This isn’t as much about which cat to pick, but rather about a decision you have make before getting a cat. Maybe you don’t have any choice because you do not have a garden, but if you do, then there is something to be said for both keeping the cat indoors as well as letting it outdoors. Now, once you have decided on this, you only need to keep this in mind if you are getting an adult cat.

A kitten can adapt easily to being indoors as well as going outdoors. But an adult has had certain habits, and it is kind of cruel to lock up a cat that has known the joys of going outside. Likewise, a cat that has spent her life inside, might be too frightened to go outside (if there is too much traffic or noise, or too many dogs or other cats in the neighborhood), but that you can test yourself. Also, elderly cats that have never known the outside, I would not put under that kind of duress. Elderly cats prefer to stay inside most of the time anyways, even if they have been rather active outside when they were younger.

So what are the consequences of keeping a cat indoors?
Well, for starters, you will be cleaning out a litter tray every day.

Indoor cats are very different from outdoor cats first and foremost in the bond they have with their owner. Since their world consists of four walls, no matter how far apart those walls are, you as an owner are the center of their universe. And that has several upsides and several downsides. The bond you will form with your kitty, especially if you only have one or two, but even if you have more, is ten times stronger. And some people like that. Most of the time these are people that do not have kids, and even partners, or people that have a strong affection towards animals or cats, and that enjoy having something to take care of (except for the partner one, I fit all of the above btw :P).
Now, if you are a working mother with two kids…cats are probably not going to be your priority, even if you like the critters. Then the attention-begging you get from your kitties can become annoying. And then letting them go outdoors to find their thrills in life there might be a solution.

Second, they are a lot more ‘sheltered’ and therefore naïve. That means they are going to be scared of things they don’t know because their experiences with new things are limited. Again, sometimes that is kind of cute because they run to you for protection, and sometimes it is just plain silly. Arwen for instance, had to ride the tram several times to go to the vet coz of her eye, and the first times she crawled inside my jacket because of the awful noise it made( that and our street is very busy so she was scared of the cars). She still intently listens when the tram passes my apartment (which is about every 15 minutes).

Third, your cats are going to know your house inside out. This means that everything that gets moved, brought in, removed or changed in any way has to be checked out thoroughly. And this can cause some cats a lot of stress. Now, that is the case with all cats, but especially indoor cats, because you are changing THEIR world. That causes instability and if you do something extreme in their eyes this might create behavioral problems (cat peeing on the couch anyone?).
This also means that your cats are going to get bored. They know this place inside out and there is nothing else to do for them than to find entertainment. That also means that if you do not provide something to alleviate boredom, they will. Mine go on nightly raids occasionally to see what they can steal from the kitchen. They chase each other throughout the house knocking things over. They steal hair ribbons from my nightstand. An outdoor cat might do that. But it is much more likely they will go outside and be mischievous.

Fourth, they are safer. I have to admit that. Indoor cats need less shots because they do not come in contact with other cats mostly, which saves you money yearly. There is no risk at FIV (unless one of the littermates has it or your cat had it from birth) because that disease is transferred by blood, same for Feline Leukemia. There are no cars inside to run your kitty over. And unless you run a very unruly household, there will be no abscesses to run to the vet with, since there will be no fighting. And for some people it is also important that their precious pet does not kill anything. Now, I have to admit that the occasional mouse or bug that finds its unlucky way in our house is a dead mouse or bug. But your kitty will mostly not bring home ‘gifts’ in the form of birds, moles, mice, rabbits and the likes.

Fifth and last, territory is definitely an issue if you have a limited amount of space inside and you have several cats. I can testify to that. There is a limit on how many cats you can have live happily together, especially when kept indoors. If there is only so much territory to go around, there will be squabbles over it, and potential behavioral problems will be right around the corner. This will be my main reason to let the cats outdoors, once we move.

However, you have to keep an eye on which territory you put them in outdoors then. If there are already a ton of neighborhood cats, chances are, your garden has already been spoken for. And kitty is not exactly going to get a welcome to the neighborhood-party. It will be made blatantly clear to kitty that she aint welcome. So, be aware of how many cats there are outside already. Same with dogs. Cats and dogs are rivals, for food and territory. It can make kitties life a living hell if she has to cross the territory of a pack of five bloodthirsty dogs just to get home.
Still, letting your cats outside will normally increase their territory and ease the pressure you had inside.

So what about having an outdoor cat?

At least you won’t have to deal with litter trays, right? That is correct. But that has its drawbacks as well. Cleaning up after kitty might not be the most fun job to do, but it is a great assessment tool. If Arwen hadn’t been an indoor kitty I would never have known she had chronic diarrhea, something we are treating right now. At the clinic, it was often the outdoor kitties that were sicker because their condition wasn’t noticed in time. One of the most common problems with neutered tom cats is FLUTD and the first telltale sign is trying to urinate often and even outside the tray and in very small doses because the crystals are blocking the exit, sorta speak. Now, how will you notice if you cannot see that? You will notice after your kitty has been suffering forever in excruciating pain, and stops eating, and just hangs about. And it is often harder to get a diagnosis. When a vet asks you ‘does your kitty vomit?’ or ‘has he had diarrhea?’ and you have to go ‘euhhh…not in the house but what he does outdoors…’ it does not really help.

At the same time, it can improve the health of your cat. Often indoor cats are obese, lazy, and therefore prone to a lot more health issues. Outdoors, they can keep their mind and body in shape. And it is easy. The owner doesn’t have to do anything. The cat can do it all by himself. You see, playing everyday with your cat and keeping it entertained requires time. Not much, but still. This way, the cat is living as Mother Nature intended it.

The cat is also not that constantly present in the house. The world is greater than just the indoor surroundings, and the cat therefore feels less confined and protective of that part of the territory. This also means they will be less fussy if something changes, such as noisy visitors; things being redecorated or worse even, renovated. They can flee to the sanctity of the outdoors, where everything is still familiar. The cat is likely to be less stressed, unless there are stress-factors outside as well, like other cats or dogs, as mentioned above.

They will take most of their mischievous things outside, since there are simply more options there without anyone telling you ‘No!’. And since we don’t see it, we aren’t bothered by it…mostly. Neighbors might complain though, about your cat defecating in their garden though, clawing open trash bags and even slipping in to the house using the cat flap so they can steal the other cats food. But most of the time, you won’t even know what your pretty little feline has been up to. ;)

What it boils down to is: indoor or outdoor, makes no difference to the kitty, if you adjust your lifestyle accordingly. If kept indoors, you will have to work hard to give kitty the mental and physical(!) stimulation she needs to be happy, and you will have to watch over territorial issues. In return, you will get an incredible intimate bond with your kitty, who will consider you the center of its universe. If kept outdoors, you will have it easier on these areas, but you really must be observing with regards to health! You will not notice problems as easier and your feline friend is at more risk as it is, just being out there. And you have to be able to accept that you will not be the center of the universe. Though important enough (don’t bite the hand that feeds and cuddles and all ;)), kitty now KNOWS you don’t make up the universe. On the contrary, there is a beautiful and very dangerous but exciting world out there to explore, and he does not need you for that…fancy that.

Hope this sheds some light on whether to keep kitty indoors or outdoors. Remember, you need to decide this before you get your kitty, so you don’t punish your cat for not deciding in advance by deciding to lock him up inside, or forcing him or her outside while the cat doesn’t really know how to deal with that.

Next time: your lifestyle vs kitty's personality