Do you have friends who still offer their cats the freedom of the out of doors? I imagine you have neighbors who do. I now have six neighborhood cats visiting my yard pretty much on a daily basis. Two coming from one neighbor, one each from two other neighbors and two cats that I don’t know where they 
belong.
They’re all beautiful, well-cared-for cats. That, I’m glad to see, and Olivia and I enjoy seeing cats in the yard. So far, they’re mannerly and fun to watch. But I sure do worry about their safety, as I’m sure you 
do about the cats roaming free in your neighborhood.
There seems to be no middle ground in the controversy between total indoor cats and cats being allowed to roam. Some cat people choose to keep their cats inside
while others let their cats roam. One of my friends says, “Keep a cat indoors? I couldn’t do that to a cat.” Of course, countless cat owners 
today, including me, say quite the opposite, “Allow a cat to roam free? I couldn’t do that to a cat.”
I grew up with the open-door-policy where my cats 
were concerned. I’ve had numerous cats over the years which I allowed out if they wanted to go out—they all did. And too many of them never came back. Some came back with injuries.
Then I bought a purebred Persian and vowed to keep her inside. I did and things went swimmingly. I learned 
that you can train a cat to be happy as a housecat. I mean, if they never know anything different and if they have everything they need inside, it’s easy to keep them safe and happy.
So I’ve been a believer in keeping cats inside for the 
last thirty-five years and this commitment has served me and all of the cats I’ve rescued since very well.
I’ve since learned that indoor cats is a thing. Everyone is doing it and just look at all the help and support we’re getting for this 
“movement.” Cat organizations and experts everywhere support this decision. Major companies are creating amazing things to keep indoor cats active and entertained and healthy. There are podcasts and videos and conferences and professionals to show us how to keep our cats happy and healthy indoors—by giving the cats lots of attention and using window perches, climbing apparatus and places to claw, chew, play, hide. You can even build or purchase simple or elaborate outdoor tunnels and other enclosures for your cat to enjoy the out of doors in safety.
There will probably never be a total winner in the
debate between keeping a cat indoors or allowing them total freedom, but there are statistics that show which decision is actually healthier for your cat. Can you guess which one it is?
Here are a few statistics I found. The lifespan of an outdoor cat is as much as 10-12 years shorter than that of an indoor cat. Another study shows that outdoor cats live an average of 2-5 years where an indoor cat lives an average of 10-20 years. The reasons are many—there is a long list of dangers for cats out of doors—disease, parasites, traffic, wild animals, toxins and poisons used in neighbors’ yards or stored in an open shed or garage. Cats can be closed in someplace, picked up by someone who thinks it’s a stray or attacked by other cats or even humans.
Indoors or outdoors, it’s a choice. Just make sure you’re making the right choice for your cat.
