Your Cat - INDOORS or OUTDOORS?

We strongly urge all cat owners to first consider making your new member of your family to be an indoor cat. Indoor cats can live to 17 years, while an outdoor cat has a life span of only 3-5 years. Cats who roam are constantly vulnerable to many dangers such as cars, animal attacks, accidental poisoning, disease, traps and parasites as well as becoming lost or stolen. Unaltered, outdoor companion cats have a 60% chance of becoming feral within three years. By protecting your cat, you show your love for your cat.

It is also important to realize that not everyone likes cats. Cat owners should not allow his or her cat to venture into neighboring yards uninvited. Every day that your cat roams free it faces the potential of human cruelty by getting shot, poisoned, stolen or being the victim of torture. Free-roaming house cats can be the source of frustration between neighbors where roaming cats may dig and defecate in gardens, stalk bird feeders and attack neighboring pets.

Another compelling argument to keep cats inside is for the environment. Today, birds and other wildlife face more obstacles to their survival than ever before. Habitats are destroyed and degraded and many species are in decline. And the presence of an unnatural predator (the domestic cat) is having an impact as well. Some estimates are that cats kill hundreds of millions of birds a year in the United States alone. Each wild animal suffers when captured by a cat. By letting our cats outside, we (perhaps without intent) place a higher value on the freedom of our pet than on the life of that chickadee or that squirrel that she kills. Even well fed cats kill wildlife because the urge to hunt and the urge to eat are controlled by different portions of the brain. ³Belled² cats learn to stalk silently and can kill as many birds as cats without a bell.

While it is much easier to confine a kitten to the indoors, all cats can make the transition from being an outdoor cat to an indoor cat with knowledge, time and patience.

Indoor cats need a stimulating environment for play and exercise, which should include access to window sills, toys, and comfortable sleep and perching spots. A bird feeder just outside a window will keep your cat entertained for hours. Make time to play with your cat every day. Paper bags and boxes can provide unending delight while you are away.

Screened porches, kennel structures, or special cat fencing can allow your indoor cat the opportunity to enjoy sunshine and fresh air. You can provide kitty grass (available from pet supply stores) in indoor pots so your cat can graze. Remember not to let your indoor cat sit on open window ledges or on a balcony high above the ground. Thousands of cats are killed annually when they leap for a bird or lose their balance.

Provide scratching posts and a clean litter box to avoid any damage to your home. A spray water bottle should be kept nearby to discourage unwanted behavior.

You can even train a cat to a harness and a retractable leash for safe outdoor adventures