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?
Kitten Lady describes her activities as kittens’ advocacy and humane education. This all is done by young beautiful Hannah Shaw. She’s a kitten rescuer, spreads the principles of humanity and is an unwavering advocate of animal rights. She decided to...
Several kinds of hedgehog are kept as pets. The most common one is the four-toed hedgehog or an African pygmy hedgehog in other words. This pet which is not very common but is becoming more and more popular can live up to 9 years in captivity and...
More than one artist fell in love with these creatures and looked for inspiration for work in them. One of them was Ernest Hemingway. He is the author of the well-known saying “One cat just leads to another”. He really kept a large number of cats (in...
We have an active and healthy lifestyle. Or at least we try to have. In relation to that, we don’t only think about our own food but also about our dogs’ food. The trend of barfing has already come to the Czech Republic, too. It is a method of feeding...
If you go camping for the first time, it is good to prepare for all various reactions of your furry friend. Do you travel with it by car and by public transport with no problems? Is your dog okay when not sleeping at home, e.g. in a mountain cabin? It...
As the name of this breed suggests, you can’t expect much hair on an American hairless terrier. This small or medium size muscled dog has hair only on its muzzle and eyebrows. But the interesting thing is that puppies are born with an undercoat which...
Let us get this straight, what is monoprotein food? It is wet food (i.e. cans and pouches) which contains only one type of meat, muscles and bowels. And why is it better than common wet food?
A meat bomb in a form of a dog paté or can doesn’t have to be only a reward. If you are planning to go on a long hike – to the mountains or to the valley – you can make the use of a dog meat can. Dogs in move, usually when doing any sport outside, need...
The cause of diabetes is a lack of insulin (a pancreas hormone) or the inability of the body to use it effectively (i.e. the resistance of tissues towards insulin). And it doesn’t matter if you’re a person or an animal. With diabetes, the sugar is...
Runner Dion Leonard could talk for hours about the bond which is created between a man and a dog and also about how an unknown Asian crossbreed dog becomes one of the most famous dogs on planet Earth. He bumped into a dog companion at the ultra-trial...
Even when you cannot or don’t want to take your dog on your holiday with you, you still have many options what to do with it. You can take him to your relatives, accommodate it in a dog hotel, use dog-sitting and other things. It’s not that easy with...
Cats can also be heroes and put their lives at risk to save someone from risky or life-threatening situations. The first cat hero I will introduce you to is Scarlett. She showed her heroism in the most natural form – she saved her kittens. She took...
