Why You Should Keep Your Indoor Cat Indoors

Mom came home from a recent cat show and commented that she still meets devoted cat parents who let their indoor household cats go outside unsupervised!

She hears lots of reasons why, ranging from “cats must go outside, it’s in their nature” to “my cat came from the backyard originally and she sleeps in the house, but likes to go outside and maybe doesn’t come home for a day or two.” Yikes! 

Mom would be a wreck with worry!

Without being judgmental, she tries to educate parents that today is a very different world than even 10-20 years ago and there is basically no region that is safe for free-roaming cats, from urban or suburban to rural, there are dangers everywhere.

Please consider the following.

What An Indoor Only Cat Misses:

• Being hit by a car

• Being stolen

• Being used as bait in dog fighting

• Fights with cats, dogs, skunks, foxes, coyotes, bears and raccoons

• Rain, snow, very hot or cold weather

• Being abused and tortured by strangers

• Gunshot wounds/BB guns

• Being sold to laboratories for testing

• Getting lost

• Infections/diseases

• Sickness

• FIV, FELV, FIP

• Injuries

• Animal traps

• Rat poisoning

• Antifreeze poisoning

• Rock salt burns

• Fleas, ticks and worms

• Getting collar caught

• Ringworm

• Unwanted pregnancy

• Hungry hawks

If you want to ensure that your cat lives a sustainable long life, then you must take a zero-tolerance position for INDOOR ONLY.

And if you want to provide an outdoor experience for your cat, it should only be at the end of a harness vest with the leash in your hand or in a screened-in porch also known as a Catio!