10 Oct How To Decide Whether To Keep Your Pet Indoors Or Outdoors
In the United States, domestic cats and dogs are very popular. While there are many factors to deciding where to keep your pet, the pros and cons should be carefully weighed before choosing. Indoor cats have a longer lifespan than outdoor cats. They are healthier, better cared for, and are prone to less danger from the environment such as cold weather. However, cats do adapt quickly to the external environment by hunting for food to survive. Dogs do well as indoor pets and are social animals that crave attention. They love to spend time with their owners playing or taking walks. With that, let’s explore where to keep our pets.
Should You Keep Your Cat Indoors or Outdoors?
Here are a few things to remember about outdoor cats.
Health Concerns – Outdoor cats face dangers like cardiovascular diseases, pests, traffic, poison, and predators. Keeping you cat indoors or on an outdoor shade is beneficial.
Wild Cat Behaviors and Does Your Pet Belong Indoors or Outdoors? Cats love to hunt mice, chipmunks, and birds. Outdoor cats may develop wild cat behavior and become strays. This makes it challenging to bring the cat back home. Even domestic cats tend to escape to hunt for food as it is in their nature.
Outdoor Enclosures – For your cat to enjoy the outside environment, an outdoor enclosure is one option. However, ensure to keep your cat safe by building a roof to keep away predators. Additionally, it is good to train your cat to go for walks and use a leash and harness to prevent disturbance and escape.
Reasons Why Dogs Are Better Off Indoors
Outdoor dogs are prone to unhappiness and depression when isolated. They love human companionship. Dogs that are treated as outdoor pets are more protective of their territory rather than their owners.
Environmental Dangers – An outdoor dog is likely to develop health problems such as cold during the cold season. Therefore avoid chaining your dog outside as the weather may be too harsh for them to survive. It may also face dangers like fights from other animals protecting their territories or food. Dogs left outside with no food stray to other people’s homes in search of food to survive. In the process, they come across other guard dogs and get into a serious fight, which leaves them badly hurt.
Negative Behavioral Changes – Dogs are indoor pets. Therefore those left outdoors become more aggressive, depressed and may even stop barking or protecting their owners.
Outside Alternatives
Taking your dogs for walks and playing with them outside is healthy. If keeping your dog indoors does not work for you, consider building a dog shelter outside with a roof. Avoid chaining your dog as some dogs have heavy coats while others have short coats that are not favorable to changing weather conditions.
It is important to choose a safe environment for your pet. Outside pets can still be turned into indoor pets with the help of a trainer. Cats can quickly adapt if provided with play toys or litter boxes because of their playful nature. And with time, your outdoor pets will turn into indoor pets.
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