Keeping Your Cat Indoors
Indoor cats lead healthier, longer lives. Keeping a cat indoors is not cruel. You can keep your cat happy by scheduling regular playtime, giving her toys to chase and catch and providing things for the cat to climb on (like a kitty condo). If you must let your cat outside, consider harness training your cat and taking her into your yard. While this can be done with patience, it is best to start harness training early, knowing that your cat may or may not accept the harness. Be aware that cats that are allowed outdoors, even on a harness, may be more likely to try to bolt out of open doors when the opportunity arises.
Here are some of the hazards that await a cat that roams freely outdoors:
- Becoming lost
- Being stolen
- Being killed by wildlife (even in the city!)
- Having fights with other cats, dogs, raccoons, etc.
- Being hit by a car
- Getting infectious diseases, feline leukemia, feline intestinal peritonitis, feline aids
- Getting fleas, ticks and worms
- Being exposed to the elements
- Neighbor complaints
- Ingesting antifreeze or poisons
- Deciding to take the offer of living INSIDE someone else’s home