Question:
We have two neutered male cats. We live in a second floor condo. The only outdoor exposure these boys get is on our screened back porch or occasionally out for a little while on our open front porch (never unsupervised).My question is, should they receive flea and tick protection monthly during spring and summer? I read in your column recently that indoor cats don't need this protection, but I just want to be sure that being out on either of our porches does not pose a danger to them.
B.B. & E. B., Hendersonville, NC Aug 29, 2004
Answer:
The simple answer is no. And for those people in your condo complex whose cats and dogs do go outdoors, leashed or not, please be sure that the condo is not using herbicides and pesticides on the grounds or in the building. Frequent application of lawn fertilizer, weed killer and pesticide and fungicide chemical cocktails has been linked to lymphatic cancer in dogs, and are likely to make exposed cats -- and humans -- ill, too.
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