Many people have their cats as indoor, outdoor cats. It may be a difference of opinion but I very much disagree with is.
I am in many Facebook groups for lost and found pets. Both in New York and Colorado. Something that is very common and always infuriates me is that when someone loses their cat, the description often goes a little something like this “Indoor, outdoor cat. Not fixed, no collar, no chip.”
Examples of real life Lost Cat posts:
“This is Hank. He is a very friendly 2 year old neutered indoor/outdoor cat wearing no collars. Hank went missing on October 30th. and has not come home.”
“This is Callie. She is a spayed 1.5 year old Dilute Calico. Callie is a mostly indoor kitty wearing no collars.”
Did you know that outdoor cats have a much shorter life span than indoor cats?
Outdoor cats risk being hit by cars, eaten or attacked by wild animals, poisoned, or abused by people.
Ways to keep your cat safe:
- Keep your cat indoors.
- Spay or neuter your cat. They are less likely to run away if they are fixed because they won’t be looking to mate.
- Keep windows closed or only cracked slightly.
- Reinforce screens or get pet screens. Cats can break through regular screens to get to birds or other wild life.
- Have your cat microchipped and keep the micochip up to date.
- Have your cat wear a breakaway collar with tags on it stating your address and phone number. A break away collar is important because if a cat is lost long term a collar can cause damage to the cat’s neck or it can get caught on something.
- Make sure your pet sitter knows not to let your pet outside. Unfortunately, many cats go missing while in the care of others.
These are just a few tips you can do to keep your cats safe. If your cat is an indoor outdoor cat please think about keeping them indoors.
A follow up post will be made to give you tips to get your pet back in the event they are lost.
A follow up post will be made to give you ideas on how to keep your cat happy indoors.