is advisable to ensure that there is a means of identifying the cat as yours should it get lost.

Regarding kittens, we need to allow them six months of exploring the world around them with supervision, before we let them go independently. Experts also suggest going on step at a time. Our garden can be a risky place and should be kept safe for kittens. Any lapse can be life threatening for our furry little friend. To ensure long and healthy life for our amazing pets, we need to take care of their safety and at the same time, let them express their true nature by showing them the world. It is surprising how well and quick the cat will adapt and express their most natural way of functioning in nature.