When Can My Kitten Go Outside

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.

When can my kitten go outside. Your cat may prefer to just lie around outdoors on his leash as does our jaspurr pictured above who is a beginner in leash etiquette although jaspurr is at the belly walking stage he eventually will progress to walking with us. My cat s always been allowed outside so he can t be indoor only. Many cats have successfully gone from outdoor only or indoor outdoor to indoor only. Laura emge mosoriak dvm owner of kingstowne cat clinic alexandria virginia.

Ideally cats should be six months of age before they are allowed outside unsupervised. It s not safe for a kitten to venture outside until at least a week after their initial vaccinations. This gives them time to mature and also to be neutered. Start bringing the kittens outside when they re four weeks old.

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 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. When they re forced to stay indoors they may start to eliminate outside the box due to anxiety become irritable or overgroom themselves says dr. It is best not to leave your kitten outside alone until it is 6 months old and it is essential that it is neutered from 4 months of age before allowing it unsupervised access.

By this age the kitten is already familiar with your home and will be able to track their way back after their adventure. If you have adopted an adult cat you probably will have been advised to keep it in for 2 3 weeks to settle into its new home. Most kittens are prepared to leave the house and to explore the outside world at six months old. As the kitten grows older the time outdoors can be increased until the kitten becomes independent and has learnt his recall down to a tee.

That s when they re around 13 14 weeks old. There are some cats that have lived outside. Four months old is the earliest kittens can be neutered.