Should this kitten be outside?

[Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 746
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Hi

I have two cats over a year old who are both house cats as I worry about them being catnapped, run over etc.

A neighbour of ours has had a kitten that has been found outside on halloween night, a couple of nights after and this morning it was outside again. It is only very tiny and I am really am worried it is going to wander off and get lost or run over.

We have been told by other neighbours it escapes out of a window but I think it is being deliberately let out to be with the other cats who are all a lot older.

I am not sure what to do really. Is this too young for a kitten to be outside especially in the cold or is this ok? I really dont know as my two don't go outside.

Comments

  • stud u likestud u like Posts: 42,100
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    If it is happy to be out then let it be.
    Kittens do not get lost, they use scent markers.
    Depending on how you bring them up cats don't get run over.
    I have not heard of catnapping.
    If it is not happy then do something.
    It can be argued that it should have its jabs and its neutering done first.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 746
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    If it is happy to be out then let it be.
    Kittens do not get lost, they use scent markers.
    Depending on how you bring them up cats don't get run over.
    I have not heard of catnapping.
    If it is not happy then do something.
    It can be argued that it should have its jabs and its neutering done first.

    Ok thanks for the advice. I mentioned catnapping as it has been going on a lot around where I live over the last couple of years and in one street in particular where many cats have disappeared never to be seen again.
  • stud u likestud u like Posts: 42,100
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    bondgirl1 wrote: »
    Ok thanks for the advice. I mentioned catnapping as it has been going on a lot around where I live over the last couple of years and in one street in particular where many cats have disappeared never to be seen again.

    Were they posh pussies? I guess the posh ones could be worth money if people are silly enough to pay 400 pounds for one.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 394
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    I agree with studulike, if it looks ok, i.e. fed, quite bright and active then don't worry about it cats like being outdoors! its following its natural instincts.
  • rosemaryrosemary Posts: 11,389
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    I think it depends on how old it is, and if its had its relevant vaccinations, also if it hasn't been neutred they could end up with a kitten having kittens, as happend to an old neighbour of mine's little kitten.

    We had a spate of catnapping here, it wasn't just posh pussies, it was moggies and few dogs too, rumour had it that they were being taken to an local place the bred animals for experiments :( (there wss lots of local outcry against it at the time) but as far as I am aware, those poor animals are bred in very sterile conditions and pets would be no use to them...so its still a mystery where they were going. Luckily it seems to have stopped now
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 394
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    rosemary wrote: »
    I think it depends on how old it is, and if its had its relevant vaccinations, also if it hasn't been neutred they could end up with a kitten having kittens, as happend to an old neighbour of mine's little kitten.

    We had a spate of catnapping here, it wasn't just posh pussies, it was moggies and few dogs too, rumour had it that they were being taken to an local place the bred animals for experiments :( (there wss lots of local outcry against it at the time) but as far as I am aware, those poor animals are bred in very sterile conditions and pets would be no use to them...so its still a mystery where they were going. Luckily it seems to have stopped now

    This rumour about pets being stolen for animal experiments is totally bogus... the labs like to use animals who are "clean" with genetic bloodlines that they can trace. They wont use animals from outside their breeding progammes.

    Sad to say the stolen moggies were probably used for fur :mad::mad::(
  • curmycurmy Posts: 4,723
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    If it's really tiny, and hasn't had it's vaccinations, it shouldn't be outside. especially at night.
  • LippincoteLippincote Posts: 7,131
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    Agree with curmy, the kitten should not be out if it has not had its vaccinations. And it should not be outside at a very young age anyway - kittens are very silly and likely to get into all sorts of trouble.

    But as it isn't your kitten, sadly I am not sure what you can do about it.
  • curmycurmy Posts: 4,723
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    It sounds to me as if the owners just can't be bothered to look after this kitten properly.

    If you find it out again late at night or very early by itself, I'd be tempted to either speak to the owners or hand it in to a cat rescue centre.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 746
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    Thanks for all the advice. I am not sure if it has been vaccinated. It was in our house the other night as my husand found it outside when he went out for a cigarette and we thought it had been abandoned or had escaped. We put it in our hall and it went straight to our cats bowls and started to eat and drink. we were going to keep it as we could not find out who it belonged to and there was no way we were putting it back out into the cold night.

    However we approcahed one of our neighbours who has cats and she recognised it as belonging to the young woman who lives next to her and took it back round to them even she said it has been found out at night a few times and she has taken it in until the owner is back.

    It is very tiny but it looks lively and happy enough. I will leave it for now and just make sure it is not outside if it is raining or very late at night etc.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 2,877
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    Strictly speaking they should be vaccinated before going out but when I had a litter of kittens (not me personally :-), their mother trained them to go out the catflap and she kept an eye on them. She had been vaccinated and fed the kittens until they were eighteen weeks so they got some immunity from her. We had them vaccinated when they were six months old and were neutered. Two are still going strong aged 8.5 (one died of kidney problems aged 4), and their mum who is less than a year older than them. We took her in as a stray.

    Our cats love being "free range", they have a lot of fun. I did have a rescued Persian who had been a house cat before coming to us and she absolutely adored having the run of the garden, would wander around sniffing everything, even snails, as if she was pleased to see other living creatures. She never went very far though, the others do visit other gardens. I don't like the idea of house cats.
  • LippincoteLippincote Posts: 7,131
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    I had a kitten (well, I've still got her, she's 8 now) whose mum took all her kittens out through the cat flap - that was fine because she looked after them brilliantly. Of course it made it a right pain when I took her at 13 weeks and she wanted to follow MY cats through the flap. I didn't let her out till she was neutered at 5 months (simply because I had had a cat runover recently and didn't trust such a young kitten with the road).
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