Interesting article about cats and their lives

[Malthus]

It's a trade-off, in my experience.

Indoor only cats are statistically likely to live longer, without a doubt - cars are a main killer for urban cats.

OTOH, indoor-only cats are, in my experience, FAR more likely to have behavioural issues. It is of course possible to entertain and otherwise stimulate an indoor-only cat so that they stay sane and happy, but most people lack the time and/or inclination - so they go stir-crazy. Which stands to reason, as most creatures so confined would.

Myself, I prefer indoor/outdoor cats, simply because I too find part of the charm of a cat is that you don't one hundred percent "own" it - in some part, it chooses to live with you; and also, because a sane cat makes a more enjoyable pet. Plus, keeps the mice down around the garage - ours isn't a birder. 

[Sheilbh]

Indoor only cats are statistically likely to live longer, without a doubt - cars are a main killer for urban cats.

And rural ones. We lost a few cats when I was growing up because though there's not many cars they drive a lot faster on an empty country road than in a town.

I'd never heard of indoor cats either

We used to have a cat that was half wildcat. She would not have tolerated being an indoor cat, it took her two years to tolerate sitting with or being stroked by a human.

[merithyn]

I really think it depends on where you live. We live in a smallish city with a lot of space for cats to wander safely. Most of my neighbors have indoor/outdoor cats, and so far as I know, none of us have ever lost one, though my cats are scrappers and often come home with cuts and bruises. 

When I lived in the Chicago-area, though, I wouldn't have been as willing to let them wander freely. It, also, would have been illegal to do so, as there were laws against any pets being outside without a leash. (That included bunnies and ferrets, too.)

[Richard Hakluyt]

Cats have a special position in English law, they are not liable for trespass and are free to roam at will, while it is also illegal to trap, kill or injure them.

Lucky bastards 

[Syt]

Our cats are strictly indoor cats.

Which I think kind of sucks for them, but the wife is adamant about it.

Yeah, I found out about this North American peculiarity on a visit to Canada in 1992. I was shocked.

Some even have them declawed so they don't shred the furnishings.

This is completely weird and insane from the British point of view where the independent streak that cats have is their most widely admired trait.

For Austria and Germany it depends on where you are. If you're in a rural setting you're more likely to let your cat roam. In the city, not so much.

[Darth Wagtaros]

I think a lot of cats are fine being indoor only if you get them as kittens and keep them that way. In my experience though if you have a cat that is either accustomed to living mostly outdoors or being able to go outdoors throughout the day, it will never be happy as an indoor only cat and will scheme to escape constantly. I know outdoor cats don't live as long, but unless you've raised one as an indoor cat I don't really know that they can have great quality of life being cooped up.

Some truth to that. My Calico is an exception. She was declawed and abandoned to the streets and shows little interest in going out.  Though every now and again she'll escape and wander around blindly.

[Berkut]

We are very sub-sub urban. We live in a smallish development in upstate New York.

There are no predators of any kind arround, other than other cats.

Both cats are declawed though, so if they did get into a fight with another cat, they would be at a considerable disadvantage.

[Valmy]

Cats have a special position in English law, they are not liable for trespass and are free to roam at will, while it is also illegal to trap, kill or injure them.

Lucky bastards 

He is your only defense from the return of the Black Death!!111

Well ok maybe anti-biotics might help to.

[Valmy]

Both cats are declawed though, so if they did get into a fight with another cat, they would be at a considerable disadvantage.

Well at least they do not have knives.

[Maximus]

Damn, Valmy beat me to it.

[Sheilbh]

I see quite a lot of cats around my bit of London and other areas I've lived in, so I don't think it's that common even in the cities.

[Darth Wagtaros]

Both cats are declawed though, so if they did get into a fight with another cat, they would be at a considerable disadvantage.

Well at least they do not have knives.

Damn, Valmy beat me to it.

And that's how he won the respect of the guys in The Octagon.

[Cecil]

I think declawing is on the wane big time, I know some vets will not do it and I think the American Veterinary Association is opposed to the practice.

It is.  Even though declawing procedures have gotten "better" with laser surgery as opposed to the old method of pulling them out, its been determined that declawing leads to behavioral issues, particularly with litter box use.

And it's not like they're comparable to fingernails like the old argument goes, either;  because of the way they operate, it's the equivalent of removing somebody's finger bones to the 2nd knuckle.

Why bother with ripping out the entire claw anyway? Just cut the top when it gets too long/sharp. I used a special claw cutter for my cat and never had any issues. He even seemed to enjoy the trimming but then he was a weird one who thought the medicine I got for one of his throat issues was the tastiest thing in the world.

[mongers]

To echo what Tricky said about cats not being 'chattels' we're responsible for, over here a fair section of the population don't regard their cats as belonging to them, it's quite common for cats themselves to move home and go live with the neighbours and this is generally accepted.

Maybe it's a cultural norm that cats are regarded as free spirits rather than as more like possession as in parts of North America ?

[Grey Fox]

To echo what Tricky said about cats not being 'chattels' we'r responsiblefor , over here a fair section of the population don't regard their cats as belonging to them, it's quite common for cats themselves to move home and go live with the neighbours and this is generally accepted.

Maybe it's a cultural norm that cats are regarded as free spirits rather than as more like possession as in parts of North America ?

IN Texas that would be enough for you to go your neighbors & kill them all to get back your belongings.