How to Kill Your Cat
And How to Protect Her
When I was growing up we always had cats. They were never spayed or neutered, and they were allowed to roam. As a result, we always had litters of kittens around, and eventually the cats would disappear, never to be seen again. They all had short lives.
As an adult, I continued allowing the cats in my life to wander on their own because I shared a common misconception that it was cruel to keep cats indoors. I was wrong.
I have four cats now. Three of them like to go outdoors, and I let them, but I've learned my lesson after all these years and seeing too many lost cats. Now I walk with them. My fourth cat is not at all interested in the outdoor life and is quite content to remain indoors, which is not unusual.
It's a bad idea to let domesticated cats roam. It may seem like they can take care of themselves, but they often get into serious trouble. There are a lot of dangers out there for a cat: coyotes, raptors, vehicles, dogs, snakes, pregnancy if not spayed, diseases like plague and rabies, poisons, and bad people, to name just a few.
It is not a kindness to allow your cat to wander outdoors; neither is it cruel to keep her indoors. If you don't have the time to walk with your cat, consider buying an outdoor tunnel for her to play in, or setting up an outdoor cage. And it's not at all hard to keep your cat entertained indoors, with a selection of toys or with a companion cat or dog.
Many people believe that their cats are wild creatures, but the truth is that selective breeding has taken most of the wild out of them. They no longer have the physical ability to make it on their own and protect themselves like true wild cats. Even feral cats have trouble surviving for very long. Don't allow your cat to end up dead in some stranger's yard, like the unfortunate cat I found this morning, because you happen to believe the myth that cats won't be happy unless they are free to wander.
Published by Barbara Joan Baxter
Barbara Joan is a freelance writer/editor/publisher/webhead and the proud guardian of ten dogs and cats. Books of poems and a memoir are in the works. View profile
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6 Comments
Post a Commentdracass, I've certainly got your panties in a bind! lol Hypocricy (sic)? I think not. Keeping a cat in "confinement" is a far meow from keeping a chicken or veal calf or dairy cow in confinement. In factory farming, confinement means a small stall or cage that doesn't allow for walking, flying or much of any normal natural movement, and the whole setup is based on corporate greed (the more enslaved animals, the more profit). A pet cat in confinement has the run of the house, and you're restricting her for her own protection (but there's nothing to stop you from letting her outside in a protected area or walking outdoors with her, as I do). Not many veal calves have that privilege. Nice try, but bad analogy, bruce.
Isn't keeping your cats in confinement cruel, as you say farmers are, do you see your hypocricy. Whats the diff. if a cat is in a house or an animal is in a barn????
Hi Nick, I assume it's me you're referring to as a "moron", TYVM, but clearly you misunderstand. I'm a big believer in spay/neuter--all my pets are "fixed"--but when I was a kid back in the 50s, spay/neuter was something virtually unknown, unfortunately. Anyway, you're meowing up the wrong tree, m'dear!
start fixing your cats you moron.
Thank you. My cats have gotten so used to my walking with them that when any of them get out accidentally, which happens every so often, I know they won't be far away and I always find them, hanging out near the house. So I guess I've trained them to stick around. But I still would not be comfortable letting them roam on their own. Too many dangers out there.
Very informative article! I try to keep my cats indoors mostly. The younger one was always outside as a kitten (before we had him) and gets out sometimes...I tell him not to cross the street or anything, but he rarely listens.