Indoor Cats vs. Outdoor Cats

          About two months ago my family adopted two cats, Flutter and Cinna (as in Cinnamon). We had been planning to adopt one cat, but when we were informed that Flutter and Cinna had bonded our family could not resist adopting both. They love each other and are very sweet. They bathe each other, sleep together and most nights we hear a chorus of thumps as they play with each other. Recently we have been letting them go outside in our backyard under careful watch, and they love it. They have climbed trees and chased imaginary prey. Cinna even climbed into our neighbor’s chicken coop, though we quickly scooped him out. However our family often doesn’t have enough time to supervise them while they are outside so they don’t get to go outside as often as they would like to. Flutter has often looked outside trying to make us take pity on her Cinna often meows at the door, and once pulled down the curtains on the window of our backdoor. Someday we plan to let them roam in and out as they wish, but right now we are letting them explore new places bit by bit. When we let them go outside whenever they want I will be happy that they will have the freedom to do what they want, but I will worry about them. The street I live on isn’t very busy, but cars drive by frequently. Also I once saw a coyote running down the street perpendicular to mine. I don’t think that anything will happen to them, but the possibility is worrying.

According to the American Humane Society there are many risks of having outdoor cats 
besides the ones I already knew about, including getting diseases, accidentally eating toxins 
and getting stuck in trees while their owner doesn’t know where they are. Reading that 
list could make a loving owner keep their cat inside for the rest of its life. However according 
to another website I looked at keeping a cat indoors could lead to health problems as well. 
According to that  website, boredom can actually make cats sick, so indoor cats must be well 
entertained but according to Aspen Grove Veterinary if cats become too reliant on their 
owners for stimulation they may become stressed when their owner isn’t home. So there are 
varied opinions about whether cats should be allowed to go outside.

I think it is a difficult choice to make, but the decision is cat owners to make, and based off that
choice, know how to keep their cats healthy and safe. If only we could ask the cats what they
want. My cats are outside cats and though I may worry about them if they are safe it will be
worth it. And I think that they will be safe. My previous cat was an outdoor cat in three different
neighborhoods, including the one I live in now and he was fine. My cats are vaccinated for
diseases that are spread between outdoor cats and I believe that our neighborhood is very safe
for cats. My cats love exploring outside and I believe that they should have that freedom.