Should you let your cat outside?

Whether to let a cat outside is not such an innocent question as it might seem at first glance. This is fundamental to the safety and health of your purr. 

In the photo: a cat on the street

To walk or not to walk a cat by itself?

Many years ago, the question of “whether to let a cat out” was decided unambiguously: cats, in general, were “working” creatures, rodent hunters. They caught mice and rats in the barns, slept there, and only from time to time they got scraps from the master’s table.

However, in Belarusian villages, cats still lead a similar lifestyle. These animals, even if they are sometimes allowed into the house, can go outside when they please. They are believed to be able to take care of themselves.

However, modern realities force scientists (and responsible owners after them) to decide that it is still better for a cat to stay at home.

In the photo: cats on the street

Why shouldn’t you let your cat outside?

Firstly, environmentalists are sounding the alarm, giving cats the title of “threat to biodiversity.” The fact is that our domestic “tigers” have remained very successful predators who hunt not only to satisfy hunger, but also for pleasure. In Belarus, no studies have been conducted on how many birds and small animals die from the claws and teeth of cats, but in other countries such studies are being carried out, and the results are depressing. For example, in the US, the bill goes to tens of billions of victims (birds and animals) per year, and in Germany it is estimated that cats kill about 200 million birds per year.

Secondly, self-walking is dangerous for our pets themselves. The list of threats to a cat walking “on its own” is constantly expanding. Here are just a few of them:

1. Transport.
2. Other animals and possible conflicts with them.
3. Infection with infectious diseases from rodents.
4. risk of contracting rabies.
5. The inability to get off the tree.
6. Poisoning by poison, food waste or chemicals, pesticides.
7. Abduction (especially when it comes to a thoroughbred animal).
8. The risk of not finding the way home.
9. Parasite infestation.
10. Cruelty on the part of people.

This is not to mention the risk of mating with stray cats for unsterilized cats and the subsequent headache for the owner of the adoption of “unplanned” offspring (I don’t want to discuss more cruel solutions to the problem).

Veterinarians and animal welfare professionals advise letting your cat outside only if you can provide a safe space for her to roam, such as a fenced-in yard with a fence that the cat can’t climb.

And if the desire to get out for a walk with a cat is great, you can accustom it to a harness and lead it on a leash.

In the photo: a cat walking on a leash

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