15 Reasons To Keep Your Cat Indoor Only

1. Cars - Thousands of cats get hit by cars every year. If they are lucky, they die instantly.

2. Car engines - Cats seek warmth. In the winter they tend to climb up inside car engines where they can be subsequently ground up.

3. Anti-freeze - Cats like the sweet taste of anti-freeze, and they will lick it if able. Anti-freeze is extremely toxic and your cat will die a painful death within hours of ingesting it. It can take less than a teaspoon to kill a full-size cat or dog!

4. Poisoning - There are people who don't like cats and will set out poison on their property. Others may put poison out to get rid of other wildlife, pesticides or weeds that wanders onto their property and your cat may accidentally ingest it. Some cats also eat rat, mouse or bird and die of parasitic infections.

5. Fighting - Your cat could be killed by dogs, raccoons, or other wildlife. Some people train their dogs to attack and kill cats.

6. FELV - Feline Leukemia destroys a cat's immune system. It is transmitted through body fluids. Even a sneeze can pass the virus from one cat to another. The vaccine for FELV is only 70 to 75% effective. Cats infected usually die within two years.

7. FIV - Feline Immunosuppressive Virus also destroys a cat's immune system. It is transmitted through body fluids and cuts a cat's lifespan in half. There is no vaccination for FIV.

8. FIP - Feline Infectious Peritonitis. FIP is always 100% fatal. Tests and vaccines for FIP are not reliable.

9. Animal Abuse - Cats are often shot with BB guns; burned with lighters, firecrackers; tortured by people causing loss of limbs, eyes, etc.

10. Starving to Death - People think that because they have lived in the same house for a number of years that their cat is too smart to wander off and get lost. NOT TRUE. People also think that because their cat has never left the front yard that it go any farther. NOT TRUE.

11. Getting Trapped - Your cat could get lost in somebody else's garage or utility shed. He could suffer brain damage if trapped in extreme heat or could suffer frostbite if trapped in extreme cold.

12. Research Labs - Your cat could get stolen and sold to a research lab. This practice does go on, even in Cincinnati!

13. Animal Control - Your cat could get taken in by someone thinking it is a stray. They might keep your cat or take it to the animal control or humane society where it will be euthanized.

14. Fleas, ticks, worms, ringworm - Your cat could transmit these to other pets and people in the household.

15. Drowning - Your cat could accidentally fall in a swimming pool and drown.

With so many valid reasons I just don't understand why people let their kitties freely roam the streets when they won't do that with their dogs or children. Why let your cat die horribly after 2 to 4 years of living when they could live happily indoor for 10 to 15 years given the right stimulation and so fort? I think if people truly love their kitties and want them to freely explore the outdoor then let them do so within the safety of enclosures or harnesses. Here is a blog of people who had built large and amazing enclosures for their kitties: http://catioshowcase.com/

If you have limited budget then buy some boards and make your house a large jungle gym for your kitties:

www.catshouse.jp/ 

www.furryfriendshaven.com/haven.html

http://animal.discovery.com/videos/most-outrageous-the-cats-house.html