I tried to post this much earlier but my computer messed up! :O Anyhoo.. here it is..

"it has nothing to do with opinion. it is just fact."

maybe in your case it is a fact, but the truth is, the FACT is, statistics have proven, and the arguments on both sides also prove, that indoor cats are safer, and because of that have a longer life, and your cat has just been lucky. I was trying to find some specific statistics online, and I couldnt, but I found this very interesting article. It was written by a woman who originally felt outdoor was best for her cats, and depending on your situation, and your cats, outdoor vs. indoor is a personal decision. Which it really is, however you cannot deny the fact that there are a lot of risks involved in allowing your cat free rein outdoors. (And as I said in my previous post, *personally* I feel that no matter how small the risk may be, its not one worth taking when it comes to my pets). But anyhoo!! dont mean to preach.. :O And anyway, since one of her cats got FIV from being outdoor, she changed her opinion, and wrote a revised article. So, here it is!:

http://cats.about.com/library/weekly/aa102400a.htm

My favourite part of it was this:
"I don't believe in statements beginning with, "If you love your cat, you'll..." We humans feel different degrees of love for our cats and express our love in different ways, and my stance on the indoor-outdoor issue is not "proof" one way or another of loving my cat more than the next guy.

However, I do believe in personal responsibility for our decisions, and ultimately, our wrong decisions may cost us the loss of a very good friend and family member."


I just found another site listing pros and cons, and it has these statistics:
"Inside Cats:
have a life span of 12 - 20 years
Outside Cats:
have a life span of only 1 - 5 years"

I dont know where they got the lifespan statistics, but I assume they didnt make them up! lol

at this site I also found this:
Causes of rural cat mortality (Illinois, Warner 1985) were: Vehicles 37%
Disease 24
Humans 11
Dogs 10
Winter Storms 6
Machinery 4
Farm Chemicals 4
Livestock 1
"Old Age" 1

So anyhoo.. just wanted to share those