Why I Keep My Cats Indoors
They may thank me someday, but I’m not counting on it!
Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved cats.
The two cats I share a home with now, Bruce and Bonnie, have lived with me for six years. For the first two of those years they were outdoor cats. Now they are inside cats. Here’s what happened:
At first, Bruce and Bonnie were allowed the freedom of all the other cats I have cared for over the years. They could come in and out of the house whenever they pleased. I live in an old house with a stone foundation, surrounded by fields and woodland. For many years, my pet cats have helped out by keeping mice and even the occasional snake out of the house.
I figured this was a good deal for me and my cats. They got to fulfill their natural urge to hunt, and I didn’t have to worry about mice in my food cupboard.
Until the day that Bruce came into the house with a baby bunny in his mouth.
It was screaming. Like a child. Caught in Bruce’s tightly clamped mouth.
With my heart in my throat I quietly approached Bruce, trying not to startle him. When I got close enough, I grabbed him by the nape of his neck and forced him to drop his prey. With my other hand I swooped up the petrified bunny and raced outside.
