How To Keep Cats Indoors:
Indoor cats are safer. If allowed to roam outside, loose and unsupervised, the odds are high that your cat will be injured, poisoned, get lost or even stolen. There is also a danger of your cat picking up a disease.
Indoor Cats Are Safer
Fleas, ticks, ear mites, fungus skin disease, and intestinal parasites may be contracted from other cats and animals. By fighting with other cats, he may develop abscesses due to bites.
Keeping cats inside and contained to your home means that your neighbors are not disturbed or annoyed. Their garden will not be used as a kitty litter box or a hunting ground. Native animals remain unharmed and you yourself have peace of mind – always knowing where your cat is and that he is safe. So please keep your cat contained, safe and snug. A new kitten may need to be taught not to hang around your legs when going out the door.
But… they sure do love to get outside and of course fresh air, sunshine and just getting their feet on the ground is extremely healthy for them. Cat enclosures are a great way of keeping an indoor cat safe while still allowing them to experience the excitement and stimulation of the great outdoors.
Keeping Cats Indoors
Outdoor cat enclosures can be relatively easy to make using specially designed cat netting or even trawler mesh (which is a lot cheaper). And of course there are many options for either buying or building a cat enclosure.
Is it cruel to keep a cat indoors?
No, I do not believe so. As long as you keep your indoor cats happy with toys, plenty of stimulating activity and lots of love, it is not cruel to keep cats indoors. As an owner you must be responsible and make sure your cat is always safe and also that it is not causing problems around the neighborhood.
Indoor Cats – Entertain Them:
You do not really need to spend a lot of money on fancy cat toys for your indoor cats – although you can if you want to. I have a listing of the most popular cat toys on the market, along with some owner reviews here: The Best Cat Toys if you would like to buy some.
Here is a list of ordinary items that your cat will love to play with:
- One definite must is a cat scratching post. It is easy to teach your cat to use his scratching post – and not have him scratching your best furniture to bits. Make sure to get a good solid one that is not easy to knock over, and preferably the post part for scratching on should be at least tall enough to enable the cat to stretch full length.
- Scrunched up paper
- Pipe cleaners – corkscrew them around a pencil and bend the sharp ends in. Thread on a bell or two.
- A bottle cap
- A piece of string to carry around
- Ring off the top of milk bottle with pipe cleaners wrapped tightly all around it. Often a cat will carry these around and some will learn to fetch them when you throw them.
- A domino
- A big feather
- Cardboard boxes – all sizes, cut holes in them, flatten them a little so the cat can still get inside
- Toilet rolls (after the paper is used up!)
- Carpet mat – rolled into a tube to make an exciting cat tunnel
- A long piece of grass
- Ping pong balls
- Pompoms
- And an all-time favorite is a cat tunnel
- Laser lights – most cats (not all) seriously love these. Check out the FroliCat BOLT Interactive Laser Pet Toy!
- Move your scratching post around, lay it down on its side, lean it over against the couch, drape it with a blanket.
Remember to ensure safety with toys and all household items, just as with little children… For example, check for small items that will fall off toys and be swallowed, and never leave toys attached to long strings laying around when not being played with.
If you have small children, please always supervise them when playing with a new kitten and with their toys.
Keep Cats Indoors And Keep Them Safe
What indoor cats need most is variety! Our cats have their toys changed regularly, some are hidden for a while and then brought out again so they present that wonderful new toy excitement. There you have it – keep cats indoors and keep them safe!
