Many adventures await a cat outside and hopefully even a few cat friends. However, also various dangers might be there as well. What can happen to a cat outdoors?
If your cat can go outside, it will definitely bring a lot of fun it might not have at home. It has a lot of prey for hunting, trees for climbing and high grass for crawling. It can enjoy sun outside and make social bonds with other cats. Besides that, the outside world hides many various dangers for the cat. And we should consider them before we decide to let our cats go outside or not to go there, realize and really think through if the benefits of the outdoor life take precedence over its risks. It depends on our preferences, on where we live and on the nature of the cat and everyone needs to decide for himself/herself. Today, I will introduce you to the risks (I know) so you could make an informed choice.
Ticks, fleas and internal parasites
The first thing that probably comes to your mind is probably the danger of parasites. However, this can be quite easily reduced by getting antiparasitic agents. I like pipettes for cats more than collars – there is a risk that a cat remains stuck somewhere and suffocates. If the cat goes outside, there is a higher risk of catching a tapeworm, roundworms and other parasites. Therefore, you need to remember around regular deworming and do not underestimate it.
Car accident
Cats very often die under the wheels. That’s why you need to consider how much traffic is in your surroundings and whether the access to the road is easy for the cat, if there isn’t a forest behind the road she would like to go to, etc. The risk of being hit by a car is sometimes so high that it is not worth letting your cat go outside.
Dogs
Cats can be a dog’s prey as well. If your neighbour’s dog hates cats and hits on them, your cat might become its prey. Cats usually learn to avoid gardens where dogs hit on them but some of them are incorrigible and will provoke the dog until they pay for it.
Hunters
If you live near a forest, your cat might be shot by a hunter. They can’t shoot at cats and dogs only within 200 m from the closest property designed for living. Therefore, keep your cats mainly at home during the hunting period if they are used to wander around.
Other cats
An unknown cat might become a companion for adventures. However, it will more likely become an enemy. Mainly if it concerns two unneutered male cats and even in the period of rut. But even female cats fight. My cat started a fight with any cat that wasn’t willing to surrender. Cats are territorial creatures and they will protect the territory even if it costs some scratches. And the fights may be quite brutal, so you won’t avoid visiting a vet and potential stitches then.
Transmitted diseases
The transmission of diseases is directly connected to these fights. The diseases might include calicivirus or panleukopenia and sometimes even fatal diseases such as FIV. Diseases are transmitted during an intercourse or, most often, by blood during fights.
Birds of prey
Even birds of prey may be threats to cats. Especially if you live in the countryside near fields, I wouldn’t worry about this risk in a city.
Poisoning
Poisoning may be for example caused by eating grass treated with pesticides, poisoned baits for mice or eating such a poisoned mouse, there might be poisoned water by fertilizers and pesticides.
While some risks are minimal for the cat, some can be prevented and somewhere there might be high enough that it would be irresponsible to let it go outside. So it’s necessary to think it through and decide in the best interest of your cat. Can you think of any other risks that should be considered?
Temperatures exceed thirty degrees Celsius, but not many people want to stay inside for days. And, to be honest, it often isn't much better inside. However, it's harder for our four-legged friends to bear the heat. How can we relieve them?
July is the time to prepare for autumn kittens. It's good to remind ourselves what cat pregnancy entails, when and how to prevent it and why.
Do you have a pregnant cat at home? Is this stage slowly coming to an end and you are starting to panic about the birth? Let me take you through it from the beginning to the end. Let's take a look at when it is necessary to intervene, when the help...
Outside temperatures suggest that the boater season is just behind the corner. Many people take their family and children on a water adventure. Some boaters even take their four-legged friends along. What can you do to make sure your trip goes...
In the summer, most of us move to the garden, whether at our home or cottage. Of course, we also want to let our rodent friends loose, and simply bringing the cage out won't do it. How can we make a comfortable, safe outdoor enclosure?
Does your cat wander outside? Are you tired of constant meowing and scratching on doors, or constantly opened windows? Then it's time to get your cat a door.
The nutrient requirements of each dog varies depending on its age, physical condition, lifestyle and size. There are many aspects, and you need to take them all into account when choosing your food.
Cats can take a cold a lot harder than we do. For them it's a relatively serious and very contagious viral disease. A cat cold is a combination of diseases, whose symptoms include a cold.
What elements play an important role in cat nutrition, why do they need them and in what proportion should they get them? This is the alchemy behind the preparation of quality cat food.
Although traveling is fun, it can also be stressful. We have to make sure we don't forget anything and that everything goes according to plan. But what if you decide to travel with your little friend, a guinea pig? Let's take a look at what you...
It is a well-known fact about cats that they like lying in the sunlight. However, that doesn’t mean they are never hot and the risk of overheating is not real for them.
The fact that there are different cans and dry food for dogs and cats is not a marketing stunt. Both beasts have their specific nutrition needs which vary in certain aspects and if you give them the wrong food, they will start suffering quite soon.
