#69 I understand where you're coming from, but I for one could never subject a cat (or any animal for that matter) to be confined for their entire life inside the same walls, the same environment. I know this probably sounds silly, assigning human values to animals but if I were a cat, I would take the potentially shorter life than a safe and dull one. I'm sure humans would be safer too if we all lived in protected little bubbles and all our needs were taken care of without having to leave that bubble, but nobody would want a life like that. This is the same reason why I could never have pet birds or fish. I want my house to be a home for my pets, not a prison. I know you just want the best for your pets, but I just disagree that are longer life is necessarily a better life. (Otherwise, in the interests of being humane we might as well replace as much natural wildlife as we feasibly can with zoos and cages - same philosophy, after all, caged animals are much safer from predators, illness...). I do realise I'm being overly dramatic with my analogies and stuff, but that's just how I see it :(

Even a human won't take a shorter life most times...? What would you rather have, three years to explore, or fifteen years or more safe and happy and entertained?

#89 First of all, 3 years is NOT the average lifespan of an indoor/outdoor cat. And secondly, I actually would rather take the 3 years to explore, because being confined in the same space for 15 years I would NOT be 'happy' or 'entertained'. Far from it. (Which was the whole point of my comment.. how did you miss it.........)

My cat is terrified of outside and loves to rip around and throw her bell balls down the stairs. :) Next. Cats are not humans, as smart as they are, they don't have the mental capacity to think "I am trapped in this great bit space of a house/apartment," And sure, have three years of freedom and fights and getting chased by other animals, and then die a painful death. That does sound wonderful when you put it like that.

#80 as long as there are more cats than non prison cat homes I think it's better to have them in an awesome house than a shelter! awesome houses include a catfriend. (a friend not just another random cat!) and space and entertainment and good food (aka prey-like food not stuff for chickens)...

I said before that I realise I'm assigning human values to pets - particularly my own. I can't help it though - I could never force a cat to stay inside nor would I make it go outside if it was happy inside. It really also depends on where you live and the size of your house - and on your cat's individual temperament. I live in a very quiet suburban area. When my dad first got our cat, he was cautious because she was adopted and he wanted to introduce her new environment slowly. She spent the first few days inside and spent most of those days meowing and staring out the window. Eventually we let her out. I did a bit of research just now and apparently the first year outdoors is the most dangerous for cats - if they learn the dangers of the outside world and can survive the first year, they live just as long as indoor cats (the average lifespan of an outdoor cat is skewed because of the number of cats that die in the first year). Opinion on what's best for the cat seems to be a huge controversy among cat owners :P

