Want to Save Your Cat From Needless Suffering (and Possible Death) and Save Money on Vet Bills? Keep Him Inside.
People who let their cats go outside are funding my future retirement. Nonetheless, I wish everyone would keep their cats inside.
This morning I finished a series of overnight shifts at an emergency hospital near San Francisco. I saw a dozen cats. Only one of them was an indoor-only individual. She was a fifteen-year-old with kidney failure. Her syndrome occurred naturally due to old age.
Every other cat I saw during the last two nights didn’t need to be there. They all suffered consequences of going outside. One suffered the most serious consequence of all.
The outside world is a dangerous place for cats, regardless of age or experience. In my years as a vet, I cannot count the times I have heard someone say something like, “Fluffy has been going outside for ten years and this is the first time he ever got into trouble.” Let me reassure you that when Fluffy finally does get into trouble, the results can be disastrous.
In my career I have treated innumerable cats who have been in fights with other cats. These fights lead to abscesses and feline AIDS. Cats are hit by cars, trucks, bicycles, and trains. I have treated cats that have been attacked by raccoons, bobcats, mountain lions, dogs, coyotes and hawks. I have seen cats suffer hypothermia after being caught outside in thunderstorms. These cats may be so weak that maggots infest their wet fur and infected skin. I have treated cats that fell from trees, cliffs, and ledges. Cats are brought to my office after suffering deliberate abuse at the hands of deranged psychopaths. Outdoor cats frequently are shot with BB guns. They may be kicked, twirled by their tails, or thrown long distances. Twice I have treated cats who were deliberately wrapped in duct tape.
Indoor cats do not suffer these maladies. Every one of these common yet horrible problems is preventable if you keep your cat inside.
As I mentioned, of the dozen cats I saw in the last two nights only one had a problem that was unavoidable.
Ten of the cats I treated had been in fights with other cats, leading to abscesses and lacerations. These cats will survive, although they are at risk of feline AIDS. Their owners shelled out thousands of dollars to my bosses.
One cat, however, broke my heart. If you already keep your cat indoors, I recommend that you stop reading now. What follows is graphic.
If you believe that your cat is “happier outside”, or if you think that going outside is “natural”, or if you think that your cat’s life will not be complete unless he goes outside, or if you think that nothing bad will ever happen to your cat, please read on.
A sweet, loving, and formerly beautiful 16-month-old cat was outside in a rural area near San Francisco. Somehow he made it home.
The cat’s owners thought that he had been caught in a trap, because his left front foot was missing. When I examined him, I came to a different conclusion: he had been hit by a car.
True, his left front foot was missing. Bones, tendons, and muscles were exposed at the stump. The site was bleeding profusely. But both rear legs had similar injuries. The owners hadn’t noticed this.
I suspect that the cat had been basking on his side on a road when a car ran over three of his four limbs.
Two nurses immediately placed an IV catheter into the cat’s only remaining leg–the right front. We gave him the maximum labeled dose of a narcotic painkiller. It didn’t touch him. We doubled down on the medicine, and he seemed to relax a bit.
I went into a private room to talk with the owner. She felt horrifically guilty. She knew that if she had kept her cat inside this would not have happened. In the end there was only one humane choice. We put the cat to sleep. It has been a long time since I have seen anyone cry that hard.
I apologize if this story offends you. But I would be very happy to go to my grave without ever seeing another case like this again. And it would be so easy, if only everyone would keep their cats inside.
You have questions. 
Thank you for the information and advice, and thank you for doing all this good work to help these little beings…
dat iz why i iz never allowed outside
Hey Eric,
aww I didn’t know veterinary emergency hospitals with overnight service actually exist. That’s awesome! yea I have to agree with you on keeping cats indoors. It is too dangerous outside for them. Last night I got an email from one of my readers who withdrew from the Love Meow photo contest because her cat was just killed in a car accident. It was terribly sad.
If cat owners really want to allow their cats to be outside, they can keep them in the back yard and should never let them leave their sight.
Anyway, thank you for sharing your story and your advice.
