I've written about outdoor cats before on my blog for Westallisnow.com. We are all familiar with the reality that cats chase birds. We all watched Sylvester chase Tweety Bird or Tom chase Jerry. The cat/bird predator/prey is nothing unusual. And as it turns out, our cats are far more successful than Sylvester could ever hope to be. The American Bird Conservancy estimates cats kill 500 million to a billion birds every year.
This is a staggering number of deaths simply because some cat owners are convinced cats can't be kept locked up indoors. Certainly house cats aren't the only culprits, as most cities have some kind of feral cat population, but Fluffy certainly isn't helping the situation.
Even if you aren't that concerned about the birds, be concerned about your cat. Outdoor cats don't live as long as cats kept strictly indoors. Cats can be hit by cars, attacked by wild animals or other cats, poisoned, stolen, or contract any number of diseases. You cat cat live a full, happy life without ever leaving the comfort of his living room window perch.
A lot of cat owners who claim to be cat lovers put their cats outside because they feel their cats are somehow missing out and feeling depressed by being cooped up indoors. These folks knowingly set their cats up for injury or death every time they open the front door. If you really loved your cat, you would keep him inside. You do what you can to keep your kids safe from harm, if you are a true cat lover, why would you not do the same for the feline members of your family?
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