When I was a little girl, I fell in love with an outdoor cat that I nicknamed Cathy (no, she did not have a collar). Week after week, Cathy would come to the back porch where I played with her before she wandered elsewhere. My parents were allergic to cats; and they would not allow me to keep her indoors. Knowing what I know now, I would've begged my parents to build a cat fence for her to stay safe and secure in our backyard.

Here are reasons why cats should be behind an outdoor cat enclosure:

Car Incidents With Cats

Let's be honest, when you are driving your car and see a cat, you expect it to move, right? Think again. Cars are a major safety concern for cats and are the result of car accidents nationwide. Although we are brought up to believe that cats have nine lives, they will die on the spot if hit by a car.

Wild Animal Encounters

Let's not be quick to point the finger at dogs - anything with claws and teeth can harm a cat. Unfortunately, outdoor cats are at risk of wildlife attacks by birds, bears, deer, and other wild animals. To make matters worse, these wild animals carry diseases that may transfer to the cat such as tick diseases, fleas, ear mites and rabies.

Tick Diseases

As mentioned, cats that interface with wildlife risk tick illnesses including Lyme Disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. These types of tick-borne diseases can be life-threatening to cats. Keeping cats away from deer and stray dogs is key to reducing the risk of tick diseases.

Trees

Firefighters rescuing helpless kittens is a real thing. More often than not, cats climb trees and have trouble getting down. To avoid sustaining injuries, cats rest on branches and suffer dehydration and lack of food for days, even weeks.

Not everyone can have an indoor cat 24/7; but this is why an outdoor catio is beneficial to cats and owners.

Blog post from EasyPetFence.com.