When cat owner Bethany Hart, 35, of Farmington, Mich., moved to a new home last year, she decided to let her curious tabby cat Cleo explore the landscape. “I thought he would circle the house and come back in,” she remembers. “But an hour later, he was nowhere to be found. When he finally came back late that night, his ear was bloody and mutilated from a fight with another animal. I took him to the veterinarian to treat the wound, and I haven't let him out since.”

L.A.-based cat behaviorist Marva Marrow, along with The Humane Society, endorses Hart's decision to keep her furry friend inside. “Cats are curious, and they like bathing in the sun, but you can satisfy both those needs by making sure they have a window to look out of and a sunny space on the floor to stretch out. These allow cats to enjoy the benefits of the outdoors safely.” Below, Marrow explains the five best reasons to keep your cat in its rightful place -- your home.

The idea of something happening to your treasured feline is unfathomable. But accidents do occur and, like most things, there's no better time to be prepared than now when your cat is playing or snoozing safely at home, and not when it's in agony and you don't know what should be done. Here, Ann Hohenhaus, DVM, chairman of the department of medicine at The Animal Medical Center in New York City, offers her advice on what to do when your cat gets hurt at home.

Bites and Cuts

If another animal bites your cat, take a clean, absorbent bath towel or kitchen towel and immediately apply pressure to the wound. "Apply pressure enough to stop the bleeding," Dr. Hohenhaus says. "It's likely that your pet won't like it because there is pain associated with the injury causing the bleeding, but bite wounds don't usually bleed much." Whatever you do, make sure you soothe your cat while you apply pressure, especially if the cat starts to squirm." If the bleeding is so bad that you feel you have to apply pressure to stop it, it warrants an examination by a vet, Dr. Hohenhaus says. "Use common sense," Dr. Hohenhaus adds. "If it's a little cut -- like the ones you put toilet paper on to stop the bleeding -- you don't need to bring the cat to the vet." But you'll want to be sure to take your cat to the vet if the bleeding doesn't show signs of stopping. Finally, always keep your cat (and all of your pets) up to date on their rabies shots because rabies can be transmitted when an infected animal bites a person or another animal.