Are outdoor cats or indoor cats healthier and happier? What are the respective advantages and disadvantages, and what suits my cat and my lifestyle best? Here you will find useful information to help you make your decision.
Indoor cats should be fine with less exercise and will enjoy your company and affection. British Shorthairs, Maine Coons, Ragdolls, Burmese, and Persian cats, for example, have a somewhat calmer nature. Cats such as Devon Rexes and Sphynxes belong indoors due to their sensitivity to cold. Norwegian Forest Cats and Bengal cats, on the other hand, often insist on being allowed outside.
Whether outdoor access is possible depends, of course, on your living situation. It is more difficult to allow cats to go in and out easily in a city apartment. To prevent cats from getting caught on objects, either do not use a collar at all or use special collars that open when pulled.
An outdoor cat should be vaccinated regularly against transmissible diseases. It is important to vaccinate against rabies, feline panleukopenia, and feline distemper (see relevant articles). Good parasite protection against worms, ticks, fleas, and mites should also be provided. Your vet can advise you on this. You can make an appointment directly via petsXL.
Furthermore, every outdoor cat should be neutered and microchipped. This is even required by cat protection regulations in many cities and municipalities. A list of the cities affected can be found on the homepage of the TASSO pet registry. Neutering not only prevents unwanted reproduction, but also contributes to fewer territorial fights. The microchip for identification is very small and is inserted under the skin. If your cat ever gets lost, it can be more easily identified using the chip, which can be read with a reader.
It is best to keep cats with disabilities, injuries, allergies, or illnesses indoors, where you can take better care of them. This makes it possible to administer any necessary special food or medication in a controlled manner.
In general, outdoor cats have higher energy requirements. However, they cover some of this by eating from neighbors' bowls or hunting mice. This makes it difficult to know what your cat has eaten, where, and when.
For cats with long or thick fur, outdoor access means extra grooming. When combing your cat's fur, you can also check for ticks and remove them quickly.
The main advantage of letting your cat go outside is the health and well-being of your cat. Cats that go outside get more exercise and are therefore less prone to obesity and the associated health consequences. They can also express their natural behaviors more freely and are therefore less likely to display behavioral problems than indoor cats. A free-roaming cat is more active, sleeps more at home, and protects your furniture by playing outside and sharpening its claws on trees.
Outdoors, cats come into contact with other animals and can catch infectious diseases and parasites. Fights can result in injuries. There is also a risk of poisoning from accidentally ingesting antifreeze, slug pellets, rat poison, or poisonous plants. Poisoned bait is also life-threatening for cats.
Traffic accidents are the main cause of death for free-roaming cats. Young cats in particular are unable to assess the risks of traffic. In more rural areas, larger predators such as foxes, martens, and large birds of prey are a danger. Conversely, cats hunt smaller wild animals such as songbirds, some of which are endangered species, and thus have an impact on the ecosystem and species protection.
Outdoor cats sometimes get into garages, sheds, or even cars and are trapped there unintentionally, sometimes for long periods of time. Valuable purebred cats can be stolen outdoors.
An indoor cat is completely dependent on you for its care. This means that you must regularly provide fresh food, water, a clean litter box, and variety. A species-appropriate environment in your home requires sufficient space and opportunities for your cat to rest, hide, climb, play, and sharpen its claws. There should also be new things for your cat to discover. Plan enough time each day to play with and keep your cat occupied.
Keeping a cat indoors also has its dangers, which you need to protect your cat from. Check your home for cat safety: some houseplants, medicines left lying around, cleaning products, and certain foods can cause poisoning (see relevant article). Accidents such as getting stuck in a tilted window (see relevant article) are life-threatening.
If cats are regularly left alone for long periods of the day, it is advisable to get a second cat. However, you should not have more cats than you have rooms, so that each cat has its own place to retreat to.
Special food for indoor cats ensures that their daily nutritional requirements are met without unnecessary calorie intake. This helps you maintain your cat's healthy weight. You should also provide cat grass, which helps your cat regurgitate indigestible hairballs.
Indoor cats have a higher average life expectancy than outdoor cats. Food and drinking water are available regularly and in controlled amounts. Dangers can be consciously avoided.
If you keep your cat indoors, you need to have enough space, the appropriate cat furniture, and more time for your cat to play and cuddle. Playing and scratching may require occasional repairs and regular removal of cat hair.
One option for giving indoor cats controlled access to the outdoors is an outdoor enclosure or a cat-proof balcony. You can also let your cat outside on a leash. Use a cat harness instead of a collar to distribute the pull of the leash.
Whether indoor cats or outdoor cats, once cats have become accustomed to their living conditions, it can be difficult for them to adjust to a change. Therefore, carefully consider which type of care is best for you in the long term.
If your horse is rubbing itself more than usual, you should take a closer look, as itching can be a key symptom of many skin diseases or allergies in horses. However, some metabolic disorders can also cause itching in horses. This condition is very stressful for your animal and should therefore be examined and treated by a veterinarian as soon as possible.
It is a dramatic sight for us as owners when our own horse suddenly cannot bend its hind leg and can barely walk. In many cases, the kneecap dislocation resolves itself and the horse runs normally again. If the dislocation does not resolve, a veterinarian must remedy the situation by skillfully manipulating the horse and leading it backwards or sideways so that it can walk normally again. A brief digression into the anatomy of the knee joint provides a simple explanation for this phenomenon.
It is often a dramatic sight for owners and riders: from one day to the next, your horse suddenly shows severe lameness. The affected limb is increasingly rested or no longer placed properly on the ground. Occasionally, but not always, the affected hoof feels warmer than the other hooves. It is obvious that your horse is in severe pain and you suspect the worst. However, it is often just a hoof abscess. The colloquial term "hoof abscess" is misleading, as it is not an abscess or tissue growth, but a purulent inflammation in the form of an abscess. In such a case, please call a veterinarian immediately who can examine your animal, confirm any suspicions and treat it immediately.
Is your dog moving more stiffly, reluctant to go down stairs or jump into the car? Is he limping or does he have a swollen joint? Around 20% of all dogs develop joint diseases such as arthritis and osteoarthritis during their lifetime. But what is the difference between them?
Ear infections in dogs are one of the most common reasons for visits to the veterinarian. However, the condition is often detected too late and not treated consistently. The anatomical structure of the ear canal in dogs and its length make it prone to inflammation. Due to various factors, some dog breeds are even more susceptible to inflammation in the ear area. Outer ear infections, also known as otitis externa, are the most common type. Middle and inner ear infections are less common. However, if not detected early, these can develop into chronic conditions that require intensive treatment.
Skin fungus, also known as dermatomycosis, is one of the most common infectious skin diseases in cats. It resembles many other skin diseases in appearance and is therefore not always easy to diagnose. Many types of fungus are also transmissible to humans, meaning that it is a zoonosis.
Horses are flight animals. If something frightens them, they will run away faster than some owners can even blink. There are many possible triggers: a large green tractor while out riding, posters in an indoor riding arena, or children playing in the yard. However, with the right exercises, you can help your horse become more calm over time.
Just like humans and dogs, more and more cats are developing the metabolic disease diabetes. However, diabetes in cats differs from that in dogs and humans in a number of key ways. Middle-aged neutered male cats are particularly affected. Maine Coon and Siamese cats are more susceptible to diabetes.
As in many other sports, doping plays an important role in equestrian sports when it comes to competitions and performance comparisons. Unlike in athletics, however, it is not the human being who tries to enhance their own performance by taking certain substances, but the animal whose performance is to be enhanced by administering these substances. Since the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, the issue of doping in equestrian sports has also come into the public spotlight due to numerous proven cases of doping, which has resulted in considerable damage to the image of equestrian sports.
Rabbit plague, or myxomatosis in medical terms, is a dangerous viral infection of domestic and wild rabbits that is widespread throughout Central Europe. The disease is highly contagious and can take on epidemic proportions in unprotected populations. An effective vaccine is available as a preventive measure. Hares, on the other hand, are virtually immune to the pathogen.
The horse's mouth is a sensitive area. Healthy teeth are important not only for eating, but also for riding with a bridle and bit. Many instances of head shaking or restlessness under the saddle can originate in the horse's mouth.
Phlebitis is an inflammatory change in the vein wall. In horses, the jugular veins, which are located on either side of the neck in the jugular groove, are often affected. These veins transport blood from the head to the heart. Due to their location and easy accessibility, they are most commonly used for injections, infusions, or the insertion of intravenous catheters.
