Pet Care Articles
However well-intentioned, every time cat owners or guardians allow their felines to go outside, alone and unprotected, they are putting that animal and others at risk.
The Marin Humane Society (MHS) and others struggle to keep up with the cat-related calls, issues and needs. MHS cares for hundreds of cats on any given day. The cat population at our Novato campus consists of lost or stray cats without any form of identification, cats surrendered to us by their previous owner or guardian, and cats transferred in from overcrowded shelters throughout California. MHS also takes numerous lost cat reports in hopes we can help make reunions happen quickly.
Across the country, wildlife rehabilitators and bird protection organizations are discouraged by the number of small birds and other wildlife that are injured or killed by house cats that are allowed outdoors.
If unaltered (not spayed or neutered), cats can be prolific breeders; they can breed year-round and each time have eight or more kittens per litter. That is a lot of mouths to feed and protect! According to the American Veterinary Medical Association, there may be almost 30,000 cat-owning households, or approximately 63,000 cats, residing in Marin County.
With warmer and sunnier days approaching, MHS wants to dispel two big myths that many cat- owning households may believe to be true — cats are so "wild" they have to be outside and that cats cannot wear collars.
Cats have long been domesticated and can live longer, happier lives if kept indoors only. The dangers of allowing them outside are real and numerous, particularly in the more dense housing or urban areas of our community. These dangers include:
• Other animals (wild or domestic), which can injure or kill cats. Marin is home to a large coyote population and outdoor cats are easy prey.
• Poison. cats can be poisoned intentionally or accidentally by even small amounts of pesticides, poisons and antifreeze.
• Cars. Drivers often can't see cats darting across driveways or roads. Some cats even crawl up and hide in wheel wells or a warm engine compartment.
• Parasites. Outdoor cats can catch and bring inside fleas, ticks, ear mites and worms, some of which are painful and require treatment and others that can infect other cats and people.
Cats can be trained to wear collars and tags or bells. Although it is best to start when they are young, with patience and the right fitting collar, cats adapt. Breakaway collars are the safest and are lightweight. They release when enough pressure is exerted against the buckle so if your Felix is a climber and you're worried he could get caught on something, the breakaway can help prevent any choking.
Life indoors can be fun and entertaining, too. Be sure to set up areas where your kitty can sit in the windowsills, use tall cat-scratching posts and perches, and have a variety of interactive toys available to them. MHS often offers workshops about cats, including how to enrich their indoor environment.
If you insist on letting your cat go outside, please consider building a safe cat enclosure or using specialized cat fencing to keep your cat restricted to your backyard and safe. And if your cat goes missing, please don't wait to start looking. Call MHS for more advice on what you can do to locate your lost companion.
For added protection and to increase the odds it will be found, even if living indoors only, have at least two forms of ID on your feline at all times — that means a personalized ID tag on a breakaway collar and a microchip implanted under the skin (there are tags as well from the microchip companies). You never know when a loud noise may cause your cat to dart out an open door or window.
As a long-time cat lover who has worked in three animal shelters over my long career in animal welfare, I can share many stories of heartache when cat guardians came to the shelter looking for their lost pet. I can provide numerous studies and reports about the problems caused by outdoor only cats. And I can attest to how relieved I am by the many cats that have lived longer, happier, and safer lives inside my home.