What is best for your cat? It can be a tricky choice and the answer may surprise you.
In Australia, we love our cats. As of 2016, there was roughly 3.8 million domestic cats and up to 6.3 million feral cats in Australia. However, sadly, pet cats kill about 340 million native animals a year in Australia.
So what is best for cats?
The RSPCA recommends keeping cats indoors or using a secure partly-shaded outdoor cat enclosure. There are many benefits associated with keeping cats indoors but here are the risks of letting your cat roam.
Risk getting Lost
Not all cats have a good homing beacon and are able to navigate their neighbourhoods to find their way back home. Kittens, in particular, are prone to getting lost as are only babies and haven’t developed this skill
Risk getting hit by vehicles
The RSPCA reports cars and other vehicles are a number one killer of people, wildlife, and cats, particularly at night in the case of cats and wildlife.
Risk being attacked by Dogs
Dogs can kill and/or inflict terrible injuries on cats, whether they are on the loose or in neighbouring yards.
Risk Cat Fights or Pregnancy
Cats may get into a beef while on the prowl and cat bite wound are highly prone to serious infections and abscessation, which can eventuate in systemic illness. If your fur baby in unvaccinated they are also at risk of contracting feline AIDS (feline immunodeficiency virus or FIV) if bitten by another cat. The noise caused by cat fights can also be a major disturbance in a neighbourhood.
Risk External Parasites
For bushland areas there is a higher risk your pet may become victim to the deadly paralysis tick! Though confining cats will not totally protect them as seed ticks can be accidentally carried inside by people or other animals, keeping them indoors does reduce their risk. Your pet may also pick up fleas from strays or other pets in the neighbourhood.
Risk harm or Death by Cat Haters
We know that haters are going to hate, but some people really ‘hate’ cats. It may be because they don’t like to see stray cats on their property, they may use the garden or children’s sandpit as a toilet or their real or perceived threat to birds. Cats have been injured or killed as a result, not to mention being the cause of bitter neighbourhood disputes.
Other Safety Risks
Keeping cats securly indoors, even when toileting, prevents them from escaping, being stolen, being used as live bait in dog fights or exposed to other hazards, such as garden chemical and poisons that are generally used in suburban backyards.
There are a range of plants and flowers that are poisious to our feline friends, read more “42 Plants That Are Toxic For Cats and Kittens“.
The Verdict
To avoid potential risk or harm to your cat it is recommend to keep them indoors. The RSPCA advises it better to let them learn that inside the house is their domain and that’s it.
“If they learn that they can go outside, they will probably try to dart past your legs as soon as the door’s open,” they said. Providing your cat with plenty of enrichment, interaction and somewhere nice to lie in the sun will keep them as a happy and content, inside cat and prevent heartache.
Is your cat getting lonely while you’re away?
Book a day care to give them enrichment during the day or a pet sitter for longer trips away!
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