Happy Caturday! This is Bucky Barnes, a long-time resident of ACS. Bucky has a right foreleg amputated at the shoulder as a consequence of being struck by a car in his former home. He survived the collision - though studies show around 70% of cats hit by cars do not - but suffered a completely shattered limb. His owners could not afford to take him to the vet, and hoped it would heal on its own. Instead, the limb became necrotic, and he was in so much pain that he began attempting to chew it off. It was at that point that they brought him to the vet for euthanasia. Our vet asked if they would be willing to instead surrender the sweet and otherwise healthy young cat if he could arrange a rescue placement, and they agreed. He called us straight away, and Bucky had his amputation that very same day.
Road mortality is one of the leading causes of death in free roaming cats. One study from a vet clinic in Canada showed that a staggering 87% of traumatic injury deaths in their feline patients were from being struck by cars. Roaming cats face many dangers, vehicles being a prominent one, which is why ACS's resident cats are indoor-only, and we will not place adoptables with homes that allow outdoor access without the safety of a catio, cat-proof fencing, or leash and harness.
Some argue that cats are bored indoors, and there is some validity to that when it comes to environments that don't allow them to express natural behaviors. However, with proper enrichment, cats can live just as happily indoors, without the immense health and safety risks, nor the profound ecological detriment they cause outdoors. We have made several posts on this topic, but if you would like to know more, this article is a good, balanced summary of the dangers cats face outdoors, their environmental impact, as well as the challenges they may have indoors without appropriate enrichment. Remember, behavioral enrichment is an essential aspect of ALL animal husbandry, regardless of species.