Every Kitten Dies...Not Every Kitten Really Lives. Letting Our Furry Friend Go Outside...?

If you're like me, you have a cat and you just love your fluffy little pal. You know it's not enough that the cat makes you happy; you want your cat to be happy too! And how do we make that kitten happy? We buy it toys, like tiny dolls in the shape of mice that they fling around the house. We buy it tasty treats, like Fancy Feast's Elegant Medleys White Meat Chicken and Cheddar Cheese Souffle with Garden Greens. We forgive it when it bites, claws, sheds, or chooses to lie on top of our important documents instead of hundreds of other more convenient spaces.

But, if you're like me, you don't give your cat what it seems to want most...freedom to go outside. I can't help but feel bad for confining my cat to household grounds. Is he not a living creature that deserves the freedom to move about as he chooses?

After careful thought, I have boiled down my reasons for not letting him out to three.

First, health reasons. After researching the issue on the internet, I've found that the general consensus is to favor the cat's health over its desire to play outside. The outside environment poses many dangers to the unknowing cat, including toxins, dogs, and cars. If the outside world doesn't kill it, it significantly shortens its life span.

Second, inconvenience. I have no cat door or other hidden passage for Mr. Kitten's ingress & egress. This means I would have to let him out through the front door. What would I do then? Leave open the front door so that any hooligan could come in? Or close the door and hope for some signal that he's back and wants in? What if I need to leave and lock up the house while he's on walkabout? Do I wait, or try and find him? In sum, there's no easy way to let him out and ensure he can get back in when he needs to.

Third, selfishness. I'm very fond of my cat and would be very upset if he went out and never came back, whether it be because he didn't want to come back or because he got lost.

Do either of these reasons justify not letting him outside? Is it more important that he live a long and healthy life than a happy one? Does pampering him with good food and company justify the interference with his free will? I don't know, but I still don't intend to let him out. Poor little guy.

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