What Risks Face Cats Who Go Outdoors

There is a large difference of opinion on whether cats should be indoor only pets, outdoor only pets, or have access to both environments. It has been generally agreed that indoor only cats live longer lives, estimates of the average lifespan of cats who go outdoors is placed around 2-years-of-age. A trip to a local human society or animal shelter will confirm this, as the majority of pets there are under two years of age. Also a good many die as kittens and are never accounted for.

People often argue that their cat is over ten years old, and has been going out all its life. They are the lucky ones, and there is no way of knowing what tomorrow will bring. Equally so, nobody is going to brag about the day their 3 month old kitten got run over.

Cats can go out, there are ways of keeping them safe, but an owner must be aware of the risks of letting cats run totally loose.

Traffic

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The most common danger to cats who go out is being hit by a car. Most encounters with cars are deadly, the cat is killed instantly. Occasionally though it is injured and will suffer either until it dies by the side of the road, or is found by its owner. Just because a cat has never been hit by a car does not mean it never will be. While most drivers try to avoid hitting an animal a few will intentionally veer into an animal, trying to hit it. The risk of being hit by a car is one reason why people should try to contain their cats to their yard, or only let it out when they are home.

Laws

Many areas now have laws stating that cats must be kept on their owners property. Any cat found off the owners property may be picked up and impounded into the cities pound or where ever they keep lost pets. The owner will have to pay a fine to get the cat back.

Picked up and Abandoned

A cat who has become a pest in the neighborhood may find itself in big trouble with an angry neighbor. This neighbor might set a trap for the cat, even luring it with canned fish. Once caught the neighbor should take the cat to the animal shelter or pound, however it is not uncommon for people in these situations to dump the cat in another part of town or out into the country. Usually this act is considered illegal as abandonment, but proving who did it is nearly impossible unless witnesses come forward. Abandoned cats are seldom recovered, often they become pests in the area they were dumped.

Taken to the Pound

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One of the best things that could happen to a cat who has become a nuisance is for the offended neighbor to take it to the pound or animal shelter that deals with stray and lost cats. This gives the owner a chance to recover the cat, although many owners fail to do this. Shelters generally have to, by law, keep a pet for 72 hours before they can euthanize it or put it up for adoption. Most shelters keep them for longer unless the pet is suffering, or they are too full. 72 Hours is considered more than enough time for an owner to realize their cat is missing and claim it. Typically an owner would be forced to pay a fine for allowing their cat to roam.

Stolen

Cats are stolen for all types of reasons, to be used to train illegal fighting dogs to kill, to be resold to a research facility, or so on. It is interesting to note that if a cat was removed from the owners property it is considered theft, but some areas do not protect cats legally once off the owners property, as such a person who picks up a cat walking down the street may be legally protected if they then resell the cat to a buyer such as a research facility. Sometimes cats are stolen by well meaning people who think the cat was abandoned. They take it in and its original owner is not aware where it is at. In most areas people are suppose to report finding a cat when they take it into their care, but few actually do.

Poison

Poisoning may be intentional or accidental. Most poison is fast acting and very hard to remedy. Intentional poisoning occurs when a cat has made itself a nuisance in the neighborhood, digging up flowers, and pooping in gardens, meowing all night long. Accidental poisoning is less common and occurs when a cat might drink some leaked anti-freeze which tastes good but is deadly.

Parasites

Cats who go outside always run the risk of contracting some type of parasite, be it worms, mites, or fleas. Owners will not always know if their cat is suffering from parasites such as worms. If a cat eats mice it probably has worms, if it has fleas it probably has tape worms. Over the counter wormers do not kill all types of worms, only a veterinarian can tell you specifically what types of worms your cat has through a stool sample. If a cat has worms it must eat more food to get proper nutrition.

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Disease

Cats who go outside can encounter other cats and get diseases from them. Naturally it is a good idea to keep a cat who goes out fully vaccinated but even still this is not 100% protection. Cats who are not vaccinated risk contracting many deadly feline diseases, and will spread them to other cats also.

