A Defense of Free-Roaming Cats from a Hedonist Account of Feline Well-being

Abstract

There is a widespread belief that for their own safety and for the protection of wildlife, cats should be permanently kept indoors. Against this view, I argue that cat guardians have a duty to provide their feline companions with outdoor access. The argument is based on a sophisticated hedonistic account of animal well-being that acknowledges that the performance of species-normal ethological behavior is especially pleasurable. Territorial behavior, which requires outdoor access, is a feline-normal ethological behavior, so when a cat is permanently confined to the indoors, her ability to flourish is impaired. Since cat guardians have a duty not to impair the well-being of their cats, the impairment of cat flourishing via confinement signifies a moral failing. Although some cats assume significant risks and sometimes kill wild animals when roaming outdoors, these important considerations do not imply that all cats should be deprived of the opportunity to access the outdoors. Indeed, they do not, by themselves, imply that any cat should be permanently kept indoors.

Indoors or Outdoors? An International Exploration of Owner Demographics and Decision Making Associated with Lifestyle of Pet Cats

“…The provision of outdoor access for domestic cats (Felis catus) by their owners is a divisive issue [1,2] and likely influenced by cultural norms. In the United States of America (USA), 63% of domestic cats are kept entirely indoors [3].…”

Spatial behavior of domestic cats and the effects of outdoor access restrictions and interventions to reduce predation of wildlife

“…Because cats are “ambush predators” and spend large parts of their hunting excursions watching and stalking their prey, it might be that increasing the frequency and regularity of time spent in object play and opportunities for exercising natural behaviors in the home environment can reduce motivation to hunt (Cecchetti, Crowley, Goodwin, & McDonald, 2021), but again, this intervention appeared not to affect roaming. Roaming and maintaining a specific range might be driven by domestic cats' evolutionary heritage, manifest in establishing, patrolling and defending territories, and hence outdoor roaming might be intrinsically rewarding (Abbate, 2020; Cecchetti, Crowley, & McDonald, 2021; Crowley, Cecchetti, & McDonald, 2020b).…”

Freedom and Animal Welfare

“…Animals can still gain a large amount of positive experience from triggering and fulfilling certain behaviours, even if they do not feel frustrated in their absence. The performance of species-typical behaviour may itself be a source of particular pleasure, and if these cannot be adequately catered for within a captive environment, an animal will be worse off [90]. However, as suffering is usually considered more morally urgent than pleasure, prevention of the suffering experienced through the frustration of highly motivated actions and behaviours would typically take priority.…”