01/12/2025
The safest and kindest choice you can make for your feline friend is to keep them exclusively indoors. The data speaks for itself. Outdoor cats sadly average a lifespan of 2 to 5 years, while indoor cats often live two to three times longer, averaging 13 to 17 years.
Top Threats Outdoors:
Vehicles: Being hit by a car is one of the leading causes of outdoor cat death.
Disease: They are at much higher risk for contracting serious, contagious illnesses like Feline Leukemia (FeLV) and FIV from other animals.
Predators and Fights: From coyotes to other territorial cats, fights lead to abscesses, serious injuries, and even death.
Toxins: Exposure to antifreeze, rodent poisons, and toxic landscaping chemicals is sadly very common.
You can enrich their lives safely. Give them tall cat trees, lots of window perches, and interactive play every day. Consider building or buying a catio (an enclosed outdoor patio) so they can safely enjoy the fresh air without the risks.