When to leave a kitten roam the house at night

[Dznypal]

We’ve been letting our almost 3 month old kitten roam the house when we’re gone for a few hrs at a time. So far it’s been working out fine. She’s been good
Now the next big step is to let her roam while we’re sleeping.
I’d like keep her out of the basement since there’s to many nooks and grannies she could get stuck in since we don’t have a door we put up a pet gate only problem is there’s a litter pan down there. There are 2 others in the house though. We have a 7 yr old cat. She’s not to thrilled with the little one but she’s doing good also
So I guess what I’d really like to know is at what age for a kitten to roam the horse at night.
At night is when the older cat curls up and sleep with us and im
Sort of afraid she’ll feel pushed out
Thanks for any advice

 

[Disneyland1084]

It's been almost 30 years since I had kittens. Two females from the same litter. From day one we let them roam the house anytime day or night, but we didn't have other pets. They were VERY active during the day and sometimes at night we would hear them play. They would often go in my parents bed at night. Why don't you try letting her roam at night and see how she does? Do you think your older cat would mind if she slept on the bed too? See how it goes and take it from there. ...This is a little off subject, but as my cats got older, one of them spent most of her time outside, sometimes all day and night. One night a neighbor across the street walked into his kitchen at 3 am in the morning, saw my cat and screamed,lol. She was very nosey. Not surprising we lost her at 8 years presumably to a coyote.

 

[QueenIsabella]

I think you're over-thinking it! I mean that in the best way--you want to do what's right, I get that. She'll be fine.

Our twins are now 6 months old--we let them roam at ~12 weeks, once we were confident they could manage. It was funny--we had a ~6ft, mesh enclosure that we kept them in at first (they were found abandoned at 4 weeks old). Maui (boy) got neutered on 10/1, so we re-set up the enclosure, thinking that he could recover there, separate from his sister, but still see her. Well, it didn't work--we were so worried he'd hurt himself, trying to get out to be with Pele, that we relented and opened it up. But then, all the cats loved playing in/around the enclosure so much, we kept it up for a week as a play area. So--go figure!

P. S. Pele gets neutered on 11/5--the vet just wanted to do Maui first, to avoid developing bad habits (spraying, roaming, etc.)

 

[bjscheel]

Our kittens are about 6 months and they have run of the house all day but they're shut in the porch at night indefinitely and they don't complain. We have a 10yo male in the house and it gives him a break from them. And us too! Before the big guy became the only one left, he and his bonded buddy were on the porch at nights for 9 years and they never minded it. They would request to be put on the porch. And our old lady had the house to herself overnight.

Also the vet said they're supposed to be on kitten food for a year and it's hard to keep separate because he likes the kitten food and they like the adult food so at least I know they'll at least have only kitten food overnight.

 

[tvguy]

Every kitten we have had over the years and free roam of the house at night from day one. All, however, preferred sleeping on our bed, from day one.

 

[QueenIsabella]

Our kittens are about 6 months and they have run of the house all day but they're shut in the porch at night indefinitely and they don't complain. We have a 10yo male in the house and it gives him a break from them. And us too! Before the big guy became the only one left, he and his bonded buddy were on the porch at nights for 9 years and they never minded it. They would request to be put on the porch. And our old lady had the house to herself overnight.

Also the vet said they're supposed to be on kitten food for a year and it's hard to keep separate because he likes the kitten food and they like the adult food so at least I know they'll at least have only kitten food overnight.

While we still feed our little two kitten pate, we stopped buying the kitten kibble. The adult cats would eat the kitten kibble, and the kittens would eat the adult food! Worse, Big Fat Loki needs the extra calories like he needs a hole in the head! It's less of an issue for the delicate and obnoxious Florence. We feed the pate to them directly, feeding Loki regular cat pate (fish-free, since Florence is allergic), separately from the kittens.

 

[Dznypal]

Queenisableea. I like the names of your cats. We were just in Hawai’i last year and did a dolphin swim 1 of the 3 dolphins was named pele. Only we we’re on the big island
Thanks all for the sound advice

 

[sam_gordon]

If you're willing to let her roam the house for hours during the day, why are you treating night time differently?

 

[AppleDumpling]

If you're willing to let her roam the house for hours during the day, why are you treating night time differently?

I agree. What’s the difference if you’re out of the house vs. being asleep?

I wouldn’t block access to the litter box overnight. Either let her go into the basement, move the box upstairs, or put another one where she can get to it. It’s funny, when we had a kitten years ago, the vet told us to confine him to a small area at first. We kept him in a basement playroom where the litter box also was. It only lasted a few days because he would be crying loudly each morning to be let out.

In your case, the other cats are going to have to get used to the new one (and vice versa), so I’d say just do it now. I wouldn’t worry so much; they’ll all adjust accordingly, and will likely be fine.

 

[Dznypal]

In answer to some questions
we do have 2 litter pans one is in the room where the kitty sleeps and the other is in the basement
which has alot of nooks and crannies she could get lost or hurt in
also as far as the basement goes we have a pet gate up so she cant go down there yet but having her in her room at night gives our older cat asscess to the basement like she always had
also we live in a condo and our unit unfortunately has the main sprinkler system for our building
its behind curtains so you can see it but that doesnt stop kitty from going back there
and shes so small and wirery that Im sure she could figure out how to get back there we do have it somewhat blocked off
also bed time has always been Belles time with me she stretches on the side of the bed and then jumps up and curls up next to me and I dont want her to feel shes being replaced and like to keep her bedtime routine the same for a while
and actually Enchanted likes her room she usually goes to eat a bit or shell go right into her little bed and she never wakes us in the morning to come and get her

 

[QueenIsabella]

Queenisableea. I like the names of your cats. We were just in Hawai’i last year and did a dolphin swim 1 of the 3 dolphins was named pele. Only we we’re on the big island
Thanks all for the sound advice

We've been to various islands at different times. Maui's my favorite, but one son prefers the Big Island, the other prefers Oahu. My daughters prefer Maui, as well--last6 time we were there, they got to see turtles at the whale sanctuary, and a competition pod of humpback whales. The islands are so beautiful! And we needed names that would go together, like peanut butter and jelly or Ben and Jerry.

My problem is, I have (I think) 4 Maui shirts, and no Pele shirts (since she's specific to the Big Island--Maui is actually a figure throughout Polynesian culture). I need a Pele shirt, she thinks I'm playing favorites!