Outdoor Indoor Cats

Read our article transitioning an outdoor cat to indoors for tips on how to do both.

Outdoor indoor cats.

Many cats have successfully gone from outdoor only or indoor outdoor to indoor only. Deciding whether or not a cat should be an indoors or outdoors animal is up to individual owners but the pros and cons provide substantial evidence toward indoor cats. Spay or neuter your pet. The key again is making sure the indoor environment is just as interesting as outside and being vigilant about preventing escape attempts.

Cats who are kept indoors can reach the ripe old age of 17 or more years whereas outdoor cats live an average of just two to five years. It s no secret that the mean streets or even fields hold many dangers for an outdoor cat on its own. That raises the chances they ll get hit by a car or get into a catfight. Just like indoor cats outdoor cats can also suffer from diseases and syndromes that cause vomiting not to mention the fact that they are at risk for eating many disgusting or toxic things.

An outdoor cat who comes to the veterinarian and is sick or vomiting is a true challenge because the possible causes are many. Statistics show the lifespan of an indoor cat is much longer than an outdoor cat. Indoor cats have a much lower likelihood of becoming hurt or ill from outdoor hazards as evidence indoor cats live longer than their outdoor counterparts. Cats who aren t fixed are more likely to roam away from home mosenco says.

Outdoor cats may have shorter lifespans as there are a lot of risky situations out there that indoor cats are not exposed to such as predators vehicular injuries and exposure to toxins and infectious diseases such as of bacterial viral parasitic or fungal origin dr. There s a lot of discussion about whether it is best for cats to be primarily indoors versus outdoors. Outdoor cats will need additional vaccinations like the feline leukemia vaccine and possibly others depending on what part of the country you live in miller says. An indoor cat doesn t face the increasing number of cars toxins parasites and instances of animal cruelty that a roaming outdoor cat does.

Like many cat lovers you may have thought about letting your cat go outside. An indoor cat generally has a simpler life than its free range feline counterpart.