Hi everyone, I'm having a bit of a problem with my kitten.
Basically, she's four months old and I live in a flat. I could technically let her out, but with the railway line and a busy main road nearby, I'd rather not for her own safety.
Up until now she's been perfectly happy and didn't even go near the balcony when I opened the window. However, I took her to my parents' house for the Christmas break. They live in the countryside and have a big patio door and loads of windows. She's seen the neighbour's cats and plenty of birds.
Since then, she's only got one thing on her mind: getting outside!
She has everything she needs indoors and we give her constant attention.
While I was away, my mum took the initiative to buy her a harness and lead and took her for a walk on the patio.
Do you think it's a good idea to walk her on a lead in the garden? (Bearing in mind I have a garden at my place too, but I'm worried about what happens if I move somewhere without one later on?)
Translated from French
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Hi everyone, my little girl Cacahuète is nearly 6 months old and we live in a rural house of about 1,350 sq ft. She has a whale of a time because we’ve put up cat trees and loads of toys, and I’m home most of the day so I keep her company whenever the little madam isn't napping.
1. We have a window that looks out onto the street, but it’s about 8 feet up and she’s already jumped out twice! She’s totally fearless! But once she’s down there, she miaows really loudly and stays by the door (thankfully!). Because of this, I’m keeping the shutters closed until I get around to fitting a fly screen like someone suggested. On the other hand, with the kitchen window, which is much higher and overlooks a busy road, she doesn’t jump (though I’m sometimes terrified she might...).
2. Whenever we open the front door, she’s always right there and manages to slip through our legs to get out... she never runs off, she just stays by the door sniffing everything! But for the last few weeks, she’s been going down and miaowing to go out!! Little madam wants to go for a wander! I don’t know if she’ll calm down or if it’ll get even worse! What should I do? I thought an indoor cat who’s never been out wouldn’t try to leave the house!! I’ve read about getting a harness and lead? But I'd need to make sure she's had all her jabs first!!!
I have the option of taking her to my son’s house every now and then, BUT I was worried about doing that in case she gets a taste for the outdoors and is then miserable when we get back home!!!!
So, those are my little dilemmas... thanks for any advice on what I should or shouldn't do!
Isabel
I've got some very inquisitive cats myself, but I still wouldn't want to take them out on a lead. There's a real risk of frustration, isn't there? Some cats have a whale of a time outdoors and are happy to come back in, but others just get frustrated once they're back inside and will pester you all day long.
If I were you, I wouldn't take the risk and would just wait for the demanding to stop on its own. If your cat has everything she needs in the flat, there's no need to let her out...
Have you thought about cat-proofing your balcony, though? It could be lovely for your little girl to have a wander on the balcony and look outside, but it would need to be completely secure from top to bottom.
OK, thanks. I took her for a 15-minute walk earlier and she really enjoyed it. She’s already had her jabs for cat flu and enteritis, so we’ll see if this becomes a regular routine and if we need to look into any extra vaccinations.
Cats can spend hours staring out the window and chattering at birds, but they don’t always actually want to go out. Then again, they’re naturally curious, so if you let them, they’ll head off to see what’s going on outside. A harness is a brilliant idea if the outdoors isn’t secure.
Hi there,
Cats are actually very adaptable.
If you want to take her for walks on a lead and she’s happy to do so (which definitely isn't the case for all cats), then it’s not a bad idea at all. I used to walk my own cat on a lead whenever we went on holiday to the countryside.
Just don't forget to keep her vaccinations and worming treatments up to date. It’s also best to make sure she's protected against fleas. Even if the walks are only short, there's still a risk of her catching something.
When you move house, if you don't have a garden anymore, she might keep asking to go out for the first few weeks. However, once she realises that she isn't going out, she’ll eventually get used to being an indoor cat again (though that won't stop her from spending hours at the window watching the world go by!).
Have a lovely day,
Sophie