Thank you fr the info, Dr. Here’s an interesting article on outsoor X indoor cats – http://www.thedailytail.com/safety-tips/indoor-vs-outdoor-cat/
I’m a recent college graduate, just moved to Arizona from California. Back home, my mom has my 16-year-old male cat, Midnight, who has been an outside cat since he was able. Despite the fact that we declawed him when he was a kitten (I know, I know, and trust me, it’s not gonna happen to any of my other cats) because we originally planned on keeping him inside, he caught birds and mice and rats outside regularly. He’s been in fights, yes, but has always (amazingly) walked away unscathed – even without front claws! He’s been attacked by a dog numerous times, but that dog was inside the house – she was ours, and from what we found out later, she was apparently mentally unstable. He’s suffered abcesses and lesions from those attacks, and he’s now called our “Million Dollar Cat,” due to the vet bills we’ve encountered. We half expect him to live longer than the rest of us!
That being said, I have two other cats that are housed with me: a 7-year-old male I found 6-1/2 years ago under a car (Sseleman), and a 6-month-old female (Loki) my boyfriend and I adopted from the shelter in the city we just moved from. Loki has (and always will be) an inside cat, and Ssely has become an inside cat as of the move. Never – and I mean not even once during any of the times Midnight was taken to the vet for his wide array of issues – had a vet told us that cats live longer and/or are healthier as inside cats, until I took Sseleman to a new vet about 8 months ago for de-worming medication (due to fleas, yes, from being outside). He vigorously explained all the reasons I should keep my cat inside, then and every time since (Loki’s first and 2nd times, etc.). I thought about it, and decided that upon the move to the desert (coyotes & scorpions & Gila monsters, oh my!), Sseleman would most definitely be an inside cat.
While I’ve been very lucky with my cats being outside, most of the time that’s not the case – I actually had a cat (of adolescent age) right before I found Sseleman, who got hit by a car and managed to crawl under my neighbor’s bushes to die. And Sseleman is much happier now as an inside cat, believe it or not. His fleas (and consequently, Loki’s fleas) are gone, and therefore he has no more problems with worms, he’s always clean (which means less baths for him, lucky guy!), and he no longer has to wait for us to come home to get fed. I guess what I’m trying to say is that there may be excuses for keeping a cat outside – it’s more convenient, it’s more natural, etc. – it’s not a huge change to keep them inside instead, and they actually might enjoy the climate-controlled indoor life better. Plus, like this article says, they’re healthier and at much less risk for many other problems. Sseleman has not once gone for the door.
Thank-you for this article.
I have forwarded it to my mother, who insists that cats are better (happier) off outside and keeps trying to get me to put my 6 indoor cats out — I refuse. She won’t listen to me about the dangers of letting her cats outside, even though some that she have loved have been let out and never came home. Maybe she’ll listen to you. I love her two current cats, such sweet things, I hope she listens.
Thank you for the article and great advice! How I wish more people would listen and follow your advice. My cats are indoor only and will never be let outdoors. Several neighbors always let their cats outside to roam free day and night. None of those cats ever lives more than 1-2 years. My sister is one of those people who didn’t believe cats should be kept indoors. She’d insist cats are miserable and unhappy unless they go outdoors and live a natural life and we’re selfish to keep them indoors and make them live unnaturally. Her cats were always infested with fleas and worms . All of her outdoor cats died young. One cat disappeared and despite months of frantic searching, was never seen again. One cat was poisoned and died in agony. One of her cats was very sick when she adopted him — after fighting hard to get him well and spending a fortune on vet bills, she let him go outdoors when he got better and a few months later he was hit by a car right in front of their house. I remember her anguish and how completely devastated she was when she lost each one of those cats. She finally wised up and very reluctantly started keeping the last cat she had indoors — difficult because her cat was used to going outside — and that cat lived to be 18.
I have been telling anybody who owns a cat or cats for close to 30 years, keep them indoors. I know they think it’s humane to let them run around the neighborhood, but it’s not. One of my first cats was let out when I was in the hospital, several months later she died of feline leukemia. Don’t let this happen to your cat. Keep it indoors.
We have 18 cats, and yes all are inside cats. They occassionally get to go outside in nice wether. Only on a leash and harness, stroller(enclosed and snapped in ), or their cat enclosure( a 6×6x10 dog kennel with chainlink ceiling). They seem to be ok with the arrangement. I was originally most concerned about PJ. She was an outside stray mommie cat that gave us 7 wonderful kittens before we caught her and she got”fixed”. When we first saw her she was wild. She wouldn’t let you get within 30feet of her. This was a year ago. Now she is a happy plump housecat, who waits to get her harness on to go out once in a blue moon. Yes she waits her turn and for us to put it on her, no fussing. She actually got out the screen door one day without her harness, nearly giving me a heart attack. Did she run? No she waited patientlyfor me to come put her harness on her. She knows the drill.
