Cats? Indoors or outdoors?

For a dose of Friday cuteness, here's a kitten who has fallen asleep on a bookshelf.

It looks almost like a stuffed toy, doesn't it?

The question came up recently asking if I had a cat would I allow it outside.

Well, living in the City of Poughkeepsie, I am always startled when I see a cat out and about. To me — and I know loads of people will disagree — I want to be sure the pet is safe, healthy and secure, no matter if it's a dog or a cat.

So I probably would follow the example of my friend Gretchen who brings her cat outside only in controlled circumstances, i.e., carrier or on a leash.

That said, here are the top reasons to keep your cat indoors from about.com.

I think, besides not getting hit by cars or menacing wildlife, the foremost reason is the first one, monitoring the cat's elimination for possible problems.

People in urban settings, where dog leash laws are enforced, not to mention pooper-scooper laws, probably have the healthiest dogs simply because they cannot avoid seeing if their pooch has a problem eliminating or has a change in bowel habits.

That is why, again to me, just opening your door and letting your dog go outdoors to do its business, is not really safeguarding your companion animal. (Forget for a moment, letting a dog randomly choose whose lawn to christen.)

I know someone who lost a dog to a severe intestinal illness and was unaware there were any problems until they were irreversible because there was no monitoring.

To me, it's just not worth the perceived convenience.