[borealis]

Keep yer cats inside to

- protect 'em from predator animals that might kill and/or eat 'em
- keep 'em off of roadways where vehicles might run 'em over
- protect 'em from harsh weather conditions
- protect local birds and other small creatures from gettin killed
- be able to pet 'em and love 'em whenever ya want, instead of whenever they get back inside after a day of dodging cars and killin birds
- give 'em a chance at a longer life in comfort, instead of a brutal life in the wild

Frankly, I dunno why ya feel it's so important to risk yer cat's life instead of keepin the cat inside where it's safe.

Length of life is not equal to quality of life. Lots of people, esp. in places like Australia, sacrifice the pleasure of having cats for the reasons given.

Where I live, lifespan of outdoor cats can be significantly improved by teaching your cat to come when called, to come in before dark, and to run for the ditch when it hears a motor. My cats learn that, and none of them have been especially brilliant animals.

There's no question they have a significant impact on small wildlife, and I wouldn't have cats if they were regularly killing at risk species. Individual cats tend to specialise though. My last cat liked rabbits, squirrels, and the occasional partridge. He wasn't into small birds. Current cat likes squirrels, the occasional rabbit, and juncos, which are so plentiful in this area they've been pushing out other birds.

I often wonder about the NA studies on cat predation - huge numbers are tossed around, but it is my guess that if one compared those numbers to things like loss of habitat to agriculture and urban sprawl, invasive species like starlings and pigeons, migratory birds killed by running into tall buildings, etc., those killer cats might look like small fry.