Anyone who has, now or ever, had a cat knows how rewarding it can be.
Cats can be great friends and more entertaining than any TV show. They are curious and funny, intelligent and discerning, cuddly and sweet, independent and aloof.
But some people don’t realize they can live happy and contented, long lives completely indoors. Cats do not ‘need’ to get outside for fresh air. They don’t have to roam or socialize with other cats. And the instinct to reproduce doesn’t mean they need the ‘experience’ of parenthood. Cats are domesticated these days and do not have all the savvy needed to survive outdoors.
Most people would not let their dogs out the front door to wander and return later. They keep them on leashes, or in pens or in yards. But those same people let their cats out the door and figure they’ll return when they get hungry.
There are a myriad of dangers out in the neighborhood to injure or even kill cats. They could be run over by a car. They could be in a fight with another animal and be injured and unable to return home. They could be picked up by a ‘good Samaritan’ as a stray and brought to a shelter. They also could be out there reproducing litters of kittens that will not have a home.
Cats are being euthanized in masses every day because they don’t have homes and are overpopulating. So, ‘in the old days’ out on a farm or in rural areas, cats roamed and kept the mice population down. This is a very different world now. When you open the door to let out your cat, you may very well never see it again. When they don’t return, you’ll have to wonder what befell them. Are they hurt somewhere and unable to get home? Most likely you won’t ever know what happened.
So please consider the next time you let your cat out the door that it may be the last time you will see your friend.
Cats can live healthy and completely fulfilled lives inside your home. They will live much longer that way. And who doesn’t want to keep their feline friends as long as they can?
Robin Zink
Submitted photo
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