Indoor v. Outdoor
This one's a no-brainer, really. Which one would you pick for yourself, or
for your children? I thought so. Sure, today's domesticated cats come from
lines of wild cats - but that was generations ago, in areas where prey was
plentiful and cars didn't exist. Your outdoor cat may be run over, shot,
poisoned, stolen…you name it.
Other animals see your cat as prey - dogs, raccoons, coyote, foxes, etc.
There are plenty of highly communicable and sometimes fatal diseases such as feline infectious peritonitis, feline
immunodeficiency, and rabies.
There is a risk of easily spread fungal diseases like ringworm (which you and your family can catch from
the cat).
Your cat may return with intestinal parasites, respiratory infection, flea and ear mite infestation, and tapeworms.
Your cat may be inadvertently poisoned from toxic materials and plants.
Not a nice list, is it?
Further, how would you feel if your next door neighbor let his cat use
your garden as a litterbox? So why do you think it's okay for you to do it?
Your wandering cat may also cause territorial battles in your area, meaning
your cat gets injured or worse in fighting, and other cats are drawn to the
area and begin marking behaviors - like spraying all around your house.
Plus, if you haven't spayed or neutered your outdoor pet, you are
contributing to the problem of overpopulation.
So, is there any upside to letting your cat outdoors? The answer is NO.
Unequivocally. And if you won't listen to me, watch
Emergency Vets on
Animal Planet. You will see that cats are generally brought in suffering
from one of two terminal conditions - renal failure from extreme old age
(after two decades in a loving home) or fatal injury to outdoor cats
caused by cars, dogs, or poisoning, including most commonly antifreeze
poisoning. When your one year old cat is dying because it ingested
antifreeze, it is not "his time." You have a responsibility to your
animal just as you do your children. You would not allow them to
wander in the cold, exposed to dangerous conditions. You should do
the same for your cats (and dogs!!).
My feeling is the same as the opinion officially expressed by all cat
registry organizations, as well as competent veterinarians. The bottom
line is, if you let your cat outside unsupervised, you are risking his
life - every single time.
