Keeping your cats entertained will help make inside, where they are safe, more enjoyable.

If you share your life and home with a cat, you know how sweet, loving, persuasive and ferocious they can be, but just because they meow at the door doesn’t mean you have to give in. There are many reasons to stay strong and keep your cats indoors.

One reason is parasites.Your cat could eat something like a rat, a mouse, a bird and become very sick due to a parasitic infection. If your cat picks up fleas, ticks, worms, or a ring worm they could easily transmit these to other pets or people in the home.

There are also many substances out in the world that are toxic to cats including pesticides, lawn products and antifreeze. The sweet taste of antifreeze is pleasant to cats and they will lick it if able, but antifreeze is extremely toxic and your cat will die within hours of ingesting it.

Diseases are more easily caught when cats roam outdoors.

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	Indoor Cats Lisa Chelenza shares why it is safer to keep your cats indoors.

Feline leukemia destroys a cat’s immune system and is transmitted through bodily fluids. The vaccine is not 100 percent effective. Cats infected usually die within two years. FIV also destroys a cat’s immune system. It’s transmitted through bodily fluids as well and cuts a cat’s lifespan in half. There’s no vaccine for the disease.

Vehicles are another large threat to cats. Thousands of cats get hit by cars every year. If this happens to yours, you may never even know.

Cats are often the victims of animal abuse. When let outside, cats can kill each other in fights or can be killed by dogs, raccoons or other wildlife. There are even people who train their dogs to attack and kill cats when they are out in the open.

	Diseases are more easily caught when cats roam outdoors.

People who live in the country think it’s a great idea to let their cats out to roam, but many times domestic dogs and cats can get caught in traps intended for wild animals.

Keeping your cats entertained will help keepthem safe and more enjoyable indoors. Have plenty of catnip, fun toys, a window perch and a few high places just for them and that should help cut down on their requests for an outdoor adventure.