My point is this, she is just as happy with the harness only and limited outside option, that comes with heat,a/c, 24-7 buffet and safety for her kids, as she was running loose outside fending fior herself. Btw she had giardia and fleas outside – none now.
Kim
Thank you so much for not only writing this in your blog, but for doing what you do, day in day out…
This is the sort of thing so many people just don’t understand can happen to them and their own beloved cat, if they are misguided enough to let it outside to roam at will… It really doesn’t cost that much to construct a cat run, fully enclose your garden and cat proof it (removing all the feline toxic plants), or just invest in a good harness and leash so that your cat can have a little taste of outside in utter safety.
As a GCCF registered cat breeder, I always insist that all our pet kittens/cats are spayed or neutered and that they are kept as indoor pets. It saves so much heartache and worry not forgetting to mention money too! It’s not at all cruel to keep a cat inside all it’s life, just make sure you play with it, give it things to play with and feed it well, but never too much. A cat kept like this will usually live a long and happy life and be fit and active throughout it all.
Isn’t that what we all want for those we profess to love?!
Jacquie
My cats both go outdoors. We tried to convert them but they were just MISERABLE. For weeks, they whined and cried and attacked us. We interacted with them as much as we could and tried to placate them with toys, treats, and mental stimulation, but in the end we relented because they just weren’t happy. It just didn’t look like they were ever going to forget about being outside. It was all they could think about.
My cats have always been indoor only. There are so many hazards for suburban cats, not the least of which include cars and poisonous substances.
My vet is also a strong proponent of indoors-only cats. When my neighbor abandoned their cat outdoors (New England in the winter :-( I decided I couldn’t just stand by, and offered to adopt him. My vet went beyond the call to see the cat immediately, test for a variety of diseases and treat his fleas and worms — he actually thanked me for taking the cat in. (Such a sweet cat, and I feel quite grateful that he didn’t get hit by a car, attacked, or sick during his time spent outdoors as a stray.)
My cat is an indoor/outdoor cat and she loves it. The above statements are correct that all cats are safer as indoor cats than outdoors. I too tried to keep her indoors soon after she adopted us (wandered into the house through the sliding glass door) 6 years ago. She cried and hid under the bed for days. Today she is healthy and well taken care of. I would rather her be happy and live a shorter live (now 13 years old) then be miserable in my house.
Also I have seen her charge down the sidewalk at dogs as if she is a lion. It is the funniest thing.
I am sure her big brother (black lab mix 101lb dog) helps keep her safe too.
We keep ours indoor for that very reason (cars, other bad stuff). We’ve never been questioned about it by anyone, probably because we’ve never lived somewhere that we could safely let ours outside.
Our extended family also keeps cats indoor. They learned what can happen to indoor/outdoor cats from a friend’s experience. Her cat would only come home for naps and meals. The rest of the time, he was king of the neighborhood, until one day he ate a poisoned rat. He dragged himself home, had a seizure, and died before he could be taken to the vet ER (this occurred within minutes of his person realizing he was very sick). He was only 3! :(
I am so pleased to see this blog entry here!!! So many people have given me grief over my insistence that my cat stay indoors, but now I see I was right all along. Everyone thinks that because you see cats roaming free regularily that it is harmless or natural and obviously after reading this it’s certainly not. Thank you so much again for validating those of us sticking to our guns and for advocating for those kitties that cannot advocate for themselves.
I LOVE you Dr. Barchas (or Dr. Hottie, to me) and LOVE your free, caring advice. And, although I like your article asserting to keep cats inside for their health or our wallets, I’ve got to say just one thing. LIFE is risky, period. And, it’s funny how the dog advice differs from cat advise in this regard. It’s unfathomable to NEVER let a dog go outside; it’s considered torture. Yet, we are being told to lock up our cats and never let them see the light of day. Let’s face it, everyone is taking a risk as soon as they go outside. You (i.e., humans) could be hit by a car, attacked by a dog, robbed, mugged, etc. BUT that’s the risk we take to be happy in this ONE life that we have. And, we all know that cats are blessed to have NINE!! Let them enjoy it while they can . . . . . .
