Meet Toby! He is the nicest and the cutest indoor/outdoor cat. He did so well at BMAH getting his blood work and his annual feline leukemia and rabies vaccines.
His owners love him very much, and he loves the outdoors. So the deal that they made with their cat is they will let him out during the day, but he will be wearing a Seresto flea and tick collar so that he’s protected against all the diseases that he can get outside. They will vaccinate him for feline leukemia because the vaccine is 100% effective, and he can get that just from having any interaction with another cat.
Of course, Toby is up-to-date on Rabies, but he only gets the feline rabies vaccine that a Veterinarian can give in a hospital setting. The rabies vaccine clinics that are the three-year vaccines are not recommended for cats, but they are recommended for dogs and every other species.
Indoor/outdoor cats are at higher risk for infectious diseases, rabies, bite wounds, and being hit by a car.
Totally indoor cats live nine years longer than indoor/outdoor cats on average. The reason why indoor cats live longer is because of all the reasons I listed above, therefore, they typically go to the veterinarian more often as well. However, if you make a deal with your outdoor cat, they can live just as long and do just as well.
Here is the deal: We will keep you protected from fleas, ticks, parasites and infectious disease by vaccinating you at the veterinarian and seeing the veterinarian once a year.
The other really important part of this deal is at night. When you come in for dinner, before it gets dark, so before dusk, you will stay in our home protected the entire night.
If you can make this deal with your cat, then their chances of getting hit by a car or getting a bite wound or getting a more serious disease is greatly neutralized.
Have you ever seen a dead cat in the road that was hit by a car overnight? The reason that cat was hit by a car was not because it forgot to stop and look both ways before crossing! The reason that cat was hit by a car because at night time when it’s dark, and in the cover of darkness, there are hundreds of other feral cats and animals that you will not see in the daytime. These other cats and animals will chase any cat in the middle of the night trying to breed or fight with them, and in a panic, when they’re running across the road, this is when they are most likely to get hit.
So again, completely indoor cats live longer and have fewer risks than cats that go outdoors. However, cats who are going outside, if they are kept indoors at night, have a much higher chance of being protected, staying safe and living longer.
That’s the deal! We Love Cats at Belle Mead Animal Hospital!
Dr. Joe Martins, DVM, Belle Mead Animal Hospital, Your Other Family Doctors
