{"id":122,"date":"2026-05-13T14:01:28","date_gmt":"2026-05-13T18:01:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/?p=122"},"modified":"2026-05-13T14:01:28","modified_gmt":"2026-05-13T18:01:28","slug":"indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/","title":{"rendered":"&#8220;Indoor Only&#8221; Doesn&#8217;t Mean Risk-Free"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter is-resized\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/BigKitty-1-edited.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-126\" style=\"width:500px\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/BigKitty-1-edited.jpg 1920w, https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/BigKitty-1-edited-1500x844.jpg 1500w, https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/BigKitty-1-edited-768x432.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/BigKitty-1-edited-1536x864.jpg 1536w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1920px) 100vw, 1920px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p>&#8220;Indoor only&#8221; means something different to everyone. It could be the rabbit that rules their indoor hutch, a cat that basks in the sunshine of open windows, or the pampered pup that only hits the grass for the fastest of potty breaks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>But no matter what kind of &#8220;indoor only&#8221; life your pet has, it doesn&#8217;t mean they&#8217;re immune to parasites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Honestly, we wish it did. Life would be a lot easier for pets <em>and<\/em> pet parents. But unfortunately, parasites are a problem for ALL pets.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Parasites sneak inside every day. And it\u2019s easier than you\u2019d think.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Fleas and ticks sneak inside on:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Shoes<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Clothing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Other pets<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Guests<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Did you know that it only takes one flea to start an infestation? <strong><em>One female flea can lay 40 to 50 eggs a day!<\/em><\/strong> And those eggs don\u2019t stay on your pet. They drop off into carpets, furniture, bedding, and cracks in flooring.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ticks are just as destructive in fewer numbers. A single tick can transmit serious diseases with only 24 hours of attachment.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>And what about the parasites we <\/strong><strong><em>can\u2019t <\/em><\/strong><strong>see?<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Some of the most concerning parasites are completely invisible to the naked eye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Intestinal worms like roundworms, hookworms, whipworms, and tapeworms can make our pets dangerously sick.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Symptoms include:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Vomiting<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Diarrhea<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Weight loss<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Anemia<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Fatigue<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>And some of those worms can be transferred to humans &#8211; children and immunocompromised<\/strong> <strong>individuals are especially at risk.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">So how do those worms get indoors? <em>They hitch a ride.<\/em><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Common household pests like <strong>ants, cockroaches, flies, and mice<\/strong> deposit parasite eggs on surfaces around your home (or directly into your pet if they\u2019re hunters!).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Gross? Yes. Preventable? Yes.<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Your indoor pet doesn\u2019t have to dig in dirt or roam the neighborhood to be exposed. We recommend year-round parasite prevention for <em>all<\/em> pets, even the ones who prefer couches over camping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Call us at 757-956-1110 or <a href=\"https:\/\/petportal.vet\/vvc\">schedule a consultation online<\/a> &#8211; we\u2019ll help you find the right prevention to keep your pets parasite-free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;Indoor only&#8221; means something different to everyone. It could be the rabbit that rules their indoor hutch, a cat that basks in the sunshine of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[13],"tags":[64,62,63,43,28],"class_list":["post-122","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-pet-wellness-preventive-care","tag-cat-care","tag-indoor-pets","tag-parasites","tag-pet-care-tips","tag-pet-wellness"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v25.9 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>&quot;Indoor Only&quot; Doesn&#039;t Mean Risk-Free | Vital Vet Animal Hospital<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"&quot;Indoor Only&quot; Doesn&#039;t Mean Risk-Free | Vital Vet Animal Hospital\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"&#8220;Indoor only&#8221; means something different to everyone. It could be the rabbit that rules their indoor hutch, a cat that basks in the sunshine of [&hellip;]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Vital Vet Animal Hospital\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-05-13T18:01:28+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/BigKitty-1-edited.