Timing is most everything, and the movement to turn outdoor cats into inside residents, has arrived. If your cats struggle to be outside in the so-called freedom you envision for them, please listen anyway. Two cat-adoring New York friends who rescue cats and I have something unbottled to say.
On my local Connecticut Nextdoor social network platform, I see frequent alerts about stray cats or panicky messaging such as this: “Neighbors watch out for a fox (or coyote). It just ran past my door twice onto Shadow Ridge Rd. Please watch your animals.”
This begs the question, what animals must be watched if an 8-lb. fox runs through someone’s lawn in pursuit of a rodent, or rabbit? The answer: none. Foxes don’t eat your cats or dogs, but the cats who wind up homeless, or are allowed outside always face dangers. Statistically, outdoor cats live much shorter lives than indoor cats and are exposed to multiple hazards that are preventable when cats are kept inside.
Among those hazards: being struck by cars, attacked by dogs and predators, or eating poisoned rodents. Do consider making your cat an indoor cat as the best way to love and protect them. I’ve had lots of beloved cats I unwittingly let outside when they were eager to go during warm weather. I learned the hard way that they face too many dangers.
Their propensity for hunting birds and other small animals haunted me, especially since I filled a bird feeder for birds and squirrels. It didn’t make any sense, and wildlife rehabbers echo this message with the hundreds of calls they receive in Spring when baby birds and rabbits are on the ground.
“I don’t understand why anybody would open the front door and expose their beloved cat to so many dangers,” cat-rescuer Cynthia from Central New York says.
“When I found my cat Mookie, she was starving, ignored, pregnant, furless, helpless, collapsing and dying. She needed structure, love and watchfulness on the part of her owner. Outdoor cats may return to a happy home…until they can’t. In a sense they are like children who want too much candy. You have to say ‘no’ sometimes. Just refuse your cat’s outdoor attempts. Eventually they settle in.”
I also heard a story about a Siamese cat in New York who was seized by a raptor, lifted in the air and luckily dropped so the cat escaped, but not without a broken tail.
One Nextdoor neighbor, who now keeps cats inside, told me that when he and other cat-owners tired of cleaning litter boxes, their cats were let outside. These cat-owners claim their cats enjoy outdoor life and know when to come home.
But the problem is, they might not make it home if a dog attacks them or a car hits them.
They’re also susceptible to fights with other cats. My friend Cynthia points out that when cats fight they can develop Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) from infecting each other, or Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV), which is spread by saliva. All infected cats die as the diseases are not curable. Some die while they’re still outside. FeLV kills more cats than automobiles.
My Long Island friend, Lisa, was a young mother with a baby whose adopted calico cat Sweet Pea ran to the door to be let out. At first, she accompanied Sweet Pea as she prowled around the yard, and after she explored on her own, Lisa was comforted that Sweet Pea returned when she was called. Then one day, Sweet Pea dragged herself back to the door, and Lisa knew she was hurt.
Lisa said, “The vet knew instantly she had been hit by a car, broke her pelvis—confirmed by an x-ray—and had to stay until she healed. The vet’s fear was that a broken pelvis, due to its location, may damage the bladder irreparably from bone fractures – not detectable on scans. I visited my cat every day at the vet. After three days the vet said Sweet Pea was able to relieve herself and considered she would recover better with me. I used a baby gate on my stairs to keep her contained in spaces where I was to limit her movement, which was still a concern. Thank goodness she made a full recovery. She never left the house again.”
Cynthia who has adopted many homeless cats, stressed that cats aren’t “imprinted” to be outside.
“If they were an outside stray, they are not ‘imprinted,’ they are just accustomed to being outside in survival mode,” she said. “Many cats try to go outside when rescued, particularly if there is something out there that captures their interest. A cat is very stealth. To adjust them to living inside, you must be vigilant for a few weeks. In the end, most cats settle in, and they are perfectly happy inside.”
Catios to the rescue
These days it’s easier than ever to give inside cats a taste of the outdoors that’s safe for them and wildlife. You can offer them a catio!
These outdoor enclosures allow cats to be exposed to sunlight, shade and the enrichment nature provides, while providing piece of mind they won’t be exposed to any dangers.
Catios can be small boxes that extend out of windows, or a multi-level constructed enclosure with tunnels attached to your home. The business Catio Spaces (catiospaces.com) offers information that can help you decide whether to buy, hire or build. If you decide to build, they offer dozens of designs.
Priscilla Feral is president of Friends of Animals.