A resident recently expressed concern that someone in her Benicia neighborhood had been poisoning cats and other animals.

Her own cat had come home ill. After the cat was nursed back to health, it vanished after going outside.

Neither Benicia police nor Darlene Jelonek, Benicia’s Animal Control officer, have been able to find evidence of any animal poisonings.

But Jelonek said any pet that is allowed to run loose faces dangers and hazards.

“Any cat that is outdoors, if the owners let them roam, faces the possibility of being hit by car,” she said Monday.

The pet could remain alive to get out of the street, where it may suffer and die, or would remain vulnerable to attack by wild animals, from coyotes to foxes.

It also could get into a fight with raccoons, she said.

Jelonek said those who adopt a cat from a shelter should make the new pet an indoor cat.

That way, “you know where they are at all times,” she said. They’re safe indoors.”

Even if the outdoor cat isn’t attacked, it may feed on old food that could have parasites that make the animal ill. Or it could encounter feral cats that carry diseases that can be transferred to other pets.

Some pet owners worry that their animals can’t live happy lives if they’re confined to a house.

“I think they can,” Jelonek countered.

She said it’s easier if a pet owner starts a kitten as an indoor pet, though older cats, particularly those from shelters, may desire a sheltered life spent sleeping on a comfortable couch rather than going outdoors.

“Make sure they get exercise by playing with it,” she said. “Make it chase things, let them have that prey drive with red lights or little balls to chase after.”

Dogs that are taken outside should be on leashes, Jelonek said. A dog’s leash should be no more than 6 feet long, but there are exceptions, she said.

“If there are no other dogs or people, that’s one thing,” she said.

On the other hand, some dog owners don’t always keep control of their pets, particularly without a leash.

“Animals are unpredictable,” Jelonek said. “You can think yours is the best, but things can happen if they’re off the leash.”

For instance, even if one dog is obedient while off leash, it may encounter another person’s dog that isn’t quite so amicable. Without leashes, she said, “there’s no way to protect your dog.”

Dogs that are off-leash also may venture too close to wild animals, she said. It’s particularly dangerous if the dog approaches a coyote — especially a female with babies in her den. “The coyote will protect its den.”

But small dogs shouldn’t be left alone in a yard, particularly one near an open space. “The coyote can jump over the fence, and domestic animals are easy prey,” Jelonek said.

Raccoons often are associated with rabies, and are known to fight with domestic animals. But they also pose other dangers to pets, Jelonek said, particularly those fed or watered outdoors.

“They carry a fatal parasite,” she said.

To reduce the chance of infecting a dog or cat, a pet owner should remove both food and water, including the dishes themselves, at night, she said.

For dog owners who want a place to let their pets romp, Benicia has dedicated a portion of Community Park, off Rose Drive next to Matthew Turner Elementary School, specifically for dogs.

“If your dog is friendly with other dogs, it’s good,” Jelonek said. However, “you may not want to take your dog there” if it’s aggressive.

One of Jelonek’s worries is for animals left in cars. She and Benicia police Lt. Frank Hartig collaborated on urging residents to avoid endangering their pets’ lives by leaving them in cars.

However, “They still do it,” Jelonek said.

A dog can become dangerously ill or die within a few minutes of being left in a vehicle, she said, even when windows are left down a few inches.

Jelonek has witnessed the result of this first hand, a sight she still can’t put out of her mind.

Not only had the dog died, but she could see where the desperate animal had scratched the vehicle and had licked the window in an attempt to escape the deadly heat.

Dogs also are affected by heat when they’re outside, she said.

“I don’t know why, when it’s 90 to 100 degrees, people walk their dogs,” Jelonek said. “If it’s hot out, their pads will feel the heat of ground.”

She shared a tip that she said can guide a pet owner in knowing when it’s too hot to walk a dog on the sidewalk or pavement.

“Take your shoes off,” she said. “If it is too hot for you, it is too hot for them … if the ground is burning your feet, it’s burning the dog.”

On those hot days, she said, dogs would be “so much happier at home, in the air conditioning or a kiddie pool.”

Outdoor heat is harder for dogs like pugs that have pushed-in muzzles, she said, for the simple reason that it’s harder for them to breathe. “Some dogs can’t handle the heat.”

Another situation that sometimes makes dogs uncomfortable is crowds, Jelonek said. She’s seen dogs being stepped on, which can cause an animal to become upset.

Sometimes, she advised, it’s best to “stay home with the dog.”

However, unless the dog has been determined to be dangerous, she doesn’t recommend a muzzle. Dangerous dogs, by local and state law, may need to wear them.

“I think if you have dog that could potentially bite, you wouldn’t want to bring it in close vicinity with people,” she said.

Instead, she recommends being “a smart owner.”

Occasionally reports are made in other parts of the country of someone who has kept a full-grown alligator or other exotic animal.

That’s rare in Benicia, but Jelonek did come across an alligator relative, a young caiman someone had obtained.

“It was very small,” she said. The caiman was taken to Solano County’s animal shelter, where it was placed in the care of a reptile expert.

A similar incident happened when someone abandoned a boa constrictor in a rental home. The cold, hungry snake was rescued, she said, and now, “it’s thriving and getting bigger,” she said.

Many domestic pets also were abandoned during the recession, Jelonek said.

She has encountered pets that were abandoned as a result of foreclosure or other misfortune, including “some dogs, and I do come across cats,” she said.

For an advocate of keeping pets confined or indoors, the recession has caused “a Catch-22,” she said.

“If you leave it, don’t leave it in a house. Any shelter will take an animal,” Jelonek said.

That’s preferable to abandoning an animal in a home without food or water, where no one can care for it, she said.

Jelonek said she has also encountered abandoned cats that stayed near the house after the family left.

She found one abandoned cat giving birth under a truck. One kitten fell and didn’t survive, but she was able to collect the mother and the eight surviving kittens and take them to a shelter.

Another abandoned kitten was found by someone mowing a lawn, she said.

Fortunately, she’s learned that many of these rescued animals have been placed with new owners — and the cats have adapted to indoor life.

Some, in fact, prefer it. “Now that they’re indoor cats, they won’t go near a door,” Jelonek said.

Pet owners in Solano County must have their dogs licensed.

Rules are different for cats, Jelonek said. In fact, indoor cats aren’t required to have a rabies shot, though she recommends the vaccination in case the cat gets out. “I think it’s a good idea, especially if they escape and get bitten by an animal with rabies,” she said.

Another important tactic pet owners can use is the microchip, which can be inserted into the pet by a veterinarian. The pet owner or veterinarian also need to register the microchip, which provides identification if a pet becomes lost, either by accident or during a disaster, such as an earthquake.

“I can scan the animal and call the company,” she said. Once she gets the information about the owner’s identity, she’s able to notify them that the lost pet has been found.

“They get a call or note on door,” Jelonek said. “The microchip is wonderful.”