Indoor vs outdoor cats: Health, safety, and behavioural considerations

By Lauren Rey

To roam or not to roam — it is a great debate among cat owners. Advocates of an outdoor lifestyle often worry their cats will suffer from boredom or not get enough exercise if kept indoors. While those in support of keeping cats indoors worry about the safety risks cats can encounter outdoors such as traffic, dangerous wildlife, infectious diseases, and parasites.

If we asked our cats what they’d prefer, most would probably tell us they’d like to be outside chasing birds, but it’s important to balance what our pets want with what they need to stay safe. Let’s discuss some pros and cons of indoor vs outdoor cats and some ways we can give our cats outdoor access without compromising their safety.

Indoor vs outdoor cats: Important considerations

When deciding whether to let your cat roam outdoors it’s important to weigh the benefits and risks. While it’s true that outdoor cats may get more exercise and be less likely to become obese, these benefits are vastly outweighed by the risks outdoor cats can face.

Outdoor cat safety risks

• Getting lost – roaming too far from home or getting stolen
• Traffic accidents - being hit by a car or causing a traffic accident that injures others
• Fights - getting into altercations with other animals that can lead to serious injuries
• Infectious diseases - from interacting with other pets or wildlife
• Parasites - such as fleas, ticks, or worms from the environment or other animals
• Toxin exposure - such as walking through antifreeze in the driveway or pesticides in the grass and licking their paws afterward, or eating lilies from your neighbor's garden
• Injuries - Getting stuck in or falling from trees, fences, or roofs, lacerations from sharp objects, or being hurt or poisoned by someone who sees them as a nuisance
• Gastrointestinal distress – from eating dead rodents, garbage, plants, etc.

To help protect your cat against these risks, ensure they are vaccinated, on parasite preventatives, have ID tags, and are microchipped, especially if they roam outdoors. And as careful as we may be, sometimes our indoor cats find ways to make themselves outdoor cats, if only for a few hours. Keeping all cats protected, whether indoors or outdoors, is very important!

Indoor vs outdoor cat lifespan

In addition to all the outdoor risks, a cat’s lifestyle can also affect its lifespan. Outdoor cats may have significantly reduced life expectancies. The Clinical Animal Behaviour Service at UC Davis estimates that indoor cats live about 10-15 years, while outdoor cats live about 2-5 years. While there are several factors at play and many outdoor cats live longer than that, it’s something for cat owners to consider.

Environmental and community impact of outdoor cats

There are also environmental concerns that come with free-roaming felines. Cats are natural predators, and when given the opportunity, they will hunt and kill birds, rodents, and any other small animals they can get their paws on. This can be devastating to local wildlife populations, especially birds. According to Birds Canada, outdoor cats kill over 100 million birds annually. This can have ripple effects throughout entire ecosystems.

A cat’s desire to hunt and chase things can also put them in conflict with people and other animals. Your neighbors may not appreciate your cat hopping over their fences to chase a squirrel or terrorizing their pet bird on the patio. It can also put them at risk of being attacked by other cats or dogs. It’s not uncommon for cats and dogs to display territorial behaviour toward an unknown animal that enters their yard.

For the safety of cats and birds, many major animal organizations, including The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association discourage the practice of allowing cats free access to roam outdoors.

Kitty compromises: Ways to safely give your cat outdoor access

Struggling with your cat’s desire to roam and your desire to keep them safe? The good news is — there are compromises. If you have a screened-in patio where your cat can safely spend some time enjoying the fresh air, try utilizing that in lieu of letting them have full outdoor access.

If you don’t have a screened-in patio but have some outdoor space, there are numerous outdoor cat enclosures on the market. These outdoor cat houses, or “catios,” as they are commonly called, are specially designed to give cats a safe space outside. Catios come in all shapes and sizes to accommodate all types of homes, from small window perches for apartments, to expansive play areas for big backyards.

