The best way to ensure that your cats are protected from the myriad of literally life-threatening dangers of the outdoors, is to keep your cats indoors only. Just as dogs are not wolves, cats are not cougars. Just as we provide exercise and play and mental stimulation for our dogs, we do the same for our cats; from scratching posts instead of trees, and a variety of toys and our attention instead of mice and birds, cats are very happy indoors. Here are just a few of the reasons to keep your cats safely indoors:

1. In any season, outdoor cats can drink or eat poisons, whether in the form of spilled/dripped antifreeze, rodent bait or poisoned rodents; cats also die from crop-dusting or eating birds poisoned by crop-dusting; they die from chemically-treated lawns.





2. Outdoor cats risk death by predators – this can be a hawk, a coyote or even the neighbor’s dog; wild animals have to eat to survive and an outdoor cat or kitten to them is just dinner; the neighbor’s dog, who may sleep on the sofa with his feline homemate, may think of an outdoor cat as a toy or prey.





3. Outdoor cats, in cold weather, often seek out warmth under the hood of recently parked cars only to be sliced or strangled by fan blades and belts when the car is started up; outdoor cats also escape inclement weather by seeking shelter in an open garage or shed – if the building owner closes up the building trapping the cat inside, the cat can die either from hypothermia, or, as happens in the summer, heatstroke – the same kind of hideous death veterinarians and Shelter workers warn about when people leave their dogs unattended in parked cars.





4. Exposure to fleas, which brings the risk of tapeworm infection, is another reason to keep cats safely inside your home. Unprotected, cats can die from severe flea infestation that causes anemia. If an outdoor cat is treated to eliminate fleas and ticks, there still is the ubiquitous mosquito and with it, exposure to deadly heartworm, which is essentially untreatable in cats; more external parasites…ear mites and even Cheyletiella mites (which can spread to humans), ticks, which carry Lyme Disease, and mange.





5. If external parasites like fleas, ticks, mosquitoes, and mites aren’t enough, there is exposure to internal parasites -- round worms, being the most common; roundworms are zoonotic, too, so kids who accidentally come in contact with the eggs can get the worms.





6. Disease is another hurdle for cats who spend any time outdoors. Typically, cats who receives annual vaccinations for panleukopenia (feline distemper) and the viral and bacterial respiratory diseases, are not vaccinated for rabies although the vaccine is available. Based on your cat’s risk factors, your vet can best advise you on what vaccines and the frequency of vaccinations that your cat should receive.
   WSAVA, World Small Animal Veterinary Association offers specific rationale including health risks from vaccinations, and recommendations; you can find them by clicking on this link: http://www.vin.com/proceedings/Proceedings.plx?CID=WSAVA2002&PID=2615&Ca...

   By keeping a cat only indoors, you help eliminate disease risk factors for your cat, and thereby, lower the need and risks associated with vaccinations. Outdoor cats are also at risk for exposure to retroviruses like Feline Leukemia and FIV (Feline Immunodeficiency Virus.) There is no cure for either disease and no completely effective vaccine.

   Veterinarians at Cornell University’s Feline Health Center offer the following information about Feline Leukemia Virus:

   "Cats persistently infected with FeLV serve as sources of infection. Virus is shed in very high quantities in saliva and nasal secretions, but also in urine, feces, and milk from infected cats. Cat-to-cat transfer of virus may occur from a bite wound, during mutual grooming, and (though rarely) through the shared use of litter boxes and feeding dishes. Transmission can also take place from an infected mother cat to her kittens, either before they are born or while they are nursing…, The only sure way to protect cats is to prevent their exposure to FeLV-infected cats. Keep cats indoors, away from potentially infected cats that might bite them. If you do allow your cats outdoor access, provide supervision or place them in a secure enclosure to prevent wandering and fighting."

   Veterinarians at Cornell University’s Feline Health Center offer the following information about FIV:

   "In the United States, approximately 1.5 to 3 percent of healthy cats are infected with FIV. Rates rise significantly-15 percent or more-in cats that are sick or at high risk of infection. Because biting is the most efficient means of viral transmission, free-roaming, aggressive male cats are the most frequently infected, while cats housed exclusively indoors are much less likely to be infected…,The only sure way to protect cats is to prevent their exposure to the virus. Cat bites are the major way infection is transmitted, so keeping cats indoors-and away from potentially infected cats that might bite them-markedly reduces their likelihood of contracting FIV infection…. Vaccines to help protect against FIV infection are now available. However, not all vaccinated cats will be protected by the vaccine, so preventing exposure will remain important, even for vaccinated pets. In addition, vaccination may have an impact on future FIV test results. It is important that you discuss the advantages and disadvantages of vaccination with your veterinarian to help you decide whether FIV vaccines should be administered to your cat."

   For Cornell’s recommendations on the benefits and risks of vaccinations, please go to: http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/vaccbr.html





7. Outdoor cats risk injury and death from traffic, farm machinery, fights with other animals -- they suffer torn ears, damaged eyes and serious abscesses, all requiring expensive veterinary treatment if they are fortunate enough to survive an attack and make it home; they suffer torture from truly abusive humans – the friendlier the cat, the more easily it is prey to torture and abuse, are attacked by unpleasant neighbors with everything from brooms and shovels to shotguns – an outdoor neighbor pet is often thought of a vermin to someone down the road; cats often drown in large animal troughs when searching for available drinking water; they also suffer injury and death from falls and extreme weather.

There is a romantic notion that cats are “wild things” and are happiest when allowed to roam and hunt. The reality is anything but that idyllic. The Humane Society of the United States estimates that the average lifespan of a free-roaming cat is less than three years, compared to 12-15 years for the average indoor-only cat. In fact, many indoor-only cats live 20+ years. If a cat is outdoors for any amount of time, it is at risk for injury or death. When it comes to safe-guarding your cat’s health and life, there just is no place like home.