This is a question we face regularly. Many people feel that cats should be allowed to roam freely. Ultimately, that would be nice wouldn't it? Unfortunately, it just isn't safe. I won't even go in depth with regard to the damage they can do to bird populations and peoples' gardens, or the spraying of doors and windows that happens. You see, what our biggest concern is what can happen to your kitty. As a rescue, we see what happens to cats who are permitted to wander around.
Sometimes, we are mending them after they've been hit by a car. Sometimes that car was intentionally aimed at them. Sometimes we are mending them after a human being with malicious intent gets hold of them. The lengths to which some people will go to harm a defenseless creature for their own amusement would make most people lose their appetite.
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This is Audrey, after whom our rescue is named. She came to us with a broken hip and needing extensive surgeries. She also needed to be spayed before she got pregnant and had a severe parasite load. It took months for her to recover. |
Sometimes, they will get into fights with other animals. This almost never goes well for either animal, and the injuries can become infected.
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This cat was in a fight with another, and his guardian let him back out before the antibiotics were finished. |
While this is terrible, if the wounds are cared for and healed, the cat will be okay. PROVIDED your kitty is properly vaccinated, they might even escape catching FeLV (feline leukemia virus) or FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus). Of course, your cat doesn't need to get into a fight to catch panleukopenia or chlamydophila. Maybe a touch of feline rhinotracheitis? I mean, yeah most cats are prone to it, but why increase your baby's chances of catching it? Then there is the all-too-common feline calicivirus.
What we are trying to do by having the indoors-only clause is not be controlling doody-heads. We are trying to protect your new family member from the many dangers out there. We don't let dogs, birds, bunnies, guinea pigs, reptiles, hamsters, or toddlers (and let's consider for a moment how similar cats and toddlers are) wander free, so why are we doing it to cats?
So, now I've written out a whole bunch of reasons for you to not let your kitty wander free. So what are the solutions?
Before you do any of the following, make sure your companions are fully up to date on all vaccines!
We love taking our little goobers out for walks if they're willing. A good harness, ability to provide shade & water, and some waste bags and you're set! Don't forget, you're walking with a cat so really the cat will be walking you. Be prepared to see a lot of slinking low in the grass, statue imitations, and once the kitty becomes more comfortable with it, rolling around and playing. You can tether the kitty outside in the back yard on a harness as well if you like, but don't leave them unattended. This has resulted in tragedy when the leash or tether becomes hung up on something or the cat tries to jump over something that there isn't enough slack left on the lead for too many times.
Our absolute favourite method is the catio. This is an enclosed area outside which can be either a box with chicken wire attached to a window, or something more elaborate and fancy. What you have room and permission for are the only limitations with this solution. If you're in an apartment, you can always enclose your balcony, or if you don't have one you can build a window box which doesn't need to be affixed to the building. Googling "removable apartment catio" brings up scores of ideas for this. We have 2 window catios on our home, and have decided this year to undertake converting our gazebo to a catio extension. Once we get that completed, we will post photos!
We will be offering some fantastic leash and harness sets soon, so stay tuned!