Some cats thrive lounging on the sofa, while others are born explorers, itching to get outside and roam. Whether your cat prefers the comforts of home or craves the great outdoors, the decision to allow outdoor access is a big one, and it comes with responsibilities.
If you’re considering letting your cat outside, it’s essential to ensure they’re protected. This includes being neutered, vaccinated, and treated regularly for fleas and worms. And, as of 2024, microchipping is now a legal requirement for cats in the UK — a vital step in ensuring lost cats can be safely reunited with their owners.
But before opening the door and setting them loose, it’s important to understand what dangers your cat might encounter outdoors.
Let’s explore the potential hazards and what you can do to keep your feline safe.
Outdoor Hazards for Cats:
- Traffic accidents are a major consideration for cat owners, especially if you live near a busy main road or a very built-up city area. According to PetPlan and parliamentary data, approximately 230,000 cats are hit by cars every year in the UK.
- Inquisitive cats can also get themselves locked inside sheds, garages, or even trapped in narrow gaps between buildings.
- Cities and built-up areas will have a higher density of cat populations, and because of this, cat territories are becoming smaller.
- Diseases are something to watch out for, such as fighting with other cats. This can result in abscesses needing medical attention. Cats can contract toxoplasmosis whilst eating exposed prey, which can kill your cat and is contagious to people, especially pregnant women.
- There are lots of fleas, ticks, mites, and worms around that can cause all sorts of problems. This includes heartworm, lungworm, Lyme disease, ear mites, and inflamed skin rashes. Speak to your vet about the best product for your cat.
- Poisons are a risk that is often overlooked. Think of insecticides on your neighbours’ roses, poisons put down to kill mice and rats, slug pellets, ant powder, and lawn fertilisers. Even antifreeze dripping from cars can be a hazard.
- Other people may find your cat wandering in their garden and think they are stray and start feeding them. The cat then ends up spending more time with them, perhaps they prefer the food there better! They may even trap the cat and take it to a rescue, thinking it’s a stray. In rare cases, unscrupulous people will use them to bait dogs.
- Although cats have a good sense of direction, if they are frightened and chased away, they may end up somewhere unfamiliar and get themselves lost.
Benefits of Letting Your Cat Outdoors
- Cats have a natural desire to explore and be outdoors. They can use their natural instincts, getting mental stimulation from the smells, sights, tastes, and sounds found in the ever-changing outdoor environment.
- Cats will perform their natural behaviours, such as scratching and spraying outside, rather than inside on furniture.
- Cats get physical exercise as well as mental stimulation from climbing trees, roaming distances, and jumping from one place to another. Keeping active in this way reduces the chances of your cat becoming overweight. They also enjoy sunbathing whilst observing their surroundings from places high up.
- Cats who perform natural hunting patterns are happier due to the release of endorphins. Hunting — a normal behaviour in cats — is not driven by hunger, so cats will still hunt regardless of how much food you provide for them.
- Access to the outdoors will provide a larger territory for your cat and a larger variety of environments. Some cats feel stressed by things going on inside the home, such as dogs or other cats, so the freedom to go outside can help reduce their stress and improve their well-being.
The good part is that there are measures we can take to mitigate the hazards of being outdoors. Let’s have a look at these now:
How to Keep Your Cat Safe Outdoors
- Cats who are killed on roads are typically under a year old, and most happen at night. Keeping your cat inside at night may help to reduce this risk. Also, ensure your cat’s collar is reflective to help them stand out more easily to drivers.
- Collars can become caught on obstacles, so ensure you use a quick-release collar, and that the collar fits well by inserting two fingers between the collar and the cat’s neck; this should be a snug fit but not too tight.
- Fights with other cats or dogs do happen, and they can get injured, especially if a new cat moves into the area. All cats should be neutered to avoid unwanted pregnancies, and it could help reduce fights. Check your cat regularly for signs of injury that may not always be visible. Seek veterinary attention if you find an injury, as often a scratch or bite can become an abscess.
- Regular vaccinations and flea and worming treatments will help keep your cat healthy from infectious diseases and parasites. Your vet will advise you on vaccinations, treatments and how often to give them.
- Losing your cat happens for a variety of reasons. Microchipping is now the law for cats and can help reunite you both if they are found and handed in to a vet practice. Keeping an ID tag on your cat’s collar will also help, but ensure it does not dangle down too much so that it cannot get entangled on something.
- Pet trackers are becoming very popular in the dog world, and some cat owners are starting to use them. However, trackers are still quite heavy and bulky for use on cats. You need to consider the risks of the tracker getting caught and trapping your cat. They may become smaller and more lightweight in the future.
- If you have a new cat, then keep them indoors for between two to six weeks until they have acclimatised to their new surroundings. Our behaviourists can help you make this transition.
- If you suspect your cat has been poisoned, do not wait to see if they get better, and do not try and make them sick. Seek veterinary attention immediately!
Making your garden cat-friendly will encourage your cat to stay closer to home:
- Provide a toileting area in a secluded, sheltered part of your garden with fine, freshly dug soil or sand that they are drawn to. Make sure you turn the soil/sand over regularly to maintain hygiene and remove the poop you find.
- Plant things such as catnip and cat thyme, which cats are drawn to. Consider providing a shady spot, especially in summer months. Some cats like to eat grass, so ensure you do not use pesticides or herbicides in your garden.
- If your garden isn’t large enough for a tree, then logs or posts also make good scratching posts, as well as different levels (e.g. shelves fixed to walls) where they can sit.
- A popular choice now is to enclose part of your garden and make it cat-friendly with cat-friendly planting and cat furniture. These are commonly called a ‘catio’, as in patio for cats! You can even use cat-proof fencing, which not only stops your cat from exiting your garden but also prevents other cats from intruding on your cat’s territory.
- Other cats roaming in your garden can make your cat nervous about going outside. Using a microchip cat flat is recommended to keep other cats out of your home. Strategically placed plant pots just outside the cat flap will provide a place for your cat to hide and survey the garden before venturing into the open.
Conclusion
Overall, the outdoors does provide a natural and enriching environment for your cat. However, it is recommended that some cats be kept indoors if they have a disability or health care needs. Your vet will advise you on this. You will need to find out which option is best for your cat. If you live near a busy road or built-up area, then indoors, a catio or cat-proof fencing may be your best option. If you do keep your cat indoors, you need to ensure that you spend time providing enrichment, training, and play sessions to meet their needs and prevent boredom.
Book a call now with one of our cat behaviourists who can help you make these decisions and put measures in place, whether you have an indoor or outdoor cat.