Four Reasons You Should Try to Keep Your Cat Indoors for Its Health

If you have a cat, you might think it is inhumane to keep it inside since its ancestors liked to hunt and live outdoors. The thing is, though, domesticated cats will be much safer inside and can have a longer life expectancy than their outdoor counterparts. Here are four reasons keeping your cat inside is the best option for your pet's health.

1. Vaccinations

If he or she assumes you'll be keeping your cat indoors, there are some vaccines that your vet will skip, such as the feline leukemia virus (FeLV) cat vaccine. While this could be remedied by scheduling the vaccination for your cat, there are also diseases your cat can catch that there are no vaccines for, such as feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Keep your cat safe by keeping it indoors and free of any diseases that it could be exposed to.

2. Outdoor Pests

The best way to keep your cat free from fleas, ticks, and worms is to keep it inside. Sometimes pests such as fleas aren't noticed right away. These can be passed to other pets in your home and can even lay eggs, making these pests extra hard to get rid of. Other pests such as ticks can pass on conditions such as Lyme disease to your cat, which it is susceptible to.

3. The Wild Outdoors

Letting your cat outside is a gamble on  their health in general. No matter where you live, cats can get lost in both an urban and a wild environment. If you are in a populated area, your cat might be hit by a car or get stuck in a shed or a garage. If you live somewhere a little more rustic, your cat can be seen as prey by other animals or get in fights with other cats or raccoons.

4. Aging Cats or Cats with Limitations

When cats get older, they can experience health problems much like humans do. If your cat has a limitation such as blindness or if they are declawed, the world outside can be an unsafe place for them. It is best for cats at any age to stay indoors so that this isn't a challenge later on in their life. Switching to an indoor environment because they are aging can be a battle if they are used to the outdoors.

If you can, bring the outdoors to your cat in order to protect its health. Your cat can sniff and see through screened windows, and you also give some supervised time on balconies. If you can put in the effort and make your cat's time inside as pleasant as possible, they won't yearn for the outdoors. If you can keep your cat safe, healthy, and happy, you and your cat can expect to have a long relationship together. For further tips or to have your cat's health examined, contact a representative from an establishment like Elizabethton Veterinary Clinic.