The Real Dangers of Leaving your Cat Outdoors

Please help us save more cats and kittens by keeping your cat indoors only.    

Deciding to keep your cat indoors may be a difficult choice to make, but it is one of the best choices you can make.   

Indoor Cat Facts

Your cat may tell you that the outdoors is great  - grass to roll in, trees to climb in, but like children cats depend on us to recognize danger and protect them from harm.   In addition to grass and fresh air, the outdoors pose many risks to your pet.  Some which can be completely avoided.

 Traffic

To listen to some people, a pet’s “getting hit by a car” is just part of pet ownership.  Your pet isn’t likely to agree. 

 Poison

Cats don’t usually resist the temptation of checking out neighbor’s yards, the hoods of cars, and their flower beds.  Although it’s illegal and inhumane, some people put out a poisonous substance to get rid of
paw prints on their car.  Poison may also be put out for other animals and cats may accidently eat this poison. 

 Cruelty

These days there are more than enough people in this world who are intentionally cruel to animals, especially cats.   

Injuries

If your cat goes outside, it risks the chance of injury or deadly fights with other animals along with exposure to diseases the other animals may carry.  Bite wounds often abcess, which result in a serious injury to your pet, along with a  veterinary bill for you.

 Disease

Even if your pet is vaccinated, he or she still runs the risk of serious diseases.  The vaccine for Feline Leukemia, although valuable, provides about 80-85% protection, leaving your cat at risk of contracting it.  FIV is also a contagious disease for outdoor cats.  There is no vaccination for this and no cure.  FIV is transmitted between cats by biting.  Many strays are FIV positive so your cat runs the risk of coming in contact with this disease. 

No cat or neighborhood is immune to these dangers.  Give you cat a happy, healthy life by keeping them indoors.  Make being inside fun by giving your cat lots of toys to play with, a window to look out, a few catnip twigs once in awhile, which will more than compensate for the risks your cat faces outside. 

 

 Unaltered cats allowed to  roam and breed will account for the millions of cats that are euthanized each year because they’re aren’t enough homes for them.  Allowing unaltered animals outside is irresponsible and the root of the terrible pet overpopulation problem. 

 

Cats can be completely happy indoors.  Older cats that are use to the outdoors can be trained to stay inside.  Spaying and neutering will also help them to stay inside.