Having an indoor cat isn't actually as bad as you're making it out to be. It's as #69 said, there are many dangers to consider when allowing your cats to run free. You really got to understand the position you're putting them through. I have several indoor cats myself, and I know a tonne of other people who have indoor cats. I never use to think having an outdoor cat was that dangerous, but i've had way too many terrible things happen to my pets. I've had several less than 1 year old cats die because they were the subject of a hit and run. Have you ever seen your less than one year old cat after it's been hit? I've had my dog run over. No, not hit. Actually run over. I've had my other cat almost get bitten by an incredibly venomous snake. I've had a cat poisoned. My brother has had three of his cats kidnapped and possibly dumped. He only got one of them back, nine months after his disappearance. My sister has had her cat disappear, never to return. Don't know what happened to her. She has had one of her other cats disappear, only to turn up a few weeks later, so skinny you could see his ribs and spine. Not all of these animals were that young either. And my town isn't considered dangerous. Truth is when you have an outdoor cat, there is really nothing you can do to protect them against any of these threats. These aren't even the worst of it. I'm not saying you can't have an outdoor cat, I'm saying before you decide to have an outdoor cat, you need to consider what you may be doing. And yeah, assigning these human values is a bit silly. Domesticated animals are not like wild ones, most of them have about as much understanding of how dangerous the outside world is for them as a six year old child. I'm sure my less than one year old cats would greatly beg to differ that their shorter life was much better than a life indoors. Also, having an indoor life is not necessarily a dull one. It's up to you to give your cat the best indoor life you possibly can. My brother has build a giant cat run down the side of his house for his 8 or so cats. Indoor cats are typically better with a companion, however having a single indoor cat is fine so long as you put in the time to be social with it. You can put your cat on a leash and take it outside a couple times a week if you want. There are many things you can do to give your indoor cat a better, more interesting life. Your house doesn't have to be a prison. Now I can understand where you're coming from, but you cannot just put an interesting life over a safe one. Just as you cannot put a safe one over an interesting one. Allowing your cat that freedom in a dangerous environment is just as cruel as confining a cat to a single room. If you are going to have an outdoor cat, it is your job to make sure the environment is safe and there is minimal danger. If you are going to have an indoor cat, it is your job to make sure your cat has an interesting life. Also, making sure your outdoor cat has a safe environment more relies on where you are located. You should not have an outdoor cat in the middle of the city, you should no have an outdoor cat in a particularly dangerous neighbourhood, you should no have an outdoor cat if you are located on a busy, main road. You can, however, have an outdoor cat if you are in a small farming town, or located in an area where there are virtually no cars, lots of space, away from wild animals etc. Honestly, the most important thing about being a pet owner is making sure your pet is safe, the second most importing thing is making sure your pet has a great life. Allowing your cat out in an environment where it is obviously unsafe (main road, lots of cars, threat of wild animals, terrible neighbourhood etc) does not mean you are giving it an interesting life, it means you are a terrible cat owner and really shouldn't have them. Same goes for confining a cat to a home where there is virtually nothing for it to do, or as you said, where it is more of a prison. I don't mean for this to come across as harsh, I'm just trying to point out that you need to provide both a safe AND interesting life, and that the understanding you have over indoor cats will more than likely get your cats killed, should you have any.

#171 oh I would NEVER allow my cat outdoors if I lived in a small apartment or in a big city or anywhere busy and dangerous. I actually wouldn't have a cat at all if that were the case. And yeah I would do my best to make my house as fun/interesting for cats as possible, because if they are happier inside than out than that would be best, but if they still wanna go outside and I judge my neighbourhood to be quaint enough, I wouldn't - and couldn't - stop them. The opinion that cats should be forever indoors seems to be a growing US trend. I've only been to the US once, and where I went (LA) it was a lot more densely populated than it is here, traffic laws were way less regulated (nearly everyone was speeding on the highways, 'keeping with the flow of traffic' - where I live speeding is rare enough that you gawk at it when you see it.) Even when they're following the legal limit, cars in general go faster there - you seem to have higher speeding limits, and your crime rates are also anywhere between two to five times higher, depending on the location. All the result of a denser population, I think. So I guess that may be several reasons why you guys are more keen on keeping your cats indoors - understandable.

You do realize that cats are wonderfully adept at staying alive outside right? Both of my cats are outdoor cats. (well, one kinda took over our garage, lol) The garage cat lived outside for the first 12 years of her life. She could go stay in the horse barn if she wanted to, otherwise she would hang out in the woods. We have coyotes, timber rattlers, cars, etc. Yet she was sharp enough to avoid danger. She's currently 18 years old, and still catches rabbits and gophers. She and another one of our cats raised nearly 12 litters of kittens between them both before the other female developed cancer. It may be because I'm from a small Midwestern village (no, we're not big enough to be called a town), but the cats I know are very sharp and cautious. These are not pets, these are the type of cats you see killing the mice in the cornfields. They are hardwired and believe everything that moves is trying to kill them. Which is why they stay alive for so long. Sure, I've tamed a couple of them, but one loud noise, hell even if a truck drives down our dead end gravel road, and they've gone into hiding. Natural Selection takes care of the ones who aren't smart or cautious enough.

If someone came to my house and warned me, I'd laugh them off the property. What can you really say, 'Keep your mancats inside so my cat can prance around outside?' Not gonna happen. If you let your cat out, you're accepting the consequences of that decision.

I would if there's a psycho cat-dad like this guy But hey, just my opinion

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