Letting our kitten out

[Trippingthelightfantastic]

We own a 14 week old kitten she's very bold and friendly and very interested in the outdoors. We got her at about 7 weeks old and she'd been out a lot before she arrived but obviously not since she's arrived with us. I am currently planing to keep her in till she's about 5-6 months old or even after she's been spayed is this reasonable?
Her mother who lives near by is a voracious hunter bringing even ducks in (the river is at the bottom of the garden) and she is already showing a very strong hunting instinct and she leaps and climbs everything. She really belongs to my teenage DS who absolutely adores her and her him, he has recently suffered a major bereavement and I worry that she'll go out and get hopelessly distracted by ducks rats birds etc and not come back. He would be devastated.

[itsnothingoriginal]

Our kitten has just been spayed at 5.5 months so we are just starting to think about letting her out. I'm similarly worried that she'll just run off and disappear as the kids are besotted with her.

Some people use a cat harness to introduce their cats to the outside - perhaps you could try this until you get her spayed?

[Fluffycloudland77]

Yes, it's fine to keep her in until after her stitches are out and the hormones have worn off.

It won't harm her.

[Trippingthelightfantastic]

It's such a worry.
We've tried a harness in the house the results were hilarious. We've had cats before but this one is completely nuts very friendly but also wild. It will be the middle of the winter before she goes out I'm sort of hoping the bad weather might encourage her to come home. Our other cat never goes out in the winter in fact he never moves off the bed but he was born a pensioner.

[catameringue]

Hi, I also tried a harness. Then kitten refused to walk in it and just flopped on the floor. Useless!

I have indoor cats who have access to an enclosed outdoor area. Keep the wildlife and the cats safe. Good luck!

[moonbells]

We let Moonkitten out quite early as we were going away when we'd had them 4 weeks (not the best planning), but the garden's small and totally enclosed in 6' fence and he can't jump over it (yet).

Hopefully by the time he gets enough elastic in his legs to escape he'll be big enough to stand his ground against the neighbourhood cats, and he'll be able to find his way home again.

[DidoTheDodo]

Didokitty went out (enclosed small back garden) from about 3 months old. For the first month or so she was only allowed out with an accompanying adult.

When first allowed out on her own we did it before meal times so she was a bit hungry - it encouraged her to come back!

Now at almost 6 months she can use the cat flap and has just begun to learn how to get from back garden to front, which is quite scary, even though we live quite a way from any roads.

She absolutely loves being outside, but comes back when I call (or if I'm feeling lazy bash the catflap!)