The Importance of Being an Indoor Cat in the City

There are plenty of health and safety reasons why it’s better to have an indoor-only cat, but these reasons are escalated with city life for most cats. Unlike the countryside, city life means cars, more foot traffic, and animal control nabbing your cat. There is also a potential that someone might steal your cat or treat it inhumanely. The overall risk of having an indoor-outdoor cat is not worth the chance of losing your pet earlier to disease, injury, or abduction.

Shorter Lifespan for Outdoor Cats

Cats that are allowed to roam freely outdoors live a much shorter lifespan than their indoor-only counterparts. While some outdoor cats can luck out with longer lives, the majority will incur health issues and other maladies that will lead to a shorter life.

More Expensive Vaccinations and Veterinarian Bills

Indoor cats do not require the same vaccinations as indoor-outdoor cats. Feline Leukemia and Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV) are examples of two vaccinations that your cat will not need if kept indoor only. Rabies vaccines are mandatory in most states, but indoor-only cats don’t need them as often as outdoor cats do, with outdoor being annual and indoor-only needing a rabies vaccination every 3 years.

Higher Risk of Injury

Cats are quiet when they are injured. They don’t want to risk predators discovering their injury, so they will simply become quieter if they have a dog bite or other ailment. If your cat is bitten while outdoors and the bite becomes infected, you could be looking at thousands of dollars in emergency room fees once your cat reaches the point of a serious infection and the injury is more noticeable.