The debate over indoor versus outdoor cat keeping involves genuine welfare trade-offs, with evidence supporting that indoor cats can live well if sufficient enrichment is provided.
The indoor versus outdoor debate is not simply resolved by a single welfare judgment because it involves trade-offs across different welfare dimensions. Outdoor cats experience richer environmental stimulation, social interactions, and expression of predatory behaviour, but at substantial cost to their longevity and safety. Indoor cats live much longer but in environments that require deliberate enrichment to prevent boredom-related welfare problems. The evidence strongly favours indoor keeping when supported by adequate enrichment; a well-enriched indoor environment with vertical space, foraging opportunities, interactive play, and appropriate social contact supports good welfare with a much longer expected lifespan. Catio enclosures represent an increasingly popular middle ground that allows outdoor environmental access without free-ranging risk.