Keep your cat indoors as their life may depend on it
On my way in to work on a recent Sunday morning, I met with a chilling sight. Two of the biggest coyotes I have ever seen were walking leisurely out of a residential neighbourhood, and both were carrying a cat. One black and white, one orange tabby ... both helpless small animals who died unnecessarily in terror and pain.
At the Niagara Falls Humane Society, we ask all adopters to keep their cats indoors. We do not adopt to anyone who intends to let their cat roam free. We hear it all the time: “But he wants to go outside.” “We live on a very quiet street.” “It’s cruel to keep her in.” Although cats may enjoy being outside, it’s a myth that going outside is a requirement for feline happiness. Daily playtime with your cat easily keeps your pet stimulated and provides the exercise needed for them to stay healthy and happy. Kittens who are kept indoors usually show no desire to venture outside when they grow up.
Do the work to ensure a happy cat. Feline needs include the need to hunt, the option to retreat and hide, the pleasure of climbing and, in general, the need for a cat to have a sense that it is in control of its own activities.
Bring the outdoors in by planting cat grass in indoor pots so your cat can graze. Make sure the litter box is kept clean. Cats love to scratch and doing so enables them to remove broken claws, stretch muscles, and mark “territory.” The best way to save your furniture is to provide lots of “approved” places to scratch. Cat trees and posts, cardboard scratching boxes, and those ingenious “cat tracks” (a ball in a circular, partially open plastic tunnel surrounding a cardboard scratching pad) are big hits. Sprinkle catnip on them weekly to keep cats interested and be sure to replace cardboard inserts when they get worn out. Provide a room with a view. Windows can be a cat “TV” — a birdbath or feeder placed near a window can provide hours of entertainment. Toys can be important. Choose toys that your cat likes to chase and play with. Try a range of toys — small furry ones that squeak and move rapidly are popular. Or feathered toys at the end of a wand-like rod that you can flick back and forwards. You could also consider a “cat activity centre” that allows a cat to climb up and down, with a few dangly toys attached, and perhaps a scratching post, too (essential if you do not want your cat to shred your furniture and wallpaper). Cats like to be “high up” in a room — it makes them feel secure — so make sure that you provide cat-accessible elevated sleeping spots around the house.
Sharon Richardson, who manages our Cat Adoption Centre at Niagara Square, comments: “I keep my cats indoors as it’s much safer for them. I don’t have to worry about them getting sick from other animals or from something poisonous they got into or worrying if they are ok when they don’t come home. They are happy looking out the window. At the AC we see so many cats with sad stories because they were outside-like the FIV+ cats. They would have never become infected if they had been indoor cats, and now they have a harder time finding their forever homes.”
Co-op student Alexis has a soft spot for the senior cats who have had a tough life. She says “I feel as if my cats are my family. Having them outside all hours of the night would worry me too much to even consider having them on their own without me. It is like leaving a child outside all day and night not even having a clue where they are and if they are OK. I prefer to know that my family is at all times somewhere safe. And the safest place is inside my home.”
Your cat depends on you. You are all they’ve got. Keep them safe.
For more information on events and about the shelter, please visit our website, www.nfhs.ca and like us on Facebook.
Cathy Fugler is Communications Director for the Niagara Falls Humane Society. Contact her at cfugler@niagarafallshumanesociety.com
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