Keeping Kitty Safe

We all know that fresh air, a bit of sun and increased exercise is healthy for our pets. But most of us are also aware that the danger of allowing cats outdoors loose offsets any benefits. Cats allowed outdoors have an average lifespan of only 5 years (vs. 15 for indoor cats) due to being hit by cars, injured or killed by dogs or wildlife, rat poison ingestion, diseases caught by fighting with other cats, and nameless other accidents.

However, your cat can have the best of both worlds! Cat enclosures can offer your companion safe access to outdoor areas. These can be very small, cheap and unobtrusive, or they can be extensive additions to a house. Anyone from apartment dwellers with a window or a balcony to homeowners looking to build a permanent structure can provide their cat with an outdoor access enclosure of some type. Read on for more information!

Here are some links to cat runs/enclosures built by others:
http://www.brushyland.com/cats/enclose.htm
http://www.brushyland.com/cats/catrun.htm
http://www.apelia.com/catrun.html
http://www.cat-world.com.au/cat-worldenclosures.htm
http://www.catmax.com.au/
http://www.kvasir.co.uk/new_cat_run.htm
http://www.geocities.com/holmescathy/outdoorenclosure.html
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Park/9857/enclosure.html
http://www.communityconcernforcats.org/Enclosures%20Pictures.htm

Pre-built enclosures you can buy:
http://www.petsamaritan.org/Help/catrun.htm
http://www.cdpets.com/enclosure.html
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/sc_view.cfm?siteid=1&pCatId=7680http://www.just4cats.com/index.html
www.InsideOut4Pets.com (Inside Out for Pets)
SafeCat Outdoor Enclosure

Articles about enclosures/cat runs:
http://www.thecatsite.com/cat_care/care.php?a=enclosures
http://www.catsinternational.org/articles/fun_for_cats/outdoor_enclosures.html
http://www.paws.org/work/factsheet/catfactsheets/enclosures.html

The painting above is for sale now on eBAy. It is titled "Good Morning Bright Eyes". 20% of the proceeds from its sale will benefit Tabby's Place: A Cat Sanctuary.
R.J. Andreae - proud member of Art Helping Animals