[...] was yet another busy shift at the emergency clinic. Thankfully, no cats paid the ultimate price for going outside. However, several cats suffered consequences linked to their outdoor lifestyles. [...]
[...] reader responded to one of my recent tirades (here and here) against outdoor cats with a very reasonable question. Why, she asked, is it OK for dogs [...]
In many regards I can only agree with this… life is ’safer’ inside, but is it ‘healthier’? I was under the assumption that sunlight is necessary for the absorption of vitamin D, to prevent metabolic bone disease, so common in exotic pets, (and other mammals, including humans), who never see the light of day. Would this not affect cats as well?
Thanks for this article! Cats need to be indoors, period. I appreciate your willingness to state this publcally in this way!
Our cats are allowed outside, not just because they ARE happier (mine are, anyway) when they get to go out, but because they would still suffer from some of the things you worry about (such as wounds from fighting). We told our vet about Mittens’ habit of licking everything, and she suggested giving him milk daily to help with any toxins he may ingest. I’ve caught him chewing on the philidandrean (however it’s spelled, it’s still a toxin to cats) that we’ve had for almost 10 years, but his daily cup of milk prevented any complications from that. And even when we kept Harley inside like the vet suggested, his stomach would still cause him problems (the vet said that he has a sensitive stomach, but it only causes vomiting. doesn’t effect his appetite, so she’s not worried). All three cats are forced at least to be locked up in the garage during bad weather (we prefer them to be inside, but they don’t like it. Harley is bad tempered, doesn’t really like anyone or anything actually), and aren’t allowed outside at night during the winter. I plan on keeping my cats inside, when I move out of my parents’ house and can have indoor cats, unless we have the money to build a cat-run for them.
I understand your concern, and yes, my kitty gets into fights and whatnot, but basically i have a good system. I try to get her in by ten o’clock at the latest (if you dont feed them meat during the day they are more likely to come back). i can’t imagine keeping her indoors–she actually gets quite lethargic if she can’t, because she grew up in a big yard community in the city.
I’ve never seen a smarter cat. She looks both ways before crossing the street, and she’s afraid of strangers, so i dont have to worry about her getting swiped or abused, and i always live in areas where the neighborhoods are pretty good. Also, im somewhat friendly with the neighors–they all know who the big, pretty black cat belongs to.
So it has to do with your location and your situation. Yes, they could be shot, but not very likely, and a coyote could grab them, b ut i doubt my cat would be an easy tag, and she has the common sense to run. Also, if she weren’t an inside/outside cat, she’d devour my house plants. I know it’s a bit of a risk, but not much more than us getting hit by a bus or whatnot. I love her very much so i give her her freedom. You just don’t want your cats staying out all the time…. I’m sure she’ll live a long healthy life as long as a coyote doesnt get her. Life is all about taking chances anyways………… how safe do you want to be?
I just found your blog today, and I could not agree more strongly with this post. I used to work as an animal control officer, and after what I have seen, I will never let my cats roam outside. Occasionally I think of how much my Siamese enjoys going outside (she tries to sneak out daily), and how much enrichment is out there. Then (warning, this is graphic) I think of the detached eyeballs of the squashed cats I have had to remove from the roadway. I will not let that happen to my cats. In my experience, cats almost never survive encounters with cars. They are too small.
The link under my name is an article I wrote about cat care from an animal control officer’s perspective. I hope you do not mind my including it here. Please keep up the blogging!
I, like Robyn, just found your blog, and cannot agree with this post more. Cats are no longer wild animals and do not belong outdoors. I don’t care how nice a person’s neighbourhood is, or how smart their cat is, or how much Fluffy loves it outside. You can’t prevent other people from harming your cat if she’s outside. You can’t prevent her from being hit by a car. You can’t prevent her from being mauled by another animal. She can get into garbage and eat something dangerous to her, like chicken bones. She can get stuck somewhere and you may never know what happened to her. The only way to prevent these things is to keep your cat indoors.
Right on, Jess! I find it so interesting that even after this persuasive post, some people still try to justify letting their cats outside. And you can, but only if they’re supervised or harnessed. Otherwise you’re taking a big chance, and why would anyone who loves their cat be willing to do that?