Finally, Alisa gained his confidence enough to lure him into a carrier with food and whisk him off to the vet’s, where the big once-handsome cat tested positive for FIV, the feline equivalent of AIDS. Already the disease had ravaged his teeth and gums. Most of his teeth had fallen out. His gums were flaming red. Eating must have been agony. The disease had also damaged his heart. An infection had spread from his gums, doing irreparable harm.

It was all over. The injection was painless—but not for his human friend.

Feline AIDS is a highly contagious, incurable disease for which there is no vaccine. It can only be prevented by keeping cats indoors.

Besides the numerous diseases that cats who roam outdoors can catch, there are dangers posed by dogs, wildlife, and the scariest predator of all, humans.

Cats sent outdoors unattended sometimes don’t come back home. It’s not that they have decided to live somewhere else. Some are abducted; others are found dead or injured. Thieves, or “bunchers,” cruise neighborhoods for friendly dogs and cats they can sell to dealers, who then sell them to laboratories. In a world of tractor-trailers, psychopaths, intolerant neighbors, bored juveniles armed with baseball bats, rat poison, and toxic antifreeze spills, the number of animals who disappear every year should come as no surprise.

“But he wants to go outside,” “We live on a very quiet street,” “It’s cruel to keep her in,” say the rational people who would never dream of dispatching a child into the street.

"Many cats [who] run loose are struck and killed by cars. Even if your house lies far from a road, the cat can find it."
—Roz Riddle, The City Cat

The way we learn not to let the cat out unaccompanied is usually the hard way. In Pompano, Florida, lost dogs and cats were found in a large storage warehouse used by dogfight “trainers.” In South Dakota, a fur-trader was caught selling cat skins. In Washington, D.C., a cat let out for her daily stroll returned covered in burns from hot cooking grease. In California, a woman searching for her two cats found both shot through with arrows. Before I knew better, my cat went missing for three days and finally crawled home to die on my back doorstep, her lungs collapsed and her ribs broken.

Today’s concrete jungles are far too dangerous for vulnerable, trusting little life forms. But how do we prevent Tabby from being bored in the great indoors? Here’s how:

Grasses for nibbling are easily grown indoors.

Bring the outdoors in with nature videos featuring birds and squirrels.

1 Bring joy with toys. From paper bags and rolled-up balls of foil to motorized “mice” and laser pointers, toys liven up even the laziest feline. All-time favorites are Cat Dancer and Cat Charmer (Both available at PetaMall.com).

2 Scratch that itch. Cats LOVE to scratch. It helps to remove broken claws, stretch muscles, and mark “territory.” The best way to save your furniture is to provide lots of “approved” places to scratch. Cat “trees” and posts, cardboard scratching boxes, and those ingenious “cat tracks” (a ball in a plastic tunnel surrounding a cardboard scratching pad) are big hits.

3 Provide a room with a view. Windows are cat “TV”—a bird feeder placed near a window can provide hours of entertainment. If windowsills aren’t wide enough, build or buy a cushioned perch (available from pet supply catalogs) to attach to the sill. Note: Make sure windows are secure and won’t slide down on cats, and keep the cords of window blinds tucked out of the way so legs don’t get caught.

4 Porches bring purrs. A screened-in porch or an area adjoining a window is a great way for kitty to safely commune with nature. If your yard is fenced, another option is Cat Fence-In, a netting kit that attaches to the top of the fence. Contact Cat Fence-In at 702-359-4575; www.catfencein.com.

5 Cat walkies. Yes, cats can be taught to walk on a leash—just be sure to use an ultra-lightweight, retractable leash attached to a harness, not a collar. Get your cat used to the harness for short periods indoors; then pick an open outdoor area to explore.

6 Plant a garden—of catnip. Cats will nibble it and roll in it. Other healthy snacks are wheat grass, alfalfa, and oat grass (get seed-starter kits from companion animal supply stores).

For more information on ways to make your feline's life more felicitous, pick up a copy of Ingrid Newkirk's book 250 Things You Can Do to Make Your Cat Adore You (Simon and Schuster, 1998) or her CD "Love that Cat!".