The decision to keep cats indoors or allow outdoor access involves genuine welfare trade-offs; evidence-based management strategies optimise both individual cat welfare and environmental impact.
The indoor-outdoor debate for cats requires honest engagement with genuine trade-offs rather than absolutist positions. Outdoor access provides natural behaviour expression, territory, and stimulation that reduce stress-related problems; indoor confinement without appropriate enrichment causes boredom, obesity, and stress-related disease. The evidence-based middle ground — enriched indoor environments, controlled outdoor access through catios or supervised outings, and nighttime curfews — addresses both welfare dimensions while also reducing wildlife predation.