[boopster]

My vet told me the danger was from the urine of infected animals -- especially wild animals. He told me that Tallulah was probably safe in the back yard, but that I should not take her any place that other animals might have been. Since my yard is something of a bird sanctuary (not by my choice) and therefore a hunting ground for all the cats in the neighborhood, I chose to keep Tallulah inside.

I personally would stick with the vet's advice. There are plenty of things you can do inside to keep Gizmo amused. I got Tallulah a variety of different toys and sat on the kitchen floor with her for hours - playing fetch, and later working with her on sit, come, and shake. When she got tired of one activity, we switched to another.

I don't think size affects the susceptibility to disease that much, but I believe the smaller the animal, the faster an illness can have a tragic consequence. Dehydration can happen so fast when they have so little fluid stored up in their tiny bodies.