Obi nearly lost an eye doing something thousands of cat owners let their pets do every day without a second thought

Cat owner Kylie has never been a huge fan of roaming, and always kept her two cats inside. But when Obi, the kitty next door, took up residence in her yard and eventually went into her care she felt it would be “mean” to stop him going on his neighbourhood strolls.

Racked with stress over the possibility Obi could get hurt or go missing, Kylie got a “good wake-up call” when her fear became a reality, and he was seriously injured in a fight with another cat, almost losing an eye.

“In my mind I’m like, ‘Oh well, he doesn’t go far, and he’s used to it, and it’d be really cruel and mean if I just kept him in the backyard all day because he’s not used to it, and he’s six years old’,” she told nine.com.au.

The scratch to Obi’s eye resulted in $1500 worth of vet bills, plus hundreds of dollars in medication, which required a detailed regime of four eye drops in a specific order, four times a day. 

“The poor darling … He was so good, but to have to put him through what he went through ... 20 drops a day for a week or two, and then it got better, so we could back it off a bit,” she said.

“[He had] reviews every seven days for about three weeks with the ophthalmologist to see how his eye is going. So then having to take time off work, which of course I don’t mind, but it’s bloody stressful! I’m like, Jesus Christ, [letting him roam is] not worth it ... this cat, he doesn’t deserve this,” she said.

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Kylie and Obi’s experience isn’t unique. RSPCA data shows that 4000 cats go missing in New South Wales every year and simply stopping them from leaving their owners properties would change that.

Dr Gemma Ma, RSPCA NSW campaign manager, said the organisation’s No Lost Cats campaign is raising awareness of the risks of roaming to keep both native wildlife and pet cats safe. 

“The biggest risk [to cats] we see is cats being hit by cars. There was a survey done in 2019 of Australian cat owners that found two in three ... have previously had a cat that’s died or gone missing with a roaming related accident,” she told nine.com.au.

“One in three Australian cat owners have had a cat that’s died from being hit by a car. We also know cats will usually die if they’re hit by a car, so only about three in 10 will actually survive their injuries, and we see that all the time in our vet clinics.”

Another sad fact is that roaming cats live on average 10 years less than cats kept within their owner’s property.

Now, with bird flu in Australia, there is also the risk of cats coming across a sick or dead bird while roaming and becoming infected themselves.

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“Cats can catch bird flu, and they’re actually really susceptible to the virus, so they’ll often die or be really seriously affected from contact with birds,” Dr Ma said.

Some owners let their cats roam because their cats have always done it, while other cats just get out and about before their owners can stop them by jumping fences and rushing out the door.

The RSPCA’s research shows owners tend to only put a stop to roaming after something happens to their cat.

“We find most of the time when people have changed their mind it's because something really bad has happened; their cat's been hit by a car, they've lost a cat, or they've broken a leg or had to have some really expensive veterinary treatment, and that's the thing that kind of triggers people to change their mind and change their behaviour,” Dr Ma said.

To keep cats safe but still have access to the outside world, the RSPCA encourages modifying fences so they can’t get over them, or simply providing supervised time in the yard.

Another option is to set up an enclosure using mesh or install a catio, like Kylie ended up doing for Obi and her two other cats so they can see into the yard without risking their safety.

“That really helped the transition enormously because my three cats, every morning now, we have our routine, I get up, they get up, I feed them, and then I walk to the front room, and as I’m walking in the front room, they all converge and sit at the front sliding door because they’re like, ‘Okay, let’s go out now! Yay!’,” Kylie said. 

“They love it so much, and they’re content, they’re happy, they’re calm, everything. It made a massive difference.”

And for Kylie, having her kitties in the catio has also reduced her stress levels.

“I have a calmer heart.”