Indoor cats tend to have safer, healthier lives

Cats make excellent pets and for most owners, their safety comes first.

These owners keep their cats inside, providing tons of mental stimulation for the cat. But some cat owners still feel they are depriving their cats by not letting them roam outside.

Keeping your cat indoors prolongs its life. Cats allowed to prowl outside are at risk of disease, injury and even death. Diseases or conditions may include upper respiratory infections, feline distemper or feline leukemia, to name a few. Outdoor cats can be injured by wildlife, ingest toxins or poisons and may become prey for animal cruelty. In most circumstances, outdoor cats will not survive when hit by a vehicle.

One group in Halifax is working diligently to keep cats safe and to educate the public about indoor safety for cats. The Tuxedo Party Cat Welfare Society organized the tour, with all proceeds donated to Spay Day HRM. This was the third annual tour named “Halifax Catio Tour.” Cindy Murphy is a devoted volunteer with Spay Day HRM, and she was the backbone of organizing the local tour of three private homes with custom-built Catio’s (Cat Patios).

Catios provide safe outdoor access for your cat, and I would encourage you to look at Indoor Cats: Good for Everyone at www.indoorcats.org This site provides ample information regarding Catio information on why you should keep your cat indoors including a brilliant message from the Spay Day HRM board.

This is another link explaining how to build a catio, and it is full of beautiful pictures provided by Humanepro: https://humanepro.org/magazine/ articles/how-build-catio-culture-yourcommunity. Amazon or a great carpenter can also help you design and build a catio as part of your home.

There is a quote by Maya Angelou: “When you know better, you do better.” She could not possibly be more spot-on. We now have everyday laws to keep people safe such as bicycle helmets, seatbelts, drinking ages, speed limits in traffic, ages for driver’s licenses, pedestrian crosswalks, and many others, too numerous to print. It’s time for society to enact more laws to keep cats safe, and one of those laws to be mandated should be keeping cats indoors. Sure, there are some bylaws that cat owners must follow, but far too many do not, putting cats at risk.

Please be a responsible cat owner and keep your cat indoors. That way, you can enjoy your cat or cats for many, many years.

Please be kind to animals.