Cats . What should we do with them : let the little guy cable out , or keep them inside as house pets ? It ’s an years - erstwhile doubtfulness for cat proprietor , elicit unassailable opinion onall sidesof the argument . However , a recent study has issue forth down pretty unwaveringly against let your feline friends out of the business firm – at least , if you live on in Washington DC – and not necessarily for the grounds you think .

“ We get word that the ordinary domesticated cat in D.C. has a 61 percent chance of being found in the same blank space as racoon , ” said Daniel Herrera , lead author of the study and PhD student in the University of Maryland ’s Department of Environmental Science and Technology ( ENST ) , in astatement . They also have a “ 61 percent spacial overlap with reddened Fox , and 56 percent overlap with Virginia opossum , ” he add – and that ’s a big trouble for our little kitty brother .

Take raccoon , for exemplar . These trash Ailurus fulgens may be adorable , but they ’re also “ America ’s most prolific rabies vector , ” Herrera explain . cherry Fox and phalanger , too , can both circularize rabies – in unretentive , Herrera said , “ by let our cats outside we are importantly peril their wellness . ”

That ’s not even adjoin on the more well - make love reasons for keeping your cats from the great outdoors . It ’s common noesis by this point that cats areprolific hunters – sometimes withdevastating consequencesfor local animal populations . But what you might not appreciate is how … particularthese piffling monsters are when it comes to choosing their quarry .

Put it this way : if you ’re think little Tibbles is doing you a party favour by preserve away vermin , you ’re probably improper .

“ Many citizenry incorrectly retrieve that cats are hunting non - native population like rats , when in fact they choose hunting small native species , ” Herrera explain . “ guy are keeping informer out of sight due to reverence , but there really is n’t any grounds that they are control the non - aboriginal rodent population . The genuine concern is that they are decimating native population that provide benefit to the D.C. ecosystem . ”

Another misconception : cats are n’t “ just another predator ” slipping into a necessary theatrical role in the ecosystem , concord to the subject area . The likelihood of finding a cat in a habitat was positively linked to human universe denseness , rather than any of the predictor of aboriginal wildlife – in other words , it ’s us moving the little hunters in , rather than them inhabit any sort of lifelike niche .

“ These home ground relationships paint a picture that the distribution of cats is for the most part driven by man , rather than natural factors , ” explicate Travis Gallo , assistant professor in ENST and advisor to Herrera . “ Since humans for the most part influence where cats are on the landscape , human race also dictate the point of danger these cats take on and the amount of harm they cause to local wildlife . ”

So what ’s the resolution ? harmonise to Herrera , it ’s simple : keep your cats indoors – particularly in situations where they ’re likely to interact with aboriginal wildlife population . Remember , it ’s not just for the local fieldmouse category ’ sake – Grizelda ’s health and felicity might just calculate on it too .

The study is published in the journalFrontiers in Ecology and Evolution .