Purr-fectly Safe at Home: Should Your Feline Friend Be Allowed to Roam Free
By: María Alejandra Aristizábal.
A topic of considerable debate among families with cats is whether or not they should leave their homes. Some people say that going outside allows their pets to exercise, perform natural behaviors such as play, hunt, interact with the environment and with other animals. However, access to the outdoors brings some problems not only for the welfare of cats, but also for wildlife.
When you leave cats outside, you make other animals attack them, and you also increase the risk of them getting lost or run over, which can cause injury or even death. Cats are animals with a clear hunting instinct, therefore, leaving them outside increases the risk that they will affect the wildlife of the area where they live, as they can hunt birds, opossums, among others.
There are other factors that need to be included in this discussion, such as the likelihood of getting sick when they go out. There are a variety of parasites, internal (protozoa, helminths) and external (fleas and ticks) that can affect these domestic cats, especially when they are outdoors. In addition, so-called “outdoor” cats, which have access to the outdoors, are susceptible to diseases such as feline leukemia virus and feline immunodeficiency virus, which are transmitted through grooming and through wounds such as bites. These immunosuppressive diseases can cause secondary infections.
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According to Sarah Tan, “other diseases that these cats are exposed to include bartonella and rabies, especially if they are not vaccinated.” Although many pets are vaccinated, protection is not 100% against these agents, which is why they can contract diseases, directly affecting their well-being and life expectancy.
Another important aspect of keeping cats outside is the risk of being run over. This can lead to internal bleeding, fractures, amputations and cause discomfort and pain in these pets. It also increases the risk of fighting with other stray cats, as they are very territorial animals, which can lead to internal injuries, disease transmission and even death. There is also the possibility of poisoning from swallowing street items or from eating dead animals, especially rodents, as cats are important predators of this species.
Outdoor cats are at greater risk of becoming lost and contributing to the stray and feral cat population, especially if they have not been neutered.
It is important to note that “outdoor” cats can affect the inhabitants of your homes. They can bring home a variety of zoonotic diseases, meaning they can be passed from cat to human through contact, such as bites or scratches. Even the fact that cats enter the home with fleas and ticks favors the appearance of diseases transmitted by these vectors to humans. According to Christopher A. Lepczyk, “the risk of transmitting these diseases is greater in cats that have access to the outdoors than in cats that do not leave the house.”
However, not everything is negative. There are some advantages to keeping cats outside. For example, free interaction with the environment promotes natural behaviors such as climbing, exercising, hunting, and developing their prey instinct. It can even prevent some behavior problems.
However, it is possible to provide adequate stimulation to cats that are “indoors” or do not leave the house through environmental enrichment, which is essential to reduce boredom and promote a healthy environment, which may include scratching posts, climbing areas , interactive toys that promote hunting, as well as adequate resources at home including food, water, sandboxes located in different places and rest areas.
So while there are benefits to letting cats outside, the dangers they face outside are far greater. With responsibility and commitment, it is possible to provide cats with everything they need in terms of cognitive and physical stimulation in the home, reducing the likelihood of illness, loss or loss of life.
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