The danger lurking outdoors!

The great outdoors may sound like fun for a cat but there are many dangers lurking outside for our feline friends. Veterinarians and shelters strongly advise that all cats be kept indoors only or allowed outside only under supervision. Consider some of the outdoor dangers to your feline friend:

Cars

Your cat can get hit by a car or climb under a car hood to get warm and then get caught in the radiator fan when the engine is started. Cats also like the sweet taste of anti-freeze which is poisonous.

Rabies

There is an increased presence of rabies in New York! In fact, there was a rabid racoon found  Once contracted, it is fatal and presents a serious risk to your family as well. It is much more likely that people will contract rabies from a family pet that tangles with a wild animal, rather than the wild animal itself. When your cat goes out by itself, you have no idea where it has been or what animals it has come into contact with. Vaccinating your cats and dogs is the law.

Dogs or Other Animals

Dogs or other animals can attack, severely injure or kill your cat. This is not something that could happen — it happens all the time.

Wildlife

While outside, your cat could become injured, killed by a wild animal, or attack and cause problems for area wildlife. In fact, it is no surprise that domestic cats bear a big responsibility for the decline of many local songbird populations, as well as many small
mammals.

Parasites
Cats are hunters by nature. Many cats eat small, wild animals and become infested with parasites such as tapeworms, roundworms, hookworms, coccidia and ear mites. The best way to prevent fleas? Keep your cat in a flea-free environment — inside your home! Monthly flea prevention is best, even with indoor cats.

Neighbors

Your neighbors may not want your cat trespassing onto their property and killing the songbirds they love to watch and feed, using their garden or sandbox as a litter-box, or upsetting their own pets.

Getting Lost or Trapped

Your cat might never come home again. It might lose its bearings and wander too far from home. Elderly cats quickly become disoriented outside. Your cat could also get accidentally locked in a neighbor’s basement or shed or be severely maimed or killed in a trap.

Diseases and Catfights
Cat fights can and do result in serious injuries or abscesses and pass deadly feline diseases like Feline Leukemia (FeLV) and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV). Upper respiratory infections (URI) and Distemper are also serious threats to cats that go outdoors — especially if they are not vaccinated. Even if your own cat is vaccinated, the risk of coming into contact with infected cats is far greater when your cat is going outside. Remember no vaccines afford 100% protection.

Breeding and Pregnancy

We all know there are too many homeless kittens in the world today. The overpopulation tragedy is why responsible pet owners spay their females and neuter their males. But remember, even if you plan on spaying or neutering your cat, he can breed before the surgery is done.

Poisons

Anti-freeze, weed-killer, and other chemicals used in gardening or lawn care could kill your cat.

Pet Theft, Abuse, and Torture

Your cat could be tortured, stolen and sold for laboratory research, or abused in some sort of cult ritual.

Cats will live longer, healthier lives when kept indoors only. The average life span for a cat that goes outside is 16 months; for a cat that stays inside, it is 16 years. That’s worth staying indoors for!

http://www.mspca.org/programs/pet-owner-resources/pet-owner-guides/cat-care/outdoors-and-cats.html