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1920\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"1080\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Vital Vet Animal Hospital\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Vital Vet Animal Hospital\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Vital Vet Animal Hospital\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2c86d342f39f667623498fd46b8822b5\"},\"headline\":\"&#8220;Indoor Only&#8221; Doesn&#8217;t Mean Risk-Free\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-13T18:01:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/\"},\"wordCount\":345,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/BigKitty-1-edited.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"cat care\",\"indoor pets\",\"parasites\",\"pet care tips\",\"pet wellness\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Pet Wellness and Preventive Care\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/\",\"name\":\"\\\"Indoor Only\\\" Doesn't Mean Risk-Free | Vital Vet Animal Hospital\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/BigKitty-1-edited.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-05-13T18:01:28+00:00\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/BigKitty-1-edited.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/BigKitty-1-edited.jpg\",\"width\":1920,\"height\":1080},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"&#8220;Indoor Only&#8221; Doesn&#8217;t Mean Risk-Free\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/\",\"name\":\"Vital Vet Animal Hospital\",\"description\":\"Our Blog\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/#organization\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Organization\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/#organization\",\"name\":\"Vital Vet Animal Hospital\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/\",\"logo\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/logo.png\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/logo.png\",\"width\":696,\"height\":696,\"caption\":\"Vital Vet Animal Hospital\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/\"}},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2c86d342f39f667623498fd46b8822b5\",\"name\":\"Vital Vet Animal Hospital\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/faaf87c261f3bcca6c27615f200b89cd45013f595bddf0eea47f134a6339373d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/faaf87c261f3bcca6c27615f200b89cd45013f595bddf0eea47f134a6339373d?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Vital Vet Animal Hospital\"},\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/author\/hollydvitalvetcare-com\/\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"\"Indoor Only\" Doesn't Mean Risk-Free | Vital Vet Animal Hospital","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"\"Indoor Only\" Doesn't Mean Risk-Free | Vital Vet Animal Hospital","og_description":"&#8220;Indoor only&#8221; means something different to everyone. It could be the rabbit that rules their indoor hutch, a cat that basks in the sunshine of [&hellip;]","og_url":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/","og_site_name":"Vital Vet Animal Hospital","article_published_time":"2026-05-13T18:01:28+00:00","og_image":[{"width":1920,"height":1080,"url":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/BigKitty-1-edited.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"Vital Vet Animal Hospital","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Vital Vet Animal Hospital","Est. reading time":"2 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/"},"author":{"name":"Vital Vet Animal Hospital","@id":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2c86d342f39f667623498fd46b8822b5"},"headline":"&#8220;Indoor Only&#8221; Doesn&#8217;t Mean Risk-Free","datePublished":"2026-05-13T18:01:28+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/"},"wordCount":345,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/#organization"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/BigKitty-1-edited.jpg","keywords":["cat care","indoor pets","parasites","pet care tips","pet wellness"],"articleSection":["Pet Wellness and Preventive Care"],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/","url":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/","name":"\"Indoor Only\" Doesn't Mean Risk-Free | Vital Vet Animal Hospital","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/BigKitty-1-edited.jpg","datePublished":"2026-05-13T18:01:28+00:00","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/BigKitty-1-edited.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/BigKitty-1-edited.jpg","width":1920,"height":1080},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/indoor-only-doesnt-mean-risk-free\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"&#8220;Indoor Only&#8221; Doesn&#8217;t Mean Risk-Free"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/","name":"Vital Vet Animal Hospital","description":"Our Blog","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/#organization"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Organization","@id":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/#organization","name":"Vital Vet Animal Hospital","url":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/logo.png","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/logo.png","width":696,"height":696,"caption":"Vital Vet Animal Hospital"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/logo\/image\/"}},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/2c86d342f39f667623498fd46b8822b5","name":"Vital Vet Animal Hospital","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/faaf87c261f3bcca6c27615f200b89cd45013f595bddf0eea47f134a6339373d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/faaf87c261f3bcca6c27615f200b89cd45013f595bddf0eea47f134a6339373d?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Vital Vet Animal Hospital"},"url":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/author\/hollydvitalvetcare-com\/"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":127,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122\/revisions\/127"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vitalvetcare.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}