Did you know that one of the best things you can do for your feline buddy is keep her indoors? Fluffy is quite adventurous, and she often loves exploring her terrain and patrolling it for wayward birds and chipmunks. However, she’s much safer indoors. A local Montgomery, AL vet discusses grounding your furry pal in this article.
Dangers
Keeping Fluffy indoors is really a safety issue. As soon as your furry friend sets her cute little paws outdoors, she’s in danger from a whole slew of threats. Outdoor cats are at much higher risk of getting lost, hurt, trapped, or even killed than indoor ones. Cars, weather, wild animals, parasites, chemicals are just a few of the potential hazards. Even getting into a tussle with a neighbor’s cat can cause severe injuries.
Keeping Kitty In
It’s not hard to understand why cats like going outdoors. They get exercise and stimulation, both of which are very important to their health and well-being. Fluffy also gets to enjoy fun kitty activities, like leaving paw art on your windshield, rolling around in the driveway, and, of course, terrorizing small animals.
In order to get your feline pal used to staying inside, you’ll have to make the indoors just as fun and stimulating as the outside is. Fortunately, that isn’t hard to do. Provide your playful pet with lots of toys, and take time to play with her. Offering Fluffy things to climb and explore will also help prevent kitty boredom. If possible, give your pet the best of both worlds by offering her a catio. Set out some pet-safe plants and kitty furniture on a patio or in a sunny corner, preferably in a spot with a good view.
Preventing Breakouts
Your feline friend’s purrsonality will also come into play here. Some cats are purrfectly happy staying in, especially if they’ve been raised as indoor pets. Others, however, are bound and determined to get outside. If Fluffy really wants to get out, she may dash out as you open the door. One thing that can help is making your kitty a bit wary of the door. Whenever she approaches it, do something that will annoy her without hurting her, such as squirting her with water or perhaps sounding a bike horn. Also, if your furball hasn’t been fixed yet, get that seen to ASAP.
Please contact us with any questions or concerns about your pet’s health or care. As your Montgomery, AL animal clinic, we’re here to help.