I have seen many “outdoor” cats that just go to someone else’s houses for a while. Like multiple people think they “own” the same cat. Ok, maybe not “many” so much as a half a dozen. Still…
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I love cats and currently am lucky enough to cohabitate with one (her brother died of a blood clot too young 
) but I also pay attention to those studies, as inconclusive or shoddy as they may be. Living in the US, I don’t want to introduce a non-native species and give it a competitive advantage (food, shelter) so it can wreak havoc on the local ecosystem. It’s tough sometimes, feels like I’m squelching her instincts. But it’s not just anti-cat folks who read and respond to those studies.
Also, I don’t have links handy, but I’ve read that indoor cats have substantially longer lifetimes, and I want my friends around as long as I can get.
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I have a multiple household cat. I’m the original, but my cat became poly many years ago.
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You need to have a talk with the outdoor cats in my neighborhood. There are admittedly a ton of them, but there are several that are extremely social and will come up to you and beg to be scratched.
Well, maybe you should wait to have that talk until after there’s a vaccine.
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And risking their cat. That said, I have a dream.of a cat proofed** backyard or screened in patio for my own. Or teaching them to go for walks on a leash.
** for certain levels of proofed that would work for my beasts. I’ve known cats who could get out of pretty much anywhere.
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They’re keeping this fairly up to date as info comes out. So far, not evidence that there’s pet to human transmission. The potentially acting as a fomite thing makes sense though.
Also, keep your cats indoors for their own sake. Less cars, less predators/dogs, less other cats to give them FELV and FIV and abscesses from fighting and fun parasites and and and…
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Yes, most. One of our indoor/outdoor cats won’t approach anyone when outside, but the other loves to get attention and belly rubs from strangers. And he sometimes gets aggressive with other cats (though this only very rarely ends in a fight). So, virus aside, those are good reasons for him to stay in for now.
Fair points. And I haven’t had the chance to do a really deep dive on those studies. My statistics education was decades ago so it will take some effort (ugh!) to really understand the stats and how seriously they should be taken. That said, the massive ranges cited by that one major study I linked make me raise an eyebrow, at least.
And I agree that staying indoors = longer life. Until a decade ago, I’d never have thought I’d ever have outdoor cats. But the ones we adopted back then were adults, and had been living almost full-time outdoors, allowed to come and go as they pleased. We went through quite a few sleepless nights when we first got them, because they were just not used to being kept inside at all.
Before we put them on lockdown a couple of weeks ago, advancing age and consistent application of rules meant that they now no longer stay out all night, come home when called, and spend most of the day indoors.
One of them is not adapting well to the indoor life, so I have a leash on order for him and we’ll be building a safe enclosure in the garden. It’s quite possible they won’t ever go back to roaming free.
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