Allowing cats outdoors exposes them to significant mortality risks while also impacting local wildlife, creating a welfare challenge with no simple universal answer.
The welfare calculus for outdoor cats involves weighing the welfare cost of behavioral restriction against genuine mortality and injury risks. Cats kept exclusively indoors require environmental enrichment to meet their behavioral needs and prevent boredom-related behavioral problems. Cats with outdoor access experience richer behavioral expression but face substantial hazards. Catio systems, leash walking, and enclosed outdoor spaces represent welfare compromises that provide environmental complexity without full exposure to outdoor dangers.