Whether a cat should be kept strictly indoors or allowed to come and go living indoors but allowed to roam outside is a hotly debated issue. Proponents of keeping their feline friends strictly indoors cite several valid reasons for not allowing their cats outdoors. The health and safety of their four-legged friends and the safety of wild animals whom cats prey upon are two extremely valid reasons why cats are better off indoors.

Advocates of allowing cats to live at least part of their lives outside often state that cats deserve to enjoy the freedom of the out-of-doors (even if they risk injury or disease) where they can fulfill some of their natural behaviours.

For many years I believed that cats should be kept as indoor companions (possibly allowed outside in a safe, enclosed area from which they could not escape or be attacked or taken for walks on a leash), and I still believe this, but I’ve come to realize that there are exceptions.

Unexpected Guests
It wasn’t long after my wife Lynn and I moved into our century home on 25 acres that some stray cats dropped in. While we weren’t looking to care for any cats, it quickly became apparent that the felines needed some help.

There were four male, stray cats who took refuge in the barn, shed or elsewhere on the property. Two of the cats, McDuff and Buster, were not friendly to other cats. Buster was the most aggressive and would chase the others away when the opportunity presented itself. Squeakers, a large tabby and Ebony, a fine-boned, black feline were shy, friendly and gentle cats. While the cats likely strayed from farms in the area where they would have been allowed to breed and had to exist by killing wild animals, Lynn and I couldn’t turn our backs on them. We also couldn’t bring them in the house as our extensive canine family was not fond of cats.

We supplied the four cats with quality cat food and fresh water on a daily basis. To avoid any conflicts we fed the cats at different feeding stations. We also supplied the cats who didn’t have access to the barn or shed with temporary shelter.

Besides feeding, watering and providing shelter for Buster, McDuff, Ebony and Squeakers we took care of their veterinary needs. All four cats were vaccinated and neutered.

One of our greatest fears while caring for the cats was that they could be hit by a vehicle. This fear was realized when McDuff, the least social of the cats, was found dead at the side of the road. Lynn and I felt terrible, and somewhat responsible.

We had gone over how we could care for the cats when they took refuge on our property. The local humane society did not have an animal shelter and there were always dozens of cats waiting in foster homes to be adopted. Taking the adult, relatively unsocial felines to an animal shelter would most likely result in their deaths as most shelters are often full with friendly, social, young cats and kittens. We could have the cats humanely euthanized or we could look after their medical and nutritional needs and socialize the felines and provide them with some of the attention and love that they deserved.

We opted to care for the cats as best as we could under the circumstances. While the situation was far from ideal, we felt it was best for the cats who had been surviving on their own.

We buried McDuff under some cedar trees near the pond. We marked his grave with some stones and some flowers.

After McDuff’s death Buster became increasingly aggressive with Squeakers and Ebony, often chasing them away from their food and from the house and barn. We continued caring for the cats, but always had an anxious feeling for their welfare. We wanted to give them a better life. Considerable time was spent wondering what to do. We even tried to think of relatives and friends who would like a cat but, unfortunately, most of the people we knew either preferred dogs, didn’t want cats, already had cats and didn’t want any more or they opted for a kitten instead.

Eventually, Buster chased Squeakers and Ebony away. Ebony stayed in the area, although usually off of the property, while Squeakers seemed to disappear altogether. While we knew Ebony was in the area and continued to feed him, we couldn’t find Squeakers anywhere. We felt terrible about Ebony’s situation and very sad wondering what could have happened to Squeakers.

Approximately a year after Squeaker’s disappearance I saw an animal in a wooded area close to a mile from our house. The animal appeared to be a large cat. I started to call Squeakers’ name. After a while I heard his distinctive voice and identified him by his unmistakable markings. He was hesitant to come right over to me but, after about 20 minutes of reassuring him, I was able to get him into the car and brought him home. It was a joyous occasion as Lynn and I had worried about our friendly, shy tabby.

Squeakers & Ebony Become Indoor Cats
Knowing that Squeakers would not stay around for long with Buster nearby, Lynn and I decided to make whatever modifications were necessary to the basement of our century home so that we could safely keep Squeakers and Ebony inside. With the help of a neighbour who possesses excellent carpentry skills, we were able to modify the basement to house the cats.

Squeakers and Ebony quickly adjusted to their new home. Buster was content patrolling the property and receiving some added attention from Lynn and myself. Shortly after Squeakers and Ebony moved into their indoor accommodations, a small, skinny female cat was cornered on our porch by Buster early one morning. After being vaccinated, spayed and given a clean bill of health from our veterinarian, Echo was introduced to her new siblings.

Our Current Situation
The current situation regarding our feline family members is not perfect, but it is better than most of the alternatives. Ebony, Squeakers and Echo seem content in the basement where they have a cat tree, plenty of places to sleep and hide and a window to look out. We are constantly trying to improve their environment with toys that keep their interest and items which add to their already comfortable existence.

