Top Ten Reasons to Keep Your Cat Indoors
While it may feel kinder to allow your cat the freedom to roam, you're potentially exposing it to many dangers, things that could be avoided if you kept it indoors.
Here are ten reasons why you should keep your cat indoors: 1.
To Monitor its Health: Cats that are allowed to freely roam outdoors can't be monitored properly.
An indoor cat can be easily monitored for fatal diseases such as urinary tract blockages and bowel problems.
Checking your kitty's litter box can literally save your its life.
2.
To Prevent it from Picking Up Diseases: Cats allowed free access to the outdoors frequently come into contact with other cats which puts them at risk from contracting infectious feline diseases such as Feline Leukemia, Feline Infectious Peritonitis, Feline Distemper, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus and many other contagious diseases.
Your kitty may eat or carry mice and rats which may contain diseases dangerous to your cat.
A more rare but possible risk is squamous cell carcinoma - a painful and serious disease that white and light colored cats are prone to from over exposure to the sun.
3.
To Prevent it from Being Run Over: Cats freely roaming the streets are at high risk of being run over.
Cats can suddenly run across a street and even the most well meaning drivers may not be able to avoid them.
According to a study, more cats are annually run over in the United States than euthanized in animal shelters.
4.
To Keep it Safe from Predators: Cats can be attacked by raptors, owls, native big cats and coyotes.
Even dogs can easily overpower and kill a cat.
5.
To Prevent it from Causing Problems with the Neighbors: While you may adore cats and think your cat is the best thing since the invention of Wonderbread, not all people may feel the same.
In fact some people are terrified of cats and some may even have Ailurophobia (the fear of cats).
So not all people will appreciate your kitty using their yard as its litter box.
Your neighbor may even resort to calling animal control to remove the cat, or worse! 6.
To Prevent it from Getting Injured: Cats can be very territorial and will sometimes try to defend their territory to the death.
Even a minor cat fight can result in abscessed wounds.
Abscessed wounds can result in death if not caught early as cat's claws can carry disease-causing bacteria, fungal and virus germs.
7.
To Prevent it from Becoming Victim to Human Abuse: Cats can easily become targets to people who think nothing of using a cat for target practice.
Even neighbors can feel justified for killing a cat they feel is trespassing on their property.
8.
To Ensure it isn't Lost: A well meaning person may "rescue" your cat thinking it's a stray, or it may be picked up by animal control.
9.
To Protect it from Bunchers: Bunchers are people who sell cats to laboratories for research or animal experimentation.
They usually pick cats up from the street and some even more unscrupulous individuals use cats as bait for fighting dogs.
10.
To Protect Local Wildlife: Cats are efficient hunters by nature, and even the most docile of felines will attempt to play and even kill rabbits, birds and other small wildlife.
Here are ten reasons why you should keep your cat indoors: 1.
To Monitor its Health: Cats that are allowed to freely roam outdoors can't be monitored properly.
An indoor cat can be easily monitored for fatal diseases such as urinary tract blockages and bowel problems.
Checking your kitty's litter box can literally save your its life.
2.
To Prevent it from Picking Up Diseases: Cats allowed free access to the outdoors frequently come into contact with other cats which puts them at risk from contracting infectious feline diseases such as Feline Leukemia, Feline Infectious Peritonitis, Feline Distemper, Feline Immunodeficiency Virus and many other contagious diseases.
Your kitty may eat or carry mice and rats which may contain diseases dangerous to your cat.
A more rare but possible risk is squamous cell carcinoma - a painful and serious disease that white and light colored cats are prone to from over exposure to the sun.
3.
To Prevent it from Being Run Over: Cats freely roaming the streets are at high risk of being run over.
Cats can suddenly run across a street and even the most well meaning drivers may not be able to avoid them.
According to a study, more cats are annually run over in the United States than euthanized in animal shelters.
4.
To Keep it Safe from Predators: Cats can be attacked by raptors, owls, native big cats and coyotes.
Even dogs can easily overpower and kill a cat.
5.
To Prevent it from Causing Problems with the Neighbors: While you may adore cats and think your cat is the best thing since the invention of Wonderbread, not all people may feel the same.
In fact some people are terrified of cats and some may even have Ailurophobia (the fear of cats).
So not all people will appreciate your kitty using their yard as its litter box.
Your neighbor may even resort to calling animal control to remove the cat, or worse! 6.
To Prevent it from Getting Injured: Cats can be very territorial and will sometimes try to defend their territory to the death.
Even a minor cat fight can result in abscessed wounds.
Abscessed wounds can result in death if not caught early as cat's claws can carry disease-causing bacteria, fungal and virus germs.
7.
To Prevent it from Becoming Victim to Human Abuse: Cats can easily become targets to people who think nothing of using a cat for target practice.
Even neighbors can feel justified for killing a cat they feel is trespassing on their property.
8.
To Ensure it isn't Lost: A well meaning person may "rescue" your cat thinking it's a stray, or it may be picked up by animal control.
9.
To Protect it from Bunchers: Bunchers are people who sell cats to laboratories for research or animal experimentation.
They usually pick cats up from the street and some even more unscrupulous individuals use cats as bait for fighting dogs.
10.
To Protect Local Wildlife: Cats are efficient hunters by nature, and even the most docile of felines will attempt to play and even kill rabbits, birds and other small wildlife.
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