Despite a strong modern trend to keep domestic cats indoors all the time (depending on the country) there is still a strong contingent of cat caregivers who believe in the ‘indoor/outdoor cat’ despite the hazards and despite the danger to wildlife.
My gut feeling is that many of these cat owners stay indoors when their cat goes through the cat flap and enters their personal wilderness even if it is an urban one.
It is almost as if cat caregivers of indoor/outdoor cats believe that their cat should be left alone to roam around their outside ‘home range’ solitarily. The home range is the area that cats consider to be their territory and it varies considerably in size depending on the cat. Across all species of cat, males have considerably larger home ranges than females. And sometimes the male home range encompasses female home ranges.
Most of the time a cat will be happy to be solitary when patrolling their home range outside the home BUT they will often love it when their surrogate mother – their caregiver – joins them for a while.
Why? Because the wildcat ancestor teaches her offspring to hunt before they become independent. For a sub-adult wildcat to be with their mother on hunting trips is natural.
The relationship between caregiver and adult cat replicates the wildcat mother and offspring relationship.
It is as if the adult domestic cat’s relationship with their human caregiver is frozen in time – that time when they are kittens enjoying the protection and guidance of their mother.
To accompany your domestic cat when outside – say in the backyard on a nice warm evening – will likely be a pleasure for the cat and for the human.
After say 30 minutes, the human can ‘peel away’ and return to their home while their cat wanders off and does their thing.
Yes, I know many indoor cat advocates will find these thoughts objectionable as they are convinced that cats must be kept indoors primarily for the cat’s safety (and caregiver’s peace of mind) and secondarily to protect wildlife.
I understand and there is logic behind their thinking except for the fact that often they fail to enrich the indoor environment from their cat’s perspective which, as far as I am concerned is cruel.
A slow shortening of lifespan due to boring confinement as if in a zoo and overeating due to pleasure seeking is hardly better than a potentially shortened life due to the encountered hazards outside.
Whether a cat is let outside unsupervised is down to the cat’s personality and the degree of danger outside. It is a balanced decision. Some cats are wise to the dangers such as vehicle traffic while some are not. Age counts in this regard.
That’s it!! End of article. The message: to accompany your indoor/outdoor cat when they are outside the home. To be with them in harmony. This should bring them happiness.
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