Hi everyone, I’m a cat lover, wildlife carer, and an animal welfare advocate.
I understand that everyone loves their animals! Some people are great with their cats, provide enriched environments, keep them indoors etc. … and here comes the “but”. Unfortunately, my experience as a volunteer with a companion animal welfare organisation tells me that most people are uneducated about caring for cats and their affect on our fragile wildlife. The stats tell us that most cats hunt, and the numbers of endangered or threatened native animals taken each year is staggering.
SO please, if you are a cat owner and love our wildlife too, please, please keep you cat indoors at night and in an outdoor enclosure during the day. There are plenty of cheap, DIY enclosure options, and ideas on the net. Or if thats not an option you can try letting them freelance outdoors for half an hour, morning and night prior to a meal – they will return happily (or not get fed) – its an easy routine to develop. It keeps your cat on your property – you don’t even need a cat tray in the house, as they will prefer to toilet outside during that half-hour period. It really works, and I’ve trained my own and many fostered cats in care to this routine.
This will keep your cat safe, healthy and under your control – no car accidents, no fighting injuries and no cranky neighbours throwing poison baits over your fence!
