How Cat Enclosures Protect Wildlife While Letting Cats Roam Freely
Cats love freely exploring the world around them. They often have no qualms about journeying beyond the confines of their home and venturing into the great outdoors.
While your cat may come home unscathed from their daily excursions, the same can’t always be said about the environment where they have roamed.
For all you know, your cat may be at the centre of a trail of destruction that has taken a toll on local wildlife. Don’t let their innocent maw fool you: they could be hunting small birds, hunting lizards, or disturbing fragile habitats during their excursions.
Over time, your cat may have shifted the local ecosystem so much that the balance of the ecosystem in your community may be in future danger.
Needless to say, no one wants to be held responsible for their cat’s antics. That said, simply keeping a cat who has had the taste of the outdoors locked inside forever isn’t an optimal solution either.
The good news? There’s a middle ground option that can keep your local ecosystem protected and your cat happy—and that’s by investing in an outdoor cat enclosure for them to use and play in.
There are several other reasons why cat enclosures are so beneficial for maintaining the equilibrium of your local biodiverse community. Let’s take a look at the benefits of a cat enclosure in protecting local wildlife in greater detail.
Prevents Your Cat From Hunting Big Animals
If your cat has had a history of hunting down animals like birds and rodents, then a cat enclosure from Somerzby or other pet retailers can be the perfect solution to help ensure that they will no longer be a threat to these wildlife creatures.
A cat’s natural hunting instincts are strong, but the material that encloses them is often much stronger. In particular, cat enclosures are constructed with sturdy metals and reinforced plastics that make it nigh-impossible for cats to scratch or gnaw through.
It’s often a good idea to keep your domesticated pet away from medium to big-sized animals for several reasons.
For one, it keeps them safe from any diseases or pushback that these animals may carry with them. Secondly, it also ensures that there’s a healthy number of animal species (regardless of their position in the food chain) in the local food pyramid, keeping the wildlife cycle running sustainably.
Your cat’s instinctual “thrill of the hunt” doesn’t have to be suppressed. A cat enclosure simply creates a safe boundary that helps your cat interact with their environment without the risk of them hurting others and themselves. They can still look at lizards, birds, and other animals to prowl on, just without the risk of them hurting any other animal.
Inside the cat enclosure, the cat can watch wildlife from a safe distance, satisfying their curiosity without harming them. This can help animals of all types, including vulnerable species, stay alive and continue to grow in numbers.
Reduces Impact on Local Ecosystems
Introducing foreign predators and pests in a functioning ecosystem can greatly disrupt the balance of the cycle.
Cats don’t have natural predators in the wild, and this is a massive advantage, as this means that they can freely hunt and devour whatever they want without consequence, leaving similar-ranked predators with even more strained resources.
This can cause a domino effect of problems, leading to the eventual reshaping (or even collapse) of the ecosystem, as there may not be enough food to go around for certain predators.
To be a responsible pet owner, it’s very important to be considerate of your cat’s impact on the local ecosystems. Putting them in a cat enclosure outdoors helps tremendously by limiting their movement, which thus helps in keeping your area’s wildlife balance undisturbed.
By putting your cat in a dedicated enclosure, you’ll save the ecosystem and grant yourself peace of mind that you’re not responsible for causing the reduction of vulnerable species. Your cat will be happy too, provided that you’ve picked a spacious and tailor-fit enclosure for their specific needs.
The Enclosure Can Be Configured to Your Liking
Cats can roam freely when a cat enclosure is attached to a cat run, or a designated contained space that gives them extra room to explore without the risks of wandering off.
These setups are highly flexible. You can keep it simple with a small enclosure attached to your windowsill, or go big with multi-level designs complete with ramps, tunnels, and perches. The best part about cat enclosures is the degree of flexibility you can employ to customise them to fit your needs.
