INTRODUCTION

By their nature, cats are explorers and predators, strict carnivores that will not hesitate to hunt their food and play with it (especially if the cat already eats at home and is not hungry enough to eat its prey), it is very common in rural areas (or even in urban areas) that there are people who allow their cats to roam freely outside without any kind of surveillance, the cat always comes back (sometimes after days or weeks) and it is an attitude taken as normal and acceptable: the cat explores, plays, walks. .. What's wrong with that? A lot, and for various reasons.

SHOULD THE CAT GO OUT OF THE HOUSE?

Cats can go out of the house to get to know other environments, explore and enrich their daily lives, but it must always be done under supervision and maintaining safety measures, not only for the good of the cat but also for the good of other animals and our own.

Let's bear in mind that feral cats have an average outdoor lifespan of between 2 and 5 years, while domestic cats living indoors can live between 15 and 27 years. This can tell us a lot, can't it? Like the fact that the former are exposed to a lot of dangers that greatly shorten their lives.

THE DANGERS OF OUTDOOR CATS

When a domestic cat is alone outdoors, walking around the city or the countryside, it is exposed to several dangers:

• Fights with other cats
• Injuries
• Mutilations
• Attack by other animals (dogs, wildlife...)
• Poisoning
• Mistreatment by other humans
• Collisions
• Falls
• Disorientation
• Death
• Theft
• Ectoparasites
• Diseases (transmitted by other cats or any other vector)
• Unwanted reproduction (if the cat is not neutered)
• Drowning (ponds, pools...)
• Infections
  
  

CATS AND NATIVE FAUNA

According to a census by the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment, there are a total of 2,490,312 cats in Spain. This number includes both housed and stray cats.

Although these small felines are adorable and much-loved pets, they also do enormous damage to biodiversity. They prey on birds, small mammals and reptiles in worrying proportions.

In Spain, the population of the common swift (apus apus) has fallen by 20% in the last 20 years due to the proliferation of stray cats. This was stated by the National Association of Environmental Health Companies (ANECPLA) in July, pointing out that the urban nature of the swift makes this insectivorous bird species very vulnerable to urban pollution and pesticides, threats to which feral cats have now been added.

In Australia, for example, feral cats kill more than one million reptiles every day. This figure shows the serious ecological damage to Australian wildlife caused by cats that escape from or are abandoned by their human owners. In general, this figure also shows the impact of releasing non-native animals into natural areas, according to a study published in the journal Wildlife Research.

And the Institute of Nature Conservation, part of the Polish Academy of Sciences, has concluded that domestic cats pose a threat to birds and other wildlife. ‘There is clear scientific evidence of the negative influence of domestic cats on native biodiversity. This opinion is in line with the opinion formulated by the invasive alien species team as part of the European Commission's activities,’ the same Institute notes in its blog, which is why it has gone so far as to consider it an “Invasive Species”.

At this point it seems that people want to put all the blame for this slaughter of small animals on cats, but we must think with our heads and logic and be clear that cats are one of the most ‘wild’ domestic animals (they maintain their primitive essence) and are small predators. It is up to us to be responsible enough for them to enjoy the outdoors without danger or harming other small species, otherwise in a few years time we will be crying because the rules will be stricter and may even be accentuated to the point of prohibiting them from leaving the house completely under threat of immediate collection and slaughter with a corresponding fine.

HOW DO I GET MY CAT TO ENJOY THE OUTDOORS SAFELY?

There are several ways in which our cat can enjoy the outdoors safely, some people choose to put them in a harness with a long leash (not extendable) and take them with them on an outing, this way the cat can explore, climb a tree or play but is controlled at all times by its owner.

Others have very large grounds or gardens and choose to put a large fenced enclosure connected to one of the windows of the house, inside the enclosure are placed castles, beds, platforms and toys (very similar to a large enclosure for birds) so that the cat can enjoy the sunlight and fresh air but can not leave, having the opportunity to enter and leave the house when desired.

The third option is to place an anti-escape security fence on the walls of the property or garden, so that the cat cannot leave the property even if it tries to do so. This is a slightly more risky option but it is also optional.

CONCLUSION

Our cats should go outside and enjoy the world as much as any of us do, but we must be responsible and not allow them to roam around because of the many dangers they may encounter.