Keep Your Cats Indoors

Most vets and experienced cat owners will tell you to keep your cats indoors, all the time, for more reasons than one. Fleas, tics, tapeworm and other parasites that are easily picked up outside are probably the least of all dangers. Depending on where you live, wild animals, cars, or stray dogs can be a threat.

It seems we all know these reasons. Yet, time and again I encounter heartbroken cat owners whose kitty has been run over by a car, killed by a stray dog, or beaten to death by some sick individual (which happens more often than you might think, and those sick individuals actually prefer murdering someone's pet, not a stray, because somebody loves that pet). Why did it happen? The answer is usually the same: because the pet was outside.

And why was it outside? I'm not talking about barn cats. I'm talking about those loved and kissed and considered family members. "Oh, but I let him/her out just for a few minutes..." A few minutes can be enough. "But I don't have the heart to keep them locked up!" Do you have the heart to see them hurt? Tortured? Killed? Do an Internet search on "animal cruelty" and read some of the stories, they will make your hair rise. In fact, browsing one such website is what made me write this article. You don't have to have some crazy enemy and receive threats in order to lose your pet in a horrible way. A young woman from England didn't; she'd just come home and found her cat, a beloved companion of several years, hung in the stairway of her apartment building. The devastated owner commented that the cat was too friendly, too trusting for her own good... As much as I feel for the poor woman, one question won't leave my mind: Why in the hell was the cat not IN the apartment?? Especially one that was known to be so trusting?? Especially with the owner away??

The notion that the cat somehow "suffers" from staying indoors is wrong. A healthy neutered cat living in a clean home will remain healthy and content. All cats I have dealt with, and I have dealt with a lot, were happy enough to look outside through the window. Even former strays used to roaming the streets quickly adjust and lose the desire to do so. Of course, if you open the door, they will go out - cats are curious creatures who like to explore - but that does not mean they have to spend some time outside.

So please - please, do not expose your little friends to unnecessary risks. Your love and the safety of your home is all they need.