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

Abstract

Outdoor access for owned domestic cats (Felis catus) is a divisive issue. Cat safety, mental and physical wellbeing, infectious diseases, and wildlife depredation are cited as factors influencing owners; however, the degree of consideration each factor receives has not been quantified. This study (i) analysed which demographic variables are associated with greater odds of cats having indoor or outdoor lifestyles, (ii) identified which factors owners consider when making a choice on lifestyle and any regional variations, and (iii) identified if owners consider the different lifestyle options available and recognise their associated benefits. A series of online surveys were used for data collection. Binary logistic regression models were used to generate odds ratios assessing if demographic variables were significantly associated with cat lifestyle. Quantitative analysis of factors considered when deciding on cat lifestyle was accompanied by a thematic analysis of rich-text open-ended responses, providing nuanced insight into the rationale and elucidating additional factors considered. Of the demographic variables tested, 10/12 were significantly associated with lifestyle. Variables with higher odds of indoor-only lifestyles were owners being 26–35 years old, multi-cat households, junior cats, pedigree cats or unknown pedigree status, cats with health issues, living in city centres or urban areas, or living in the United States, Canada, Australia, or New Zealand. Variables with higher odds of indoor-outdoor lifestyles were owners being 46–55 years old or 56+ years old, households with residents 17 years old or under, male cats, and cats being mature or senior. Road traffic concerns were the most cited reason for keeping indoor-only cats across all global regions. The second-most cited reason varied regionally. For Europe, it was protection from people. For the USA and Canada, the reason was protection from wildlife, and for Australia and New Zealand, to prevent hunting. Indoor-outdoor cