Keeping Cats Indoors

KEEPING
YOUR CATS
INDOORS

Living here in Florida, bob cats and the endangered
Florida Panther are also at risk due to feral domestic cats.

Please take this information to heart and pass this
on. You wouldn't let young kids out to roam and let
them in harms way. Why would you let your furry
kids do the same? They need you to protect them!

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All information was aquired
from,"The Campaign for Safer
Birds & Cats."

Each Year millions of cats are run over by cars, mauled by dogs, poisoned and lost. Hundreds of millions of birds and small mammals are killed annually by free-roaming cats. The suffering of both cats and birds is all the more tragic because it is so unnecessary. Todayâ€™s cat owners face an important decision: â€œShould I keep my cat indoors?â€� For your cats sake, and that of the birds and other wildlife in your neighborhood, the answer should be â€œyes!â€� Keeping Cats Indoors is for the Cats.... The average life expectancy of an out door cat is just two to five years, while an indoor cat may survive 17 or more years. Cats who roam are constantly in danger.... Cars- Millions of cats are run over by cars each year. Seeking warmth, out door cats crawl into car engines and are killed or maimed when the car is restarted. Mototrists risk accidents in attempting to avoid hitting free roaming cats. Animal Attacks- Torn ears, scratched eyes, abscess, internal injuries, diseases, and some times death result from encounters with dogs, other cats, and wild animals like raccoons, coyotes, and foxes. Human Cruelty- Each year, animal shelters and veterinarians treat cats who have been shot, stabbed, or set fire. Unsupervised cats may also be captured and used as bait to train fighting dogs. Overpopulation- Unaltered free-roaming cats are the single most important cause of over-population. As a result, millions cats whom there are no homes for must be euthanized each year. Disease- Cats allowed outdoors risk exposure to fatal diseases, including rabies, feline leukemia,distemper, and feline immunodeficiency virus (FIP). Vaccines are not 100% effective. Parasites- Cats allowed outdoors are more likely to contact debilitating parasites such as worms, ticks, mites, and fleas. Poison and Traps- Exposure to pesticides, rodenticides and antifreeze poisons and kills thousands of outdoor cats each year. Cats are maimed and killed in traps set for hunting fur bearing animals. ...And for the Birds Today, birds and other wildlife face more obstacles to their survival than ever before. Wildlife habitats aredestroyed and degraded every day, and many species are declining as a result. Even the impacts of natural predators on their prey is changing based on how humans are altering natural environments. And the presence of an unnatural predator- the domestic cat- is having an impact as well. Scientist estimate that cats kill hundreds of millions of birds each year and three times as many small mammals. Most birds killed by cats are members of realitively common species, like the Northern Cardinal, Song Sparrow and Dark-eyed Junco; others are rare and endangered.. Regardless of the status of the species, each wild animal suffers when captured by a cat. By letting our cats outside, we- perhaps without intent- place a higher value on the freedom of our pet than on the life of that cardinal, that chickadee, or that chipmunk it kills. â€œIs it Natureâ€™s Way for Cats to Kill Birds?â€� A decedent of the wild cat of Africa and southwestern Asia, the domestic cat instinctively hunts and captures prey. However, wildlife in the Western Hemisphere did not evolve in the presence of a small, abundant predator like the domestic cat, and thus did not develop defenses against them. Cats were introduced in North America by European immigrants only a few hundred years ago. While cats may instinctively hunt wildlife, it is clear that they are not adapted to life in the wild as our native cats like the Bob Cat and Mountain Lion. Outdoor domestic cat populations are most commonly found in and around human settlements; most do not survive without direct or indirect support by humans. They are in this way very different from native predators. Truths About Cats and Birds We all know that cats donâ€™t have nine lives, but there are three other myths about cat predation weâ€™d like to dispel. 1. â€œBelledâ€� cats do kill wildlife. Cats with bells on their collars can learn to stalk their prey silently. Even if they donâ€™t, wild animals do not necessarily associate the ringing of a bell with danger. 2. Even well-fed cats kill wildlife. The eurge to hunt and the eurge to eat are controlled by different portions of the cats brain. 3. Once caught by a cat, few birds survive, even if they appear to have escaped. Infection from the cats teeth, claws, salivia, or stress of capture usually results in death. Tips for Happy Indoor cats Kittens who are kept indoors usually show no desire to venture outside as cats. With knowledge, patience, and time we can change most cats who roam outdoors into happy indoor pets. These tips will help. Provide safe, outside enclosure, such as a screen porch. Provide window shelves to permit cats to monitor the outdoors from the safety of the indoors. Play with your cat each day. Paper bags and cardboard boxes are sources of unending delight when you are away. Plant kitty grass (available from a pet supply stores) in indoor pots so your cat can graze. Clean litter boxes regularly. Because indoor cats may slip out an open door, itâ€™s important to keep in mind the other essentials of a responsible pet ownership: Spay or neuter your kitten as early as eight weeks of age; Provide routine veterinary care, including annual check ups and vaccination; Put an identification tag and license on your cats collar- itâ€™s her ticket home if she slips out and gets picked up by animal control or someone else finds him/her. For the Sake of All Cats... Support local control and protection plans; Support legislation requiring cat owners to register their cats and prevent them from roaming; Do not feed unowned or free-ranging cats without making a commitment to giving or finding them a permanent indoor home; and Take cats for whom you can not care to your local animal shelter to give them the best possible chance of adoption into loving, life long homes.

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	Cats and Disease: Several deadly diseases affecting domestic cats have been documented in the endangered Florida panther, including feline panleukopenia (FPV). FPV has the potential of being introduced to bobcats as well. Feline immunodeficiency virus (FIV) may have infected Florida panthers through their consumption of infected domestic cats. Feline leukemia virus (FeLV) is the leading cause of death due to infectious disease in cats and could also be spread to Florida panthers through feral domestic cats.