Encounters with other Animals

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Most owners only think about their cat fighting other cats, and this certainly does happen, but cats may also fight dogs, raccoons, and other animals. Eagles and coyotes have been known to snatch away cats and make a meal out of them. Even raccoons and hawks will take kittens. An injured cat may develop an infection as the result of a scratch or bite. It does not take much for a dog to pick up a cat and fling it so hard the cats neck is broken. Owners should not assume their cat will run away from a conflict. Many cats will fight rather than resort to flight, even declawed cats will often put on a show of strength rather than fleeing.

Animal Abusers

Sadly some people have become cat haters, mostly due to owners who have allowed their cats to roam and become neighborhood pests. These people intentionally abuse cats, they use them as target practice, they torture the cat to vent their anger at whomever let it outside. Often dead or mutilated cats are then left for the owner to find.

Getting Lost

Cats rarely get lost on their own in neighborhoods where they live and are familiar with. Cats bond to places, not people. Still a cat who is not familiar with an area can get lost. A lost and confused cat will not even respond to its owners voice. Lost cats will have a difficult time finding food, water, and shelter. They will trespass unknowingly on other cats turf, making them an enemy.

Weather

Hot weather is bothersome but cats will usually find shade and as long as they have water they should be okay, it is the cold that is a real problem. Cats left out without a safe place to go can get frost bite.

Locked Up

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A huge risk for outdoor cats is being locked, or shut, into a garage or shed. Cats often enter these places on hot days to rest. If they get trapped for too long they will die of dehydration.   It happens easy enough, a cat enters somebodies garage and shed then hides at the back when the person approaches, the person unknowingly shuts the cat in. 

Breeding

Cats who go out and who are not spayed or neutered, run the risk of breeding. While this might seem harmless it not only can give a cat a sexually transmitted disease, but it contributes to the over population of cats. In the USA alone over 3 million cats are euthanized every year because of people who do not control their pets breeding.

Indoors or Out?
It really is up to you what you do with your pet. If you think your cat is happier outside than in then by all means let it out. However take precautions to keep it safe. Make sure it is spayed or neutered, is fully vaccinated, is identified, and stays in your yard only. If you cannot ensure your cat does not leave your yard, look into building a cat section to allow it limited access to the outdoors. Know your neighbors, if any of them show dislike for your cat, or cats in general be aware that your kitty could be a target of their anger. If you continue to let your cat out, it will cause their anger and dislike to escalate.

Remember just because your cat has always gone out and been fine, does not mean that it always will.

Take the risks if you wish, but know what they are.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/arascats/444032909/in/set-72157600043918147/

Above is a very elaborate way of allowing cats outdoors, a cheaper system can be built using 2×4’s and chicken wire. 

Me?
For the record I currently live on 10 acres in the country, my cats do go out. Two of them are barn cats (left behind when the previous owner moved out) and live outside all year long, they have several barns they can go into, have access to the deck on the house, and we have a heated waterer for them in the winter. They are well fed and friendly but have always been barn cats and do not use the litter box regularly enough to be indoors (we have tried, and do bring them in when it is really cold). The other cats live indoors mostly, going out only in the day (and never in the winter). All are spayed or neutered and vaccinated. When I did live in the city the cats were kept safe in my back yard with a cat run made out of chicken wire and 2×4’s. I had a neighbor who threatened to shoot them, and have no doubt that he would have. Even still we cannot think any of our neighbors is going to respect our cats to the same level as we would. Just because your neighbor has not told you they do not like your cat, does not mean they don’t.

Growing up we had a cat who went out when he pleased, he lived to a very old age, but times have changed now. My first cat, I owned as an adult, was killed by a dog, another was hit by a car. I have also worked at a shelter for five years and seen what happens to other kitties who go outdoors. I do not profess to be a perfect owner, only a slightly more experienced one.

Additional Links

Rescuing Orphaned Kittens

How to Build a Safe Cat Section

How to let your Cat Outside and keep it Safe

How to Prevent Cat Torturers in your City