Keeping your kitten close to home
Cats with access to the great
outdoors enjoy lots of fun experiences but they also face risks
too: traffic, dogs, other cats, picking up
fleas or contracting nasty
diseases…the list is endless. Understandably it can
be a nerve racking experience to finally allow your cat to step
into the wide world. Luckily, there are things you can do to
help keep your cat safe.
When?
Kittens should not be allowed
outside to mix with other cats until they are vaccinated. It is
also much better to have your cat
neutered before letting it have free access outdoors. Male
cats that are not neutered tend to wander over a much wider
area and get into fights with other male cats. This commonly
results in cat bite abscesses developing and can even cause
your cat to contract a viral disease. By the time a cat has
completed a course of vaccinations and been neutered, he or she
will be around 6 months of age and much more capable of looking
after themselves.
Timing
It is far better to let your cat
outdoors in the morning, rather than at night, when they are
more likely to be involved in a road accident because of poor
visibility. Ideally adopt scheduled meal times, rather than
allowing free access to food, for some weeks before allowing
your cat outside and let your cat out shortly before feeding
time. Hunger will encourage your cat back at meal times. You
can also train your cat by using a sound - such as a bell,
clicker or jangling keys before offering meals or food
based treats. Making that sound tells your pet that you are in
the vicinity with a food based reward. Simply shaking the food
bag may result in lots of cats coming running! Leaving food
outdoors can work but does not always help as it can attract
neighbouring cats that your own cat might be afraid of, further
reducing the chances of them coming home.
Precautions
A
collar with a bell will significantly reduce your cat's
success in capturing small birds and can help you hear when
your cat is in the area.
Micro-chipping will enhance the likelihood of your cat
being returned to you if found there are a number of
organisations that will register your contact details and give
you a coded pet tag to place on the cat's collar. This is not
just a visible means of identification; it can also be a more
secure way of protecting your contact details. Some cat owners
using address marked pet tags have been lured to a spot by a
person who claims to have found their cat, only to return and
find their home has been burgled.
Flagging up the boundaries of
your home and garden with cat scents from home can also help
attract your cat back: a bit of bedding, hair or the contents
of the
litter tray can all be used in an emergency when your cat
has been away for too long.
High Risk Situations
Moving house can be a stressful
time and the last thing you want is to lose your cat too. Keep
your cat indoors for at least 2 weeks before allowing outdoor
access at the new house and consider using a plug-in pheromone
diffuser to encourage your cat to feel secure and relaxed in
the new home. Last but not least, always keep an up to date
photo of your cat to use in posters and so on if he or she is
lost.