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Pledge To Keep Cats Safe Indoors and Protect Wildlife

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Sponsor: The Animal Rescue Site

Outdoor access can expose cats to disease, cars, predators, poisons, and violence while putting birds and small wildlife at risk.

Long-haired calico cat sitting on a windowsill above a radiator, looking out the window, framed by large houseplants.

Letting a cat roam outside may feel natural, but it can expose them to serious and preventable threats. Outdoor cats face cars, fights, parasites, poisons, harsh weather, predators, theft, and diseases that can follow them back into the home.1,2

Cats Also Harm Wildlife

Free-roaming cats are skilled hunters, even when they are well fed. Research from Washington, D.C., found that cats overlap with native wildlife and rabies-vector species, creating risks for cats, people, and ecosystems.1 Wildlife care data also shows that animals injured by cats often have very low survival rates, even after treatment.3

Indoor Cats Can Thrive

Keeping cats indoors does not mean denying them a full life. Cats can stay active and engaged with toys, climbing spaces, scratching posts, window perches, safe hiding places, puzzle feeders, and regular play. Safe outdoor options, such as catios, screened porches, or leash walks, can offer fresh air without the same dangers.2,4

A Safer Choice Starts at Home

This pledge asks cat guardians to protect their cats from preventable harm and reduce pressure on birds, mammals, reptiles, and other wildlife. A closed door, a richer indoor environment, and supervised outdoor time can save lives.

Take the pledge to keep cats safe indoors and protect the wildlife who share our communities.

More on this issue:

  1. University of Maryland, Phys.org (21 November 2022), "Study finds you should keep your cats inside for the sake of their health and the surrounding environment."
  2. American Humane, American Humane (8 July 2022), "Indoor Cats vs. Outdoor Cats."
  3. Wildlife Center of Virginia, Wildlife Center of Virginia (n.d.), "The Case for Indoor Cats."
  4. PETA Staff, PETA (24 June 2010), "Why All Cats Should Be Indoor Cats."

The Pledge

As a cat guardian, ally, or animal lover,

I support the pledge to keep cats safely indoors and to choose safer alternatives to unsupervised outdoor roaming.

Cats deserve lives filled with comfort, stimulation, care, and protection. Letting them wander outdoors may seem harmless, but the risks are real. Cats who roam can be hit by cars, injured in fights, attacked by predators, exposed to parasites and diseases, poisoned, stolen, or lost. These dangers can turn an ordinary day into a crisis for a beloved companion animal.

Outdoor roaming also affects wildlife. Cats are natural hunters, and they can kill or injure birds, small mammals, reptiles, and amphibians even when they are not hungry. Many wild animals hurt by cats do not survive their injuries. This is not a matter of blame. It is a matter of responsibility. We can love cats while also recognizing the harm that free-roaming outdoor access can cause.

A more humane path is possible. I pledge to support the following steps:

  1. Keep companion cats indoors unless they are in a secure and supervised outdoor space.
  2. Provide enrichment through toys, scratching posts, climbing spaces, window perches, hiding places, and daily play.
  3. Use safer outdoor options such as catios, screened porches, enclosed yards, or leash-and-harness walks when appropriate.
  4. Keep cats spayed or neutered, vaccinated, microchipped, and up to date on veterinary care.
  5. Help other cat guardians understand that indoor life can be safe, active, and fulfilling.
  6. Support humane solutions for community cats that reduce suffering and prevent more cats from being born into unsafe outdoor lives.

Compassion means protecting the animals in our care and the animals who live around us. By keeping cats safely indoors and giving them the enrichment they need, we can reduce preventable suffering for pets, wildlife, and communities.

These actions will ensure a better future for all.

Sincerely,

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