If you think it’s cruel to keep your cat indoors, think again. Cats who are let outside are faced with a multitude of risks and more likely to die prematurely than those kept inside. Rather than letting your cat fend for herself on a daily basis, make her part of your family inside. As a responsible pet owner, it is your duty to provide your pet with the proper love and care all pets deserve.
Risks Faced By Outdoor Cats On A Daily Basis...
- Being hit by a car
- Ingesting deadly poison such as antifreeze or a pesticide
- Becoming trapped by an unhappy neighbor
- Being attacked by a roaming dog, cat or wild animal
- Contracting a disease from another animal
- Becoming lost and unable to find her way home
- Being stolen
- Encountering a child or adult with cruel intentions
The best way to prevent these risks is by keeping your cat safe and sound in your home.
All pets, including cats, should be kept indoors and always be supervised when outdoors. Cat fences may keep your cat from escaping, but they do not prevent other animals from entering your yard and harming your cat.
There are alternative solutions to all problems faced by pet owners that do not entail letting your pet run loose outside. If your cat refuses to use a litter box, there are training methods that can help correct the situation. If you’re going through life changes that prohibit you keeping your pet, such as allergies, pregnancy, or moving, take your cat to a local animal shelter or another place where she will be properly cared for rather than letting her fend for herself outside.
If you are worried about denying your cat the experience of the great outdoors, there are many ways to satisfy her curiosity while keeping her safe indoors. For more information about this topic, please see our Cat Enrichment article.
Make sure your cat is wearing a collar and proper identification at all times and/or is microchipped. Doing so will make it much easier to locate your cat if she was ever to escape.
Be sure to spay or neuter your cat.
If you would like information from an Anti-Cruelty Behavior Specialist regarding this behavior topic, please call 312-645-8253 or email behavior@anticruelty.org.