Veterinarians know that indoor cats live on average 10-15 years while outdoor ones live 2-5 years. Here’s a guide that details the pros and cons of each lifestyle.

Here are some hazards associated with the outdoors:

1. Be hit by vehicles
2. Become injured from other cats, or attacked by other dogs or predators
3. Contract deadly infectious diseases from other cats
4. Get lost and/or picked up by Animal Control
5. Poisoned by toxins, such as antifreeze or rat bait
6. Contract parasites, such as fleas and ticks (and the diseases they can carry)
7. Contact with environmental hazards, such as foxtails or other objects
8. Hunt native wildlife, some of them species of conservation concern
9. Unhappy neighbors may try to trap cats found littering their yards
10. Theft, injury, or death from people with cruel intentions

Freya and Siggy will on an acreage full of predators, including coyotes, foxes and birds of prey. We lost a beloved cat a few years ago who left the house and was never found again.

Indoor cats need exercise. If you provide it, your kitten and cat will bond with you.

Finally, you can leash train cats to walk with you in the outdoors. (Starting leash training early is the key, although older cats can learn to adapt.)