Americans love there pets. It has been estimated that there are at least 46.3 million American households with dogs and 38.9 million with cats. The American Pet Product Association has estimated that there are between 74 and 96 million pet cats around the country. Cat lovers will tell you that they struggle with certain decisions about living with a cat. One decision they have to make it whether or not they will let their cat friends go outside. Most veterinarians recommend people keep their cats inside but many people with cats have a hard time doing that.
There are a lot of good reasons to keep your cat inside that go beyond what the veterinary specialty center tells you. Cats are considered to be a lot like serial killers. They have an instinct to hunt and go after anything that they think is “prey” that is incredibly strong. People sometimes assume that if they feed their fluffy friend enough, the urge to hunt will go away but that is a fallacy. They do not hunt because they are hungry. They hunt because thousands of years of evolutionary biology tells them to hunt.
There are also a lot of dangers that await cats when they go outside. Your veterinarian is right; your cat is safer inside. Cats can be hit by cars, hurt or worse by people with nefarious intentions towards animals (some people will shoot cats they see with BB guns or will kidnap pet cats and do with them whatever they want) or they can get into fights with other animals and are more likely to become a home for fleas and ticks. Keeping your cat inside will make them live longer. This does not have to be a bad thing for your pet, there are things that you can do to make their indoor lives more enjoyable. Here are some ways to keep Fluffy happy:
- Find them a friend. If you know you are going to be out of the house a lot, you may want to think about getting a second cat. People do not often think of cats as being social animals but they can be. They can also be fiercely territorial so getting them used to another cat (or even a dog) is something that you should do early in their lives. Female cats tend to be more territorial than male cats but both can get along very well with other animals when they are used to the situation. People, who are not familiar with cat behavior, often believe that cats are too independent to care about things like companionship but that is not true. Cats can have separation anxiety, just like dogs, and many people seek out help from veterinarians for that. If your cat really misses you when you are at work, you may want to get your cat a friend to keep them company.
- Get the cat neutered or spade. One of the most important veterinary surgical procedures is the sterilization. This is one of the veterinary surgery options that some people balk at but it will make your cat happier. It will also prevent male cats from spraying, which will happen if you forgo taking your pet to the veterinarian for this.
- Consider a cat tree. Cats love the sun, they love to look outside and they love to scratch stuff. There are many cat trees out there that will help with all three of those things. You can get a cat tree and put it near a window so your cat will be able to climb it, hang out in and on it and scratch it. You should also have scratching posts to keep them from going after your carpet or furniture.
- Get cat toys. There are tons of cat toys out there that mimic the predator/prey situation. There are some that can be played with alone and some that you can use to play with them. Like children, cats can get bored. Buy a bunch of toys and only keep some out. That way you can cycle through and give your kitty “new” toys once a week or so.
Your cat may always try to get outside but these tips will help keep them happier indoors.