#hit a largish mammal

[wistfulcynic]

I live in the UK and we keep our cats indoors. We live in a small town though right next to a largish car park. However we used to have a huge, almost totally enclosed back garden area and we still kept the cats indoors. 

My husband (British, I am American) feels very strongly about the ecological aspect. Cats kill birds and small mammals and they also eat plants. There are many common garden plants that are toxic to cats, namely lilies, which cause organ failure within minutes. When he was growing up, my husband’s family cats went outdoors so this is an opinion he wasn’t raised with. Also, I get the impression that the vet disapproves of it but they don’t try to argue with us. 

Overall I choose to prioritise my cats’ safety and health over whatever benefit they might derive from ‘roaming’. Honestly I don’t believe that roaming behaviour is necessarily essential to feline fulfilment, it’s just the instinctive behaviour of a hunter predator. My cats have never shown any desire to go outdoors, they don’t try to run when we open the door. And while we do have to watch their food so they don’t put on weight and make an effort to keep them stimulated, to me this is no different to what we do for ourselves (watching our diets, getting exercise) and is well worth it for the peace of mind of knowing that my cats are safe, healthy, and well-cared-for, and also not out hunting songbirds or eating slugs. 

(Kind of an aside but we also have very large, very aggressive seagulls who come into our back garden and they can and will carry off a small cat and kill it). 

Indoor cats have a much longer life expectancy, their fur is softer, they’re safe from predators and their prey is safe from them, they won’t get poisoned or attacked by dogs or hit by cars or kidnapped by people who enjoy being cruel to animals. I agree with you that the prevailing practice in the UK is to let cats go out but I strongly disagree that this is simply a matter of opinion and a case of different strokes for different folks. The UK in this instance is actively harming cats with this attitude and the sooner people change their way of thinking the better. 

ideologically i disagree with outside cats but i cannot deny the allure of being able to just meet a little guy anytime anywhere