Our cat was picked up from a shelter as a one year old farm cat. He lived the first year of his life mostly outside. We live in the country, and our indoor/outdoor kitty has access to a flap, and a very large chain-linked fenced yard (won’t stop kitty from leaving if he feels like it, but keeps dogs, etc. from hard charging from off premises.
Kitty brings us presents (shrews, mice, etc.)
Kitty makes my wife’s garden stay intact better.
He is a working cat with VERY relaxed terms.
Such a cat would be TORTURED to be locked inside all of the time. When it is too cold for him to go out, he is constantly meowing for “the other outside”.
Yes, there are risks with being outside. My goal, and the cat’s, is not to live for as long as possible, learning to put up with his jail. The goal is for him to live a good cat life, and to be our pal and helper while doing so.
For cats, one type of life does not fit all.
(Recommended reading, “The Four Little Kittens”, Golden Books, 1957)
The indoor outdoor quality of life debate. My cat is indoor/outdoor. He is very large, lazy, and a huge coward. He always comes home when its dark or, if he’s inside, he’ll hide and then wake us up at 3 a.m. At night he’s supposed to either be in the basement or the garage. He spends most of his time sleeping. He’s not a hunter. His only function as a pet is to look beautiful and allow us to pet him and feed him to make us feel useful.
I agree with you, I think there’s a huge difference between a cat that lives outside in the country, and a cat in a suburban area with traffic etc.
However, I do feel sorry for the wildlife.