Pets form an important part of many people’s lives, providing meaningful companionship. However, our pets can sometimes also be a source of unwelcome pathogens and diseases, particularly if they frequently roam outdoors.
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Keep your cats indoors, one and done. They shouldn’t be allowed outside (like any pet, outdoor time can be managed under containment such as a leash or enclosure). Indoor cats live longer, don’t bring home pathogens, and don’t wreak havoc on native animal populations.
wreak havoc on native animal populations.
Cats only pose a threat to native animal populations in places where they are not native (or naturalised) themselves, so that doesn’t apply to the majority of the countries in the world. In fact, even in places like the Americas and Australia there is no good evidence that outdoor cats threaten local wildlife populations, except on small islands (source: Outdoor domestic cats and wildlife: How to overrate and misinterpret field data).
The UKs leading cat charity (for example) will not allow you to adopt a cat that you plan to keep indoors unless it has a health problem that prevents it from going outside, as keeping cats locked up their whole lives is deemed to be animal cruelty.
Plus, they’re cleaner and present more cuddling opportunities.
Amen
