Is this the right place for me?

Don't Australians have a bit of a dicotomy of feeling when it comes to domestic cats? I mean, weren't they blamed for a lot of the decline of a great number of the native wildlife? I would think the government would support the idea of domestic cats and indoor only pets as opposed to leaving them run wild. A friend of mine who lives in Perth was telling me there are limits on the number of cats one household can have but that she could get a another cat if she petitioned for it; or something like that.

When humans live in a rural situation, it is just and necessary for domestic cats to be free ranging. They assist with the rat and mouse population and with the invasion of the wildlife in the barnyard where the stock is raised. But in any urban environment, domestic cats are not able to deal with all the risks to their health and life and will lead much shorter lives.

I am not surprised you found so many dead cats on your delivery route, especially since it sounded like you were in a housing project type area. Rural areas also understand their cats will be interacting with wildlife and that cuts down on their life expectancy as well. Racoons, foxes, opossoms and other animals try to keep the domestic cats out of their territories or will actively come into the cats' territories to get the cat food if left out. This results in species wars and if the cats are full domestics, then to the death of the cats which do not know how to fight for their food.

Just as dogs live longer in urban areas when the dog laws are followed and the dogs are contained by their owners, cats will also live longer when they are managed by humans and contained in the human habitat. It is a choice all cat owners must make for themselves since, unlike dogs, there are no community laws, or very few, outlining their care and containment. Myself, none of my cats go outdoors unrestrained by me, either in an outdoor cat habitat or on a leash. My babies are much too important to me to allow them to take their chances on the street.

Personally, I don't think either of mine would like it. I tried walking Shepherd Book on a leash outside and he clawed some SERIOUS scars into me freaking out when a car went by on the road. He slipped the leash and ran. Thankfully my SO was able to get near him and pin him down until I could pick him up. He was seriously traumatized. Up until that point he showed interested in what was on the other side of the door but not anymore. If I leave the door open he stays a safe distance away and won't come close to it.

MowMow goes out in the harness but only to hide under bushes and watch the world go by. He refused to come out of cover and if he does he immediately wants me to pick him up. The only part of alone outside he seemed to enjoy was up high on my balcony of my old apartment. He seemed to like the safety of looking down on everyone. That's why I think he would enjoy a fenced safe backyard where he could explore but he doesn't deal well with uncertainty.

My ex husband's cat was indoor only his whole life (we hand raised him) and when my ex got his new apartment there were no window screens. Anthony suddenly had lots of access to the outside. He rarely leaves the apartment. He'll sit in the windows and if the ex is outside in the yard he'll join him but he doesn't ever leave on his own.

I personally think that with plenty of indoor stimulation like toys, interactive play, windows to watch wildlife they are perfectly content. I think it allows them to keep kittenish behaviors because they never have to worry about staying safe.

My BFF and I rescue feral cats every year up to this year. Once we have tamed the adults, they rarely go to the door and want outside again. And usually if they find a door accidently left open, they look out and then come right back inside. Only one of the ferals ever voted for return by going out an open door and never returning. Chloe was origonally gotten from a rescue and never in the 12 years I had her stopped trying to escape the house. She did get outside once when she was six and was missing from the house for four hours. I heard her yelling outside and let her in. Six years later, she escaped when workmen let her out and she has never returned.

That is one cat between Kim and I out of a total of 33 cats and kittens over thirty-one years. Kim's alpha male goes to the door when she has it open loading groceries into the house and looks out, smells the air and then Jaysa runs back in the house and hides. Jaysa's mate, Ming Ming runs in the opposite direction when an outside door is opened, and their kittens Lilly and Misha never go to the doors to look out or to even try to escape, ever. Misha was let out of the house by workmen four years ago through a broken window. He was loose in the neighborhood for almost two weeks. Once evening while Kim was loading groceries into the house, Misha saw Kim's dog in the alleyway. Misha made a beeline for the dog, with whom he was great friends, and Misha hugged the dog around the neck and then followed the dog into the house when the dog was called into the house by Kim. Kim was very surprised when Misha walked in the door with the dog. Now that the dog has died, Misha does not bother to go near the outside doors, ever.