Cut and about

I often sit perched on the top shelf of the file cabinet in the study where my human does her work, away from the humdrum of the rest of the house. I look at the world below with the air of aloofness that humans like about us cats, but I make it a point to listen to discussions and talks there between my various long and short snoozes. In a discussion that she was having with a guest I found out that humane organisations and cat experts are continually trying to communicate to the public that keeping cats indoors protects them from disease and all kinds of dangers. Not go out? Meeowwrr! My little walk around the garden and through the hedge, across the street, hobnobbing with the neighbourhood cats is what I look forward to everyday. But apparently, I was quite unaware of the risks that I expose myself to in my little jaunt. Outdoor life includes exposure to fleas and several infectious diseases including rabies; injury or death occurring on busy roads; and attacks by predators like huge rats, mean dogs and other vicious cats. Did you know that many, many years ago, cats were kept by people for protecting grains being stored from mice and rats. But over the years, cats have, through our clever ways, found our way into people’s hearts and homes and now people have us as pets because they want to have us as pets and to look after us and love us. Pet cats today get the very best of medical attention and the best choices in food and toys. As we are fed better, cats now live longer, healthier lives than ever before. The average life span of indoor cats is about 14 years while only about four years in cats which are allowed to roam free on the streets, exposing themselves to the hazards of outdoor life. For pet cats that are let outside for a while, the biggest risk is of traffic accidents, even if you don’t live on a busy street because on quieter streets, drivers tend to go by even faster. Besides traffic, there is the risk of being bitten by other cats. Bite wounds usually become infected, the cat can get feverish, refuse food and all this can lead to a host of other problems. Antibiotics and sometimes surgery are often required to help resolve the issue. Other than being exposed to infectious viral diseases that cats on the street carry, some people are a threat to us, too. Irresponsible and cruel children can harm us in the name of ‘having fun’. Grown ups with cat phobias can hit us with sticks or throw stones at us. After hearing all the terrible things that can happen to cats that sneak out, I jumped off from the file cabinet, stretch luxuriously, sniffed at my human and walked out of the study. I walked over to my water dish and after a long drink of cool water, I thought of all the trouble I could get into. I knew exactly where all the dangers were in the neighbourhood. The lady who walks with a stick in her hand because she is very scared of cats, the bunch of kids who throw rocks at and chase cats, the big dogs in the corner house who bark at cats and would love to chase them away without thinking what heart attacks it gives us little beings. I have hereby decided to abandon my Cat Rule # 23 that says ‘Live free, die wild’, we’ll discuss the rest another time.