KEEPING YOUR CAT INDOORS
MAKE YOUR HOME FELINE FRIENDLY
As a veterinarian, I have always been pro-indoors when it comes to cats – or at least keeping them somewhat contained. It’s a subject that’s prompted not just debate but division – both indoor and outdoor advocates feel strongly about the way our cats should live.
To the average non-cat owning Australian, it seems like a no-brainer – cats need to be contained in an effort to protect our wildlife. The data is also clear that indoor cats have a better chance of surviving to old age. They are safer – meaning they avoid the perils of the outside world, such as being hit by cars and catching infectious diseases like FIV (feline immunodeficiency virus).
WHAT IS BEST FOR MY CAT?
A combination of outside and inside, including inside only after dark with no free access to the cat door between dawn and dusk, is probably the best compromised living arrangement for most nonpedigree or adopted cats that have previously had a taste of the great outdoors.
With pedigree cats, I always suggest indoor only – they generally just aren’t as street smart, they are at risk of being stolen and injured, and many seem to happily adjust to their indoor-only lives very well.
CAN MY CAT ADAPT TO LIVING INDOORS?
What if a combination of outside and inside isn’t possible? It could be you live on a top-floor apartment, on a busy road, have a non-cat friendly neighbour or live in one of the increasing number of Australian suburbs with a cat confinement law.
Indoor cats require effort – more love, attention and care. Here’s what everyone with an indoor cat should be doing …