Indoors Vs. Outdoors
One of the first things to consider, when you decide to acquire a cat as a pet, is whether it will be an “indoor” or “outdoor” animal. Here are some of the things you should consider before deciding that your kitty can go out.
Anyone who has purchased a purebred cat, sometimes at significant cost, is not going to toss them outside to play, where danger abounds. So why do people do it with their ordinary household pets? A large proportion of pets are found in households with children. Not that adults can’t love as much or mourn as deeply, but for children, losing a pet is often their first experience with loss of someone they love. Unfortunately, it’s also often a time when parental attitude teaches them that a pet’s life has little value.
How many average families that you know, are willing to go to the expense of surgery and treatment for a cat who has been hit by a car, or savaged by a dog? The reality is: not many. Most cats are euthanized, and the kids are taken right out to get a replacement. I call this “lightbulb” pet ownership. Because if it’s the wrong wattage or broken, you toss it out and replace it.
It doesn’t mean that I advocate a family that cannot afford it, going into debt for veterinary bills. But it does mean that I strongly encourage parents and all owners of cats, to consider “indoor only” kitties, for many reasons.
Indoor cats live an average lifespan of 12.5 years, and often into their latter teens. Outdoor cats average lifespan is 2-4 years. When a cat goes outdoors, it faces a wide variety of dangers. First, there is the injury factor. Cats are impulsive. They dash across the road with no knowledge of what traffic is. They’re also small game to large dogs with attitudes, that have been allowed to run loose or who are in their own yards, when your cat trespasses.
Then there are the perils presented by man: intentionally or otherwise. There is a great deal of cruelty, often going unreported because the “victims” are never found. Cats are stolen every day, for a variety of purposes. Accidental hazards present themselves when man puts out garden pesticides or other poisonous substances. Spilled anti-freeze is one of the most common poisonings for domestic dogs and cats. And it takes very little, and only a few hours to kill.
Disease is a serious concern as well. Cats have their own feline version of the AIDS virus, known as FIV. This is an immune disorder, not communicable to people. But as in
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