to Jen and the others, your points are valid for keeping cats inside, i have no argument with that, but i just want to say we donot have rabies in nz, antifreeze does not appear to be a problem here and many of the other things u mentioned, of course u do run the risk of cat fights, traffic and the possibility of cruelty.
but as soledad has reinforced my points it is seen as cruel here in nz to take the cat out of its natural habitat.
Most people in general donot mind their gardens being used by the cats for litter boxes or shoo them away anyhow, i think in apartment buildings keeping a cat inside is practical even in nz.
But we have large sections alot of us fully fenced and not the kinda of traffic u have over there,
As i have said before nz is a very cat loving country, u get your monster people here too just the same, they are everywhere.
As for picking up diseases well i keep my cats vaccinated so the chances are not very high.
I am a very responsible cat owner , i want u all to be assured of that, and whether we differ on our opinions i respect your reasons to keep your pussycats indoors, if it works for you then great.
If i lived in usa i think i would have to rethink indoor outdoor from what u folks have said, kinda scares me to think its that bad there, your pussycats arent even safe.
However i c there are some indoor/outdoor cat owners there too, i am sure they have weighed up the pros and cons.