Where House Cats Come In

This week's topic can be a little tough for some people to hear, and that’s okay! No one is perfect, and we don’t pretend to be. But if you have a cat that goes outside, hear us out!

This writer’s favorite animal is a house cat. I have two, Levee and Spyro, who I would give just about anything for! Both of them are rescues that come from New Orleans, Louisiana, where they have a cat PROBLEM. I am told that Hurricane Katrina really started this widespread issue when many people had to leave on very short notice, and their animals became strays overnight. The devastation in the area was slow to be repaired, and this gave strays plenty of time to begin breeding.

Spyro the Dragon Levee

Now, there are tens of thousands of cats roaming this city, one not unlike Savannah. These cats are having devastating effects on the natural ecosystem, though there are a lot of hardworking people doing their best to humanely deal with this issue, through Trap Neuter Release programs aimed at lowering the population of these cats over time, without mass culling of the animals. How do I know? Because I was one of them, advocating for their lives, helping adopt out the cats who could be tamed, while also trying desperately to save the native wildlife being killed every day by these cats. There was and is no easy solution that will make everyone feel good. I didn’t want to see tens of thousands of animals culled when it wasn’t their fault. But there is no denying that these cats are a huge problem.

Why am I talking to you about New Orleans when we live in Georgia? Because it’s one very prominent example of what is happening everywhere. When we let our cats outside, regardless of what type of cat you have, they hunt. They hunt lizards and frogs, mice and rats, small birds, and small mammals like squirrels and bunnies. All of the cute baby wildlife that we fawn over are hunted by our house cats. This isn’t meant to shame ANYONE. But we are here to say that keeping your cats indoors is one of the single most environmentally impactful things that you can do! There are more than 60 species of birds and reptiles that have gone EXTINCT because of feral and domesticated cats being let outside. This isn’t acceptable, but what can be done?

What if your cat LOVES to go outside? Well my cats DO. They LOVE the great outdoors and I love my cats so much that I wanted them to enjoy life to the fullest. So I trained one to walk on a leash and harness so I can go out with them. Spyro loves to roll around in the grass and chase bugs. But I can see him at all times and make sure that he’s not hunting anything or getting into anything dangerous. Just like a dog, I take him on little walks.

Unfortunately, one of my cats, Levee, will absolutely NEVER wear a harness and leash. He HATES it, so what was I to do for them? We bought a cat door and screened in our patio so that he can go outside in what we call the CATIO. You can buy actual Catios now (We'll add a link below just in case you want to peruse), as they are becoming more and more popular, or make them yourself if you’re the handy type. My cats love their catio so much, I would say they spend over half their time there! But when I want to, I can close it up and keep them inside - when it’s raining or too hot.

https://www.chewy.com/aivituvin-air37-walk-in-outdoor-cat -- EXAMPLE OF CATIO FOR SALE

I also have a friend who installed rollers on the top of his fence so that his cats can’t leave the back yard. This limits the amount of wildlife they can come into contact with AND protects them from other cats, car strikes, and getting into danger elsewhere.

Photo Credit: https://katzecure.com/

So what if these aren’t an option for you? You live in an apartment, maybe, or you live where there’s no access to a yard. If you’re ADAMANT that your cat must be allowed outside, would you consider not letting them out every day? Maybe just once a week is enough? And try not to let them out at dawn or dusk which is when most wildlife is the most active.

Protect these babies!

You can also support animal shelters that are trying their best to keep cats inside people’s homes and off the streets. And support wildlife care centers that are seeing wildlife injured by cats every single day.

Whatever the decision you make, we aren’t here to judge you! But I do hope that you will consider, from one cat lover to another, that there are many options to keeping your cat, and your native ecosystem safe and sound!

As always, we will see you on the trails, where the only cats you’ll see are bobcats and cougars!