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From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.<\/p>\n
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.<\/p>\n
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.<\/p>\n
Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRead more<\/span><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nWe all know cats represent a major threat to native animals and birds. Australia\u2019s 5.3 million domestic cats kill a total of 546 million animals each year in Australia. What\u2019s less well known is that allowing your domestic cat to roam outside exposes them to considerable danger \u2013 and the risk of a short life.<\/p>\n
About two-thirds of all Australian cat owners have had a cat die while out roaming. The top risks are road traffic accidents, fighting and falls.<\/p>\n
Our recent research review found keeping your cat at home at all times isn\u2019t just good for wildlife \u2013 it\u2019s much safer for your cat.<\/p>\n
Losing a cat is tragic. But there are other risks too. Many owners rack up large veterinary bills while their cats are left with lifelong health conditions. Our review also found this situation is not unique to Australia, but reflects the global risk faced by free-roaming cats.<\/p>\n
What are the risks?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n Cameras mounted on collars provide a cat\u2019s-eye view of the hazards roaming cats face. In one study of 55 free-roaming felines in the United States, 25% risked poisoning by eating or drinking while away from home \u2013 any substance could be hazardous. Nearly half (45%) crossed roads, 25% encountered other cats, 20% crawled under houses and 20% explored storm drains.<\/p>\n
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open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>A research review found that keeping your cat at home is much safer for your cat (Getty)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThis isn\u2019t just American feline bravado. When cameras were fitted to 37 cats in New Zealand, 59% drank away from home, 40% ate away from home, 32% crossed roads and 21% risked falling by climbing onto roofs.<\/p>\n
Australian cats are no exception. In one study, 428 radio-tracked cats averaged 4.8 road crossings per day.<\/p>\n
What are the outcomes?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n If you\u2019re a fan of The Simpsons you might recall the fate of their family cats: Snowball I and Snowball II died on the road, Snowball III drowned, Coltrane (AKA Snowball IV) fell to his death, and Snowball V is still with us. The reality is uncomfortably similar. Our review found that trauma \u2013 mainly road traffic accidents, fighting and falls \u2013 kills or injures many free-roaming cats globally.<\/p>\n
In a recent UK study, road traffic accidents were the leading cause of death for cats aged less than one year old all the way to eight-year-old cats.<\/p>\n
This aligns with European estimates, which suggest 18\u201324% of cats are struck by a car during their lifetime, with around 70% of those incidents proving fatal. Victims are often under five years old and predominantly male. Risks are higher for those not desexed, as they tend to roam wider and more frequently.<\/p>\n
Love and status offer no protection. Former New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern\u2019s cat, Paddles, colloquially known as New Zealand\u2019s first cat, died after being hit by a car in 2017.<\/p>\n
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open image in gallery<\/span><\/button><\/p>\n<\/div>In a recent UK study, road traffic accidents were the leading cause of death for cats aged less than one year old (AP)<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\nThe dangers extend well beyond road accidents. Roaming pet cats face serious infectious diseases, such as Feline Immunodeficiency Virus (FIV), and frequently engage in fights, often developing abscesses that can kill and require expensive veterinary treatment.<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s hard to quantify the instances of deliberate human cruelty to cats, there is global evidence for deliberate poisoning and injury to roaming cats, many of which die before receiving medical intervention.<\/p>\n
In one study tracking 55 roaming cats in Western Australia over just eight months, two were poisoned, one lost a front leg in a traffic accident, one fractured two canine teeth in a fall, and two required veterinary treatment for fight-related injuries.<\/p>\n
Drawing all these factors together, we estimated outdoor pet cats have lives at least 2\u20133 years shorter than the population of contained pet cats. Those that survive accidents or disease may have lifelong disabilities.<\/p>\n
How can you reduce the risks?<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n The simplest way to protect your cats is to contain them on your property, just as Australians do with other domestic animals. Extensive advice is available on how to keep cats happy and healthy while contained.<\/p>\n
Importantly, containment doesn\u2019t mean keeping your cat indoors at all times. Backyards can be modified with fence-top rollers to prevent escape. Some owners enclose part of the yard to create a \u201ccatio\u201d \u2013 an outdoor cat enclosure \u2013 allowing their cats to enjoy fresh air and sunshine while remaining secure.<\/p>\n\nAbout the authors<\/h2>\nMike Calver is an Associate Professor in Biological Sciences at Murdoch University. Heather M. Crawford is an assistant researcher at Murdoch University and Trish Fleming is a Professor at Murdoch University.<\/p>\n
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons licence. Read the original article.<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Many cats can also be trained to walk on a harness or leash, making it possible to take them for supervised outings. A recent report from Norway found providing controlled outdoor access is often important for maintaining cat wellbeing.<\/p>\n
Cats need to be entertained when in the house. They enjoy outside views, toys, scratching surfaces, above-ground climbing and sitting spaces, and opportunities for play. They are naturally solitary animals, so places to hide are useful.<\/p>\n
If cats can\u2019t go outside to toilet, they will need two indoor litter trays. Because cats are fastidious, trays must be cleaned frequently. In multi-cat households, provide one litter tray per cat, plus an extra. Place the trays in separate, quiet locations, and never beside the food bowl.<\/p>\n
Responsible cat ownership<\/h2>\n<\/p>\n Australians love their cats. In 2019, roughly a quarter of Australian households owned a cat. By 2025, that figure had risen to a third. Over the same period, households reporting they kept their cats indoors rose from 36% to 48%.<\/p>\n
Perhaps we are finally valuing our cats as we do our dogs and listening to Aussie songwriter and singer Eric Bogle\u2019s sage advice: \u201cOh you who love your pussy be sure to keep him in. Don\u2019t let him argue with a truck, the truck is bound to win. And upon the busy road don\u2019t let him play or frolic. If you do I\u2019m warning you it could be CAT-astrophic.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Your support helps us to tell the story From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it’s investigating the financials of Elon Musk’s pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, ‘The A Word’, which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging. At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story. The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it. Your support makes all the difference. Read more We all know cats represent a major threat to native animals and birds. Australia\u2019s 5.3 million domestic cats kill a total of 546 million animals each year in Australia. What\u2019s less well known is that allowing your domestic cat to roam outside exposes them to considerable danger \u2013 and the risk of a short life. About two-thirds of all Australian cat owners have had a cat die while out roaming. The top risks are road traffic accidents, fighting and falls. Our recent research review found keeping your cat at home at all times isn\u2019t just good for wildlife \u2013 it\u2019s much safer for your cat. Losing a cat is tragic. But there are other risks too. Many owners rack up large veterinary bills while their cats are left with lifelong health conditions. Our review also found this situation is not unique to Australia, but reflects the global risk faced by free-roaming cats. What are the risks? Cameras mounted on collars provide a cat\u2019s-eye view of the hazards roaming cats face. In one study of 55 free-roaming felines in the United Stat…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13181,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[2],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13265"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13265"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13265\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13181"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13265"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13265"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.seekyourlove.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13265"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}