Whether domestic cats should have outdoor access is a contested welfare question balancing cats' enrichment needs against risks to their own safety and their impact on wildlife populations.
Outdoor cat welfare involves genuine competing interests. Cats are obligate predators with strong drives to hunt, patrol territories, and experience environmental novelty. Confining them indoors without adequate enrichment causes frustration, obesity, and stress-related behaviours. However, outdoor access exposes cats to significant risks: road accidents are the leading cause of death in outdoor cats, and bite injuries cause painful abscesses. The wildlife impact is also a welfare concern for billions of birds and mammals killed globally. The welfare-positive approach involves risk-benefit assessment for individual cats, with solutions including secure garden enclosures (catios) that allow outdoor experience without roaming risks.