Outdoor enclosures for cats — known as catios — offer a welfare compromise allowing outdoor enrichment while protecting cats and wildlife from the hazards of free roaming.
The indoor-outdoor debate for cats involves genuine welfare tensions. Confining cats entirely indoors prevents predation and reduces mortality risk, but may cause frustration, boredom, and stress in cats with strong outdoor motivation. Free roaming satisfies behavioral needs but exposes cats to vehicles, predators, disease, and causes significant wildlife mortality. Catios represent a genuine welfare improvement over both extremes — providing sensory enrichment, fresh air, natural light, and limited hunting opportunity through insect access, while preventing the mortality risks of free roaming and the wildlife impact. The welfare case for catios is strong: they address the motivational needs driving outdoor behavior while protecting both cats and the ecosystems they otherwise impact. Investment in quality catio infrastructure is among the highest-value welfare interventions available to cat owners.