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[quote=Anonymous]People who let their cats roam free out of some misguided love for their cats shouldn't be allowed to adopt cats in the first place. That's why most responsible shelters and cat rescues make people sign contracts that their adopted cats will be inside-only.

Setting aside the huge and documented impacts to native wildlife species (and the disruptions to the native food chain that those impacts cause), cats outside are also at much greater risk of getting hit by cars, getting attacked by foxes, coyotes, dogs, and even birds of prey such as eagles and hawks, contracting diseases such as FIV or feline leukemia from other cats (both pets and feral) and, if God forbid they aren't neutered, contributing to the feral cat population. Roaming cats are also exposed to poisons (anti-freeze, rodenticides, etc.), traps, and deliberate human cruelty. Life for outdoor-only cats is nasty, brutish, and short, and the lifespan for indoor-outdoor cats is significantly reduced over indoor-only.

The American Veterinary Medical Association has a policy statement against allowing owned cats outside, and every respected animal welfare organization in this country agrees. To my mind, if you believe your cats are better off being allowed to roam outside because it's "natural" for them to roam outside and be exposed to predation, disease, and accidental death, you're no better than the anti-vaxxers who believe it's "unnatural" for kids not to get childhood diseases.

Rationalize all you want about letting your cat outside -- if you do, you are an irresponsible pet owner and you are not putting your cat's interests first.[/quote]

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