Keeping Cats Indoors: Reasons to Keep Your Kitty Inside

Should you let your cat outside? Many owners ponder this question, weighing the risks against the ideal of enabling the cat to come and go freely. When making this choice it is important to consider the fact that outdoor cats face a variety of dangers, including fights, poisons, cars, parasites and diseases.

Fights

Outdoor cats are often attacked by other cats, dogs, raccoons, coyotes, and in some cases, people. Injuries can be serious or even fatal. Many pets are lost to predators each year and in most cases their owners have no idea what has happened – their cats simply fail to come home one night.

Poisoning

Many people continue to be irresponsible with antifreeze and other toxic substances, leaving them out where children and animals can gain access. People also put out poison to eliminate ants, rodents and other creatures. As a result, many people lose their pets to poisoning each year.

Cars

Large numbers of outdoor cats in city centers and suburban areas lose their lives to vehicles, or suffer severe injuries if they do survive. Veterinary expenses for the care and rehabilitation of cats that have been hit by cars can be enormous.

Parasites

Cats with free access to outdoor space can pick up both external and internal parasites. External parasites include fleas and ticks, the latter of which can cause serious diseases such as Bobcat Fever that are fatal to cats. Internal parasites, which cats may pick up when they eat infected animals, can also have serious health consequences.

Disease

Certain diseases, such as feline distemper, are spread more easily when cats go outdoors. Additionally, outdoor cats may be exposed to rabies when they interact with infected wildlife.

Unwanted Strays

An outdoor cat that has not been neutered or spayed will contribute to the population of feral cats in the neighbourhood. Large numbers of feral cats are killed each year, and having an un-neutered or un-spayed cat wandering around contributes to this death toll.

The Indoor Cat Initiative

The College of Veterinary Medicine has created the Indoor Cat Initiative, which is designed to enrich the lives of indoor cats. This website details the psychological and physical needs of indoor cats, and ways to keep them healthy.

Leash Training

If you feel that it is wrong to keep a cat indoors despite the risks, you could leash train your cat to provide supervised outings. This eliminates all outdoor cat risks with the exception of external parasites such as fleas and ticks. However, ticks can be checked for and removed after an excursion, and there are methods for natural flea control that can be implemented.

Merck & Co., Inc., Eds. Cynthia M. Kahn, BA, MA & Scott Line, DVM, PhD, Dipl ACVB. (2007). The Merck/Merial Manual for Pet Health, Home Edition.

Aug 27, 2008 12:27 PM

Guest :

Don't we as humans deal with all of these same risks? Does this mean that none of us should leave our house? I do believe that if you are going to allow your cat to be outside that you make sure it has all of the necessary vaccines, is spayed or neutered, and is regularly checked for ticks and fleas, just as we do for ourselves. But just as we do for our children and ourselves, it is important to allow your cat to be a cat - to hunt, explore, and play outside.

Aug 29, 2008 10:44 AM

Jennifer Copley :

I used to feel quite strongly that cats should be let outside regardless of the risks, and I still see some merit in this argument. In recent years I've come around to the view that keeping cats indoors is a good idea. Unlike children, cats can't be trained to avoid products with a skull and crossbones warning, or to cross the street at the crosswalk, and there are more cars on the road than there used to be. Human encroachment into the territories of animals such as coyotes has shrunk their hunting terrain, which has led them to hunt house pets in some urban areas as well.

Indoor cats live longer, healthier lives on average but there is certainly value in letting a cat explore. The compromise I've reached is bringing cats outdoors on a leash and wandering around together, letting them do what they want outside for awhile without all the risks.

It's a difficult decision, and I certainly wouldn't judge anyone for choosing to let their cat outside. Each owner has to make this decision on their own, and there are strong arguments to be made for both the indoor and the outdoor lifestyle.

May 22, 2009 6:37 PM

Guest :

i am discussed by cat owners who let there cats out. and think that it is important to allow them to hunt, i just had my birds head ripped off from his body through the bars of his cage early this morning. and less than a year ago i lost another bird to the same cat. i have also had to rescue a lot of native birds in my area because of the ignorance of cat owners.

Jul 2, 2009 6:39 PM

Guest :

cats should be able to go outside- it's doing what's natural for them! Both of my cats are trained to go outside to go to the bathroom and to play during the day. They come in at night. They've both never had a problem. If you provide a good home to them they'll come back.

Aug 29, 2009 6:07 AM

Guest :

I think you should do whats natural for cats; let them go outside and explore. I think leashes are unatural for cats. I have seen my cats kill many birds and believe me I was upset. But I think you must respect Mother Nature and the circle of life.