Our cat is still a wild cat

Anyone who plays with the idea of ​​adopting a cat as a pet will soon be faced with one of the fundamental questions of our time. If an individual is able to endanger himself and in the worst case suffer harm simply by meeting his needs, should we still allow this, since the rights to free development outweigh the rights to physical and mental integrity?

In an other saying. Is there a way to ensure security without restricting freedom? Or very practically: Should you let the cat go outside freely and accept all the uncertainties, immeasurability, dangers, and statistically significantly shorter lifespan of your beloved four-legged friend? Is a cat’s life within the four walls of an apartment preferred because it’s safer, better because it’s more boring, but still safer? Can’t you have both? Buy and eat the cake, «Foifer und das Weggli», to ensure freedom and security?

balance needs

It’s important to weigh the cat’s different needs against each other. By humanizing, we imply the desire for freedom and self-determination and the need to live one’s own existence. But how do we know that the cat is after these things? Freedom, self-determination and the like are human terms. The cat neither knows them nor what we associate with them. But we can certainly understand the desires and will of a being from its behavior. All you have to do is compare a cat in a shelter to a cat that doesn’t have to spend all day in a very confined space. Tracking, crouching, running, hunting… Curiosity about the world and adventure, that’s what the cat has. Then there is the need for physical integrity and health.

Genetically, cats are not very domesticated and adapt well to wildlife. Still, there are cats that prefer to spend most of the day lying on the couch or heater in human habitation rather than wandering outside. Just as there are people who would rather be outside than inside, there are cats who are more likely to be hotel guests in their “home”. Eat, defecate, clean, sleep and then go. They spend most of their waking life outdoors.

Unlike wild animals, cats can easily adapt to domestic life only if suitable conditions are provided. If an animal has been socialized as a house cat from birth and has only been raised indoors, it will miss almost nothing. The situation is different for a cat accustomed to being outside from an early age. It is often very difficult, if not completely impossible, to get used to it.

Release, be careful

If you want to give the animal freedom of movement, you should check whether you can and give it. Ask yourself how the cat will get in and out. Do the structural features of the place of residence allow this? Do you live in one of the upper floors of an apartment building? How is the environment? Do you live in a rural, pedestrian zone, or are there several busy streets around the house or within a few hundred meters? How are things with the neighbors? Cat lovers or not cat lovers? Are there dogs in the house? What about a landlord if you live on rent? Do you get permission to pet a cat outdoors?

It depends on how you answer the questions above. Each of these questions in itself represents a possible knockout criterion. Even if you answer all questions satisfactorily, a safe and secure passage is by no means guaranteed because there is enough danger out there waiting for your four-legged friend. Traffic, weird cats (bandits!), animal abusers (poison bait!), and also hunters shooting cats in the countryside. There are also infectious diseases and parasites that the animal can quickly catch from the outside. Despite all these potential dangers, there are cats that spend most of their lives outdoors and still live to a mature age. Cats can live for twenty years and more, but there is a reason why statistics for outdoor cats show that average life expectancy is only between eight (male cats) and twelve years (cats).

green lucky man

Are you a lucky guy who owns an apartment in the country away from any traffic? The neighbors are not bothered by your cats, the landlord let you out and the carpenter installed a cat door for you to go outside? So we can start, right? Absolutely, but pay attention to these three points: the right time, neutering and microchipping, regular health care.

It recommends at least two months, and some even more than three months, if you leave the cat in the apartment or house. A cat that opens the door to the outside should be well placed and accepted into its home. If the animal is released too soon, it may migrate. Some cats return to their former place of residence. It’s amazing how these animals can orient themselves.

Unneutered male cats tend to build up a very large territory gradually. They are also unaffected by busy roads if they dare cross their territory. They are more aggressive and tend to fight with other dogs. Unfortunately, the risk of infection with infectious diseases is significantly higher than in neutered congeners. Unneutered kittens not only bring home unwanted kittens, but they can also contract diseases. You would be doing the animal, the environment and yourself a great service if you neuter your cat before it is allowed to go outside.

No leash or GPS!

Even though many cats learn to deal with traffic on their own, many accidents occur, especially during the dark winter months when drivers cannot see animals well or misjudge distances in semi-darkness. This risk can be somewhat reduced if you accustom your pet to the fact that it is time to feed right before sunset from the very beginning. Therefore, he usually arrives home just in time while waiting for something to eat. Unfortunately, no one can ignore all the dangers.

TIP: Earth’s cat wears nothing but fur inside and out. No collar or shoulder strap with GPS receiver. Such “cool gadgets” can get in the way of competition with their peers. In addition, a wild collar can have deadly consequences. In the worst case, the animal can get stuck in bushes or a fence and die miserably while trying to escape again. An animal does not need a collar to be identified. It is sufficient to inject a transponder chip during castration and transmit the number to the appropriate database. However, if you do not want to wear a collar, you should definitely use a collar with a safety lock.

Health care is especially important for “outdoor cats”, so the animal needs to be taken to the vet regularly so that, in addition to the mandatory thorough examination, all necessary vaccinations are given and checked for unwanted guests. like worms or fleas.

The cat won’t stop chasing

Another issue that we should not ignore here is the pressure of small clawed predators on the local ecosystem. Social relationships with neighbors can be severely strained when the cat steals the fish from the neighbor’s pond and defecates in the vegetable garden in return. Not everyone appreciates this free gift of carnivorous compost. Cutting cats off prey is as useless a proposition as putting carnivores on a vegetarian diet. You can’t go far with this. After all, is it better to leave the cat in the apartment? For the sake of the animal and the environment?

Housing

If you only intend to keep your cat indoors, for example, you can save yourself from rabies vaccination. For this you should devote time to the cat-friendly redevelopment of the apartment.

However, here is a brief overview: The cat expects opportunities for retreats, lounging areas (preferably with or without a view from the window) and wants to be entertained, entertained and challenged on a regular basis. It should not be left alone for a long time. If you keep them in an apartment, it is advisable to keep two animals that get along well together, as most cats are very social animals and need regular, loving and reliable contact. These are rough guidelines for housing anyway. Now the question is, isn’t there more that can be done? If you have a balcony that the animal has access to, that’s a pretty good improvement! But there is still something going on there.

golden middle

If you have a patio, terrace or a small section of your garden, you can offer your beloved pet the golden mean. The advantages of shelter and freedom converge here. However, this model includes the full schedule of regular health care and vaccinations, and of course here the owner/host approval is required for safety precautions.

Secure the area where the cat can move well enough that it cannot pass over obstacles such as trees on the terrain. Likewise, other animals should not be allowed to enter. Of course, there should be no poisonous plants for cats in this area. If you use fertilizer in the garden, make sure it is well tolerated by your four-legged friends.

With that in mind, your furry friend may not have access to the big world, but at least your garden will be open to adventurous expeditions.