Another option for cats that like to roam is leash training. It may take some time and patience, but cats can be leash-trained. If your cat is up for it (don’t force it if they’re not), try training them to walk on a harness and leash. Once they are fully trained, you can take them for walks to explore nature, while keeping them safe.

Creating a cat-friendly home

Most cats love being outdoors because it allows them to exhibit some of their natural cat behaviours like climbing, perching, and scratching on trees, sniffing and exploring new things, hiding in bushes, and of course — hunting. But outside isn’t the only place your cat can enjoy these types of activities. By taking a few steps to create a cat-friendly home, your cat may enjoy spending time indoors and have plenty of opportunities to exercise and exhibit their natural behaviours.

Enrichment for house cats

• Cat scratching post – cats need a safe place to scratch and stretch their claws
• Perching places - like cat trees, cat shelves, cat hammocks, or window perches
• Hiding spots – cats need places to hide, try incorporating cave-style cat beds, cat play boxes, or tunnels around the house for your cat to hide away in
• Cat enrichment toys - like interactive cat toys, “chasing” mice, and wands
• Food fun – many cats like to hunt for their food, try “stuffin” mice, cat puzzle feeders, lick-mats, and other interactive feeders
• Playtime – try setting aside 30 minutes a day (doesn’t have to be all at once) to play with your cat, grab their favorite toy and play with them, or hide some catnip or treats for them to sniff out around the house
• Calming enrichment – try playing some music, putting on Cat TV, or plugging in a Feliway Diffuser to help your kitty relax
• Cozy beds – cats need a safe, cozy spot to nap in, ensure they have a bed that is tucked away in a quiet spot
• Cat fountains – many cats prefer running water, try incorporating a cat fountain for extra enrichment and hydration
• Cat grass – indulge your cat’s desire to chew on plants safely, with a pot of cat grass

Indoor vs outdoor cats: FAQs

How do you keep a previously feral or outdoor cat indoors?

Adopting a previously feral cat or transitioning an outdoor cat indoors can take some time and patience. Ensure your new cat has a “safe space” like a quiet room with everything they need in it, they may need some time to decompress and feel comfortable in your home. Once they feel safe, they may start to lose the desire to escape. It may take some time and training to build trust and establish a routine. In some cases, working with a cat trainer or behaviourist may be the best option, talk to your vet for recommendations.

Do outdoor cats need more frequent vet visits?

All cats should have a veterinary check-up at least once a year (more for kittens and seniors), regardless of whether they spend their days indoors or outdoors. While outdoor cats don’t necessarily need any extra check-ups unless there are signs of illness or injury, it’s not uncommon for outdoor cats to end up at the vet more often than indoor cats. Oftentimes, outdoor cats will return home limping, with wounds, or parasites, and end up needing a trip to the veterinarian.

Do indoor cats need vaccines and parasite prevention?

It’s a common myth that indoor cats don’t need vaccines or parasite preventives, but this is untrue. While indoor cats do have a lower risk of contracting infectious diseases or parasites, there is still always a risk. Viruses and parasites can be brought into the home through shoes or clothing. Heartworm-carrying mosquitoes can fly into homes through open doors or windows. And sometimes indoor cats can escape. Talk to your vet about vaccines and parasite preventatives for your cat, regardless of whether they go outside.

Finding the purrfect balance for your feline friend

Keeping our cats safe while giving them the freedom to enjoy things they love can be a challenge at times, but thankfully, there are lots of tools available to help. From endless types of enrichment toys to “catios” where they can safely enjoy the sunshine, there are plenty of ways to balance safety and freedom for our feline friends.

Whether indoors or outdoors, protect your cat 24/7 with a Lifetime Protection Membership from 24Petwatch. You’ll have access to vet telehealth for any cat health questions, discounts on pet-sitting services, and most importantly — lost pet recovery specialists standing by 24/7, in case your cat ever needs help finding its way home.