Most people agree that the word ‘freedom’ is representative of a life where we do as we wish, without hindrance or restraint. Because that is the founding principle of the United States of America, why would we not want the same life for our pets? Keeping a cat indoors can seem like punishment, even cruelty. However, because domesticated cats are not ‘native species’ to most areas they inhabit, they lack the instinctive skills and natural immunity necessary to survive in the wild. Just as a human child, domesticated cats are vulnerable to many life-threatening dangers when left unsupervised outdoors.
While keeping cats indoors may seem cruel, you are in fact giving them a chance at a longer, healthier, happier life. Though we love our precious feline companions, we also share this planet with a vast array of other species. We can choose to be responsible inhabitants of Mother Earth, or we can suffer the consequences of neglect. The fact is, cute and cuddly cats can and do wreak havoc on smaller species to the tune of billions of deaths per year. It is time to stop diverting our attention away from the problem. We must promote responsible cat ownership AND do what we can to create awareness regarding the threat that feral cats pose to wildlife. It is a great responsibility that future generations will appreciate. Think about it this way: do we want to show them the natural beauty of our planet, or let them read what it was like from a book?