Well, by no means do I mean to sound rude with this post. But I think the reason your cats don't go outside is because the know they can't really defend themselves properly. Also, I have a question, I never knew that they actually remove the toes of the cat. Is this true? Pam, did they do that to your cats? What do their paws look like now? I am truely against it but here is what a vet had to say that might make you feel better.
I actually talked with the vet about stuff like that. In talking about neutering, He said they really don't know. He refered to a dog he just treated that had a leg removed. He said the dog, really doesn't know that he is one leg short. He knows he has an injury and that he has to compensate for his loss. But the dog doesn't think of it as we would, if we were to lose a limb. That was just his theory. But hope this makes you feel better.