How to Keep Cats Happy Indoors
Play with your cat at least 15 minutes every day. Interactive wand toys provide stimulation and fun for you and your cat. If your budget allows, add another cat to your household to keep your cat company while you are away. Provide paper bags and cardboard boxes for your cat to play and hide in. Train your cat to go outside on a harness and leash, but never leave your cat outside unattended. Buy or build an outdoor enclosure. Learn about some examples at www.abcbirds.org/cats. Keep the litter box clean. Provide more than one litter box if you have more than one cat. Place bird feeders near windows to allow your cat to “bird watch.” Plant grass in flowerpots so your cat can graze safely indoors.
Tips on Responsible Pet Ownership Spay or neuter your cat as early as eight weeks of age before an unwanted litter is produced. Take your cat to the veterinarian for routine checkups, and vaccinate your cat against rabies and other feline diseases every year. Never abandon a cat. Find your cat a good home or take it to a shelter. For a shelter nearest you, see the National Shelter Directory at www.aspca. org/findashelter. Be sure to put a name tag on your cat’s collar or have a microchip implanted, so you can be con- tacted if your cat slips out. Do not feed stray and feral cats unless you are go- ing to find them a home. Take them to a shelter or call your shelter for help.
Remember, Indoor Cats Are Safe Cats! Today, the cat is one of the most popular pets in America Scientists estimate that free-roaming pet, stray and feral cats kill hundreds of millions of birds, small mammals, and reptiles in the United States each year, including rare species. Outdoor cats kill animals whether or not they are hungry, have bells on their collars, or have been declawed. Our native wildlife did not evolve with these efficient predators, so has few defenses against them. Cats pose a serious threat to Arizona’s native birds and other wildlife, and are them- selves at risk from disease, attacks by other animals, cars, and more. Free-roaming cats can also transmit diseases and parasites to people, such as rabies, cat- scratch fever, toxoplasmosis, and roundworm. For the benefit of cats, wildlife and people, the Arizona Game and Fish Department encourages cat owners to keep their cats indoors.
Many people do not realize free- roaming cats face many hazards every day. While indoor cats can live 17 years or more, the average life expectancy of an outdoor cat is five years. Free-roaming cats are in constant danger from: Disease: Outdoor cats risk exposure to fatal diseases, such as rabies, feline leukemia virus (FeLV), and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV). Coyotes and other predators: Coyotes are common in Arizona and are known to kill cats. Hawks, eagles, and owls may also kill cats. Cars: Many cats are killed or seriously injured by cars each year. On a cold night, a cat may even climb into an engine compartment and be killed or injured when the engine is started. Parasites: Outdoor cats can suffer from parasites, such as fleas, ticks, ear mites, and worms. For ex- ample, fleas can carry diseases, such as the bubonic plague, that can infect other cats and people. Overpopulation: Millions of cats are euthanized each year because people fail to spay or neuter their pets. Poison: Cats are poisoned both intentionally and accidentally by even small amounts of pesticides, rat poisons, and antifreeze.
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