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This morning I found a dead cat near our house. He was an unneutered male we'd seen in the area before. I don't know if he belonged to someone or if he was feral, but his nine lives ran out last night. About ten years ago I lost the first cat I adopted after I moved to New Mexico because I allowed her to go outside by herself. One night she was captured by an owl and killed, only three months after I brought her home from the shelter.

When I was growing up we always had cats. They were never spayed or neutered, and they were allowed to roam. As a result, we always had litters of kittens around, and eventually the cats would disappear, never to be seen again. They all had short lives.

As an adult, I continued allowing the cats in my life to wander on their own because I shared a common misconception that it was cruel to keep cats indoors. I was wrong.

I have four cats now. Three of them like to go outdoors, and I let them, but I've learned my lesson after all these years and too many lost cats. Now I walk with them. My fourth cat is not at all interested in the outdoor life and is quite content to remain indoors, which is not unusual.

It's a bad idea to let domesticated cats roam. It may seem like they can take care of themselves, but they often get into serious trouble. There are a lot of dangers out there for a cat: coyotes, raptors, vehicles, dogs, snakes, pregnancy if not spayed, diseases like plague and rabies, poisons, and bad people, to name just a few.

It is not a kindness to allow your cat to wander outdoors; neither is it cruel to keep her indoors. If you don't have the time to walk with your cat, consider buying an outdoor tunnel for her to play in, or setting up an outdoor cage. And it's not at all hard to keep your cat entertained indoors, with a selection of toys or with a companion cat or dog.

Many people believe that their cats are wild creatures, but the truth is that selective breeding has taken most of the wild out of them. They no longer have the physical ability to make it on their own and protect themselves like true wild cats. Even feral cats have trouble surviving for very long. Don't allow your cat to end up dead in some stranger's yard, like the unfortunate cat I found this morning, because you happen to believe the myth that cats won't be happy unless they are free to wander.

Learn more about this author, Ardeth Baxter.
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