True, they do. Most of them also recommend that cats be vaccinated against a whole host of diseases, both real and imagined, yet I have never yet spoken to one of these vets who has had a cat that lived to be twenty-six years old, and I have two 26-year-olds and have raised two others into their twenties. I have had one veterinarian tell me that the average lifespan for a cat that is allowed to go outdoors was a year and a half while the average lifespan of an indoor-only cat was fifteen years. I figure that our children would be safer if they were never allowed to go outdoors, too. Yet, we take reasonable risks. Depending on where you live, letting your cat outdoors may not be a reasonable risk, of course.
Well two of my indoor only kitties lived to be 19. If a cat that is allowed to go outdoors can make it past all the hazards being outdoor brings maybe they would live longer, however, it is not really a risk I am willing to take. There are just too many cats that end up missing from a wide variety of causes. My friend has some strictly outdoor cats, and none of them have lived to a ripe old age. I guess you lucked out Ken. Maybe if I lived in an area where I could monitor them during the day and bring them in at night I might feel more comfortable.
No, it's not luck at all. It's reasonable risks. I wouldn't let them out if I lived at the edge of a lake with gators in it. Other than the street, the only likely risks here are at night. Our street isn't very busy either, but I've never seen one of my cats cross it, or had any indication that they have. They don't go far because I check on them regularly.
Yes, I think what Ken was saying was that if they start out indoors, they're usually content there. However, mine are all rescues, and all started out outdoors. Kelly doesn't try to get out, but Ryan, in particular, yearns to go outside, and will yowl by the balcony door. He and Seamus were the ones I'd walk out front, just in the yard. They both really craved being outside, and I think Ryan picked up that habit from Seamus, who was an escape artist. I have no electric plugs out front, so when I use the trimmer in the front yard and ditch, I have to squish the cord under the door as much as possible, but occasionally, the door will open, and along comes Ryan, running out the door and rolling around in the front yard. I'm just glad he doesn't try to escape, but he might if a loud noise or a dog startled him, so I try to limit those times. The strays most likely wouldn't be happy indoors, although these two remaining ones are the least likely to wander too far, which may be why they're still alive.
Yes, I had one like that once who had started his life outdoors, and he was always trying to escape! One time when I had the alarm set up he triggered it, by trying to open the door and that scared both of us to death.! That cat would try to take every opportunity to get out. One time we went on a short vacation, and when we came back,,(this was in another house) he was lounging on the neighbors patio. I had no idea how long he had been out there! One thing about cats though they don't tend to wander too far from their main food source unlike dogs who might go for miles.