Buster seems happy as the only cat who patrols the property. Although there are dangerous situations in which Buster could find himself, he sticks close to the house and barn and is most content helping us garden, going for a walk with us around the property, playing with our daughter, Gleannan, or snoozing contentedly in a sunny location in the garden or in the barn. Buster, Squeakers, Ebony and Echo all receive quality cat food and are fully vaccinated annually.

We Have A Responsibility To Cats
Besides worrying about his safety, one of our concerns about Buster is his ability to hunt wild creatures. Many people despise cats because they kill wild animals. This is one reason why I believe that in the vast majority of cases cats should be kept indoors. However, as in our situation, when a cat has to live outdoors it is unfair to choose whether the cat or wild animals are more deserving of life.

When a person makes such decisions he/she is being speciesist - believing one species is more important than another. While I get upset when Buster kills another creature, the solution is not to have Buster euthanized so other wild creatures can live. It was our species who domesticated the cat several thousand years ago. Having made our feline companions dependent on us we cannot turn our backs on them; we are responsible for their welfare.

When Buster kills another creature he does so for food. He consumes virtually the entire animal. (For this reason we ensure that Buster is wormed.) In this sense he is somewhat similar to humans who consume meat - although having had the opportunity of visiting some slaughterhouses, I’ve learned that Buster’s prey suffers considerably less than do the domesticated prey of our species.

To try to discourage his killing of wildlife, which primarily occurs during the warmer months when Buster strays further from the barn, we offer him as much cat food as he will eat along with some cat treats. I thought about putting a break-away or stretch collar and a bell on Buster to warn the wild animals he stalks (I would also have used the collar on which to hang an identification tag.) However, because much of the surrounding countryside is heavily wooded I was concerned that even a break-away or stretch collar would get caught up or snagged. As for the bell, I wouldn’t want a ringing in my ears with every step I took. For these reasons we never put a collar on Buster. We did, however, have Buster inserted with microchip identification. Unfortunately, old habits die hard and Buster continues to hunt and eat some animals - probably because he was forced to fend for himself before he wandered onto our property and into our lives.

Enhancing Buster’s Life
Besides providing Buster with all of the food that he will eat, we make him comfortable by providing him with a very warm house. The house we chose for Buster is a small, quality doghouse which we partially fill with hay. This home keeps Buster warm. To provide Buster with a safe location, with a good view, we set his doghouse on top of some hay bales. We surrounded the shelter with other hay to provide him with even more warmth. Placing worn out dog beds on the porch and in the barn provides Buster with additional places to snooze. He also has his very own feline chair (complete with catnip toy, fleece seat and areas on the arms designed for scratching) on the porch where he can often be found sound asleep.

We make sure that Buster has fresh water every day. In the winter this means frequently removing the ice in his water bowl and replacing it with fresh water. Buster also drinks from the horses’ water buckets as we clean and prepare their stalls.

Besides providing the basics consisting of food, shelter and health care, probably the most important thing that you can provide for an outdoor cat is love, attention and your time. Taking a few minutes to stop and play with your feline family member is important. Welcoming your cat to sit with you as you read a book is another easy way to ensure that you spend some time with your cat. Buster accompanies us when we hang out the laundry, go for walks, work in the garden or simply play in the yard. When we’re outside Buster is there sharing his life with us.

Improving Things For Cats
Many things will have to be done to improve the atrocious existence facing outdoor cats - most of whom have no one looking after them. Fortunately, there are many things which we can do to help those felines who have no human guardians to care for them. Some of the ways that we can help to improve the lives of cats include:
 

• Assist stray cats who need help.
• If you are looking to add a feline to your family, adopt a cat who is in need of a good home.
• Donate your time and/or your money to organizations which help cats.
• Have your feline family members neutered (spayed - female; castrated - male.)
• Ensure your cats are up-to-date with their vaccinations and have appropriate and effective identification.
• Educate others as to the importance of having their cats neutered, vaccinated and wearing effective identification.
• If possible, raise your cats as indoor felines and educate others as to the benefits of "indoor cats." (If you like the idea of raising your cats indoors, but feel that they would benefit from some time outdoors, consider training them to walk on a leash or harness and/or build them a safe, totally enclosed - including the roof - area from which they cannot escape and which other animals cannot enter. To be on the safe side you might want to monitor your felines while they are in the enclosed area and make sure that they do not escape while you transport them to and from the house.)

A Final Word
I still believe that raising feline family members as indoor cats is not only best for these animals, but also for other animals and the environment. As a species which domesticated cats, we have a responsibility to ensure that they are taken care of and their impact on the environment is minimized. However, Buster, McDuff, Ebony, Squeakers and Echo have made me see the indoor versus outdoor cat debate as not simply a black and white issue, but sometimes a grey one. These cats have also emphasized the incredible suffering stray and feral cats are forced to endure due to human ignorance and indifference. It is time that we started to take much better care of this incredible species. We owe them no less.

Recommended Reading
The Indoor Cat: How to Understand, Enjoy, and Care for House Cats
Indoor Cats: A Complete Pet Owner’s Manual
The Dog Who Rescues Cats: The True of Story Ginny
The Blessing of the Animals: True Stories of Ginny, the Dog Who Rescues Cats