Why cats should be outdoors

The soil of a garden or yard can harbor diseases spread by stray unvaccinated cats for many months. The idea that cats want to go outside makes sense.

Outside cats also face danger from coming into contact with toxins such as antifreeze that are often ingested because they have a pleasant taste.

Why cats should be outdoors. Cats with outdoor access are able to exercise more readily either through hunting climbing trees and fences or simply by having the extra space to. There is definitely a happy medium between keeping your cat indoors all of the time and exposing them to the dangers of life as an outside cat. Depending on your cats personality you may even be able to leash train them for walks and other adventures or you may just have a friendly companion to sit in the backyard with you sometimes and soak in the sunshine.

Although the indoors is safest for cats going outside can provide some mental and physical health benefits. To make time outdoors safer get your cat microchipped and make sure she is always wearing a collar and ID. A fenced-in yard can keep your cat safely on your property and deter predators from entering your yard.

Birds mice rabbits and squirrels make great entertainment but your kitty could experience serious health issues if they eat a sick animal. Window seats allow your cat to observe the outside world for hours without risk. They also help reduce the number of wildlife deaths caused by outdoor cats who hunt.

They fight with other cats picking up diseases or getting abscesses that are painful and can be expensive to treat. They get and spread parasites. Indoor cats can easily live into their late teens or beyond.

Outdoor cats often disappear a decade younger leaving owners to wonder sadly what happened to them. The idea that cats want to go outside makes sense. Cats are predatory by nature and the desire to hunt is still alive within even modern domesticated cats.

The most significant thing your cat loses when you decide to keep them exclusively indoors is stimulation. The act of prowling and hunting provide cats with exercise and excitement. If you have been letting your cats outside make them safe happy indoor cats who only go out when supervised on a harness and leash or in a safe enclosure.

If you know people who let their cats outside explain to them why its safer to keep cats inside. But many people still let their cats outdoors often with misplaced good intentions. Here are some of the most common reasons people let their cats outside and safer indoor alternatives.

Indoor cats get bored. The truth is indoor cats can and do get bored but letting them outside is not a good solution. It Reduces Their Lifespan.

Every time a cat goes outside they run the risk of being harmed or killed. Statistically an outdoor cats lifespan is shortened by three to five years. Contrast that with an indoor cat that lives significantly longer.

10 to 15 years. Outside cats also face danger from coming into contact with toxins such as antifreeze that are often ingested because they have a pleasant taste. Cats may also end up accidently exposed to rodent poisons when they hunt.

Let your cat get used to the harness for short periods indoors and then pick a safe outdoor area to explore. KittyWalk Systems also makes a pet stroller that allows for longer brisker walks and provides a measure of safety from free-roaming dogs. Cats left outside in rapidly changing weather can suffer heat stroke and dehydration in hot conditions and hypothermia or frostbite in the winter and at night.

When outside your pet cat can be both predator and prey. Outdoor cats are known to kill birds mice rabbits and other small wildlife animals. Why Letting Your Cat Outside Could Be Bad.

Conservation groups like the National Audubon Society encourage cat owners to keep their pets indoors for the protection of. Information and guidance about your specific cats needs. The great outdoors Ideally all cats would be allowed access to outdoors to express their natural behaviour and in the UK the majority of people let their cats go outside.

However in built-up areas there can be a large number of cats each with a dwindling territory. Leash Walking Your Cat Indoors is Vastly Different from the Outdoors. Im a big proponent of leash training indoor cats but that doesnt mean every cat should be walked outdoors.

Cats are territorial and scent plays a huge role in their lives. When you take a cat outdoors shell be bombarded with endless unfamiliar scents. Cats should be allowed outdoors for walks on leashes just as dogs are and to explore securely fenced yards.

A product called Cat Fence-In a flexible mesh barrier that is placed at the top of a privacy fence prevents cats from climbing out. Cats that are allowed outside may be less likely to develop behavior problems like urinating outside the litter box and stalking and attacking people in the home. According to International Cat Care these actions can be the result of boredom and frustration.

Should You Let Your Cat Go Outside. Pet owners often let their cats go outside. Some people feel that cats are meant to be outdoors because it is their natural habitat and feel that to keep cats indoors all of the time is cruel.

They feel that cats cannot be happy when they are kept as indoor only cats. This is not true. Cats can be trained to go for walks outside on a leash and harness.

An outdoor enclosure should be one that keeps cats in and predators out which means it. Reduced Risk of Cats Being Poisoned. Outdoors cats are at risk of exposure to ethylene glycol antifreeze poisoning lawn pesticides poisoning from spoiled food in trash cans mole and rodent poisons and intentional poisoning from people.

Ideally all cats would be allowed outdoors in order to exhibit natural behaviour. Find out more about outdoor cats and everything you should know. Ideally all cats would be allowed outdoors in order to exhibit natural behaviour.

Due to the coronavirus crisis we have had to make changes to our current services. Regardless of vaccine status outdoor cats should be retested every year to determine if they have been exposed. The current recommendations are to vaccinate ALL cats against feline leukemia until 1 year of age.

After this age only outdoor cats or those exposed to the outdoors unsupervised should continue to receive annual boosters. The risks of letting your cat go outdoors. Letting a cat control its own movements in and out gives it freedom but lays it open to the dangers of the great outdoors.

The main risks are. Injury Road traffic accidents account for many cats lives every year. If you live in a town or near a busy road then the risks are probably greater.

That said many cat lovers still prefer to share the Great Outdoors with their feline friends. Happily there are ways to minimize the risks. While vaccinations are important to indoor cats they are essential to the health of cats allowed outside.

The soil of a garden or yard can harbor diseases spread by stray unvaccinated cats for many months. Indoor Cats Are Safe From Other Animals. If your cat is allowed to roam outdoors she will likely have run-ins with other animals from time to time which could result in injury illness or even death.

Outdoor cats are vulnerable to attack by wild animals such as foxes and coyotes who view house cats as prey.