“I’ve never had a bird curl up on my lap and purr while I’m sitting on my couch in front of the fireplace on a cold winter day. “
That’s great. You can have all that. But it does not address the question of why cats should not be kept on a leash or in the owners house.
But whatever.
Keeping a cat indoors is like keeping a bird in a cage. Cruel. Cats in the wild range over 20 acres (female) and 100 acres (male). They are social creatures that like to interract with other cats. They are intelligent creatures that like to explore their surroundings.
It is all about trade offs — letting our cats be cats and not prisoners exposes them to some dangers they would not have if they were kept inside, but also keeps them healthier and happier. If we got complaints from our neighbors, I would think about keeping them in, but so far, no one really has a problem with it. In fact, the gardeners across the alley appreciate our cats — their rabbit issues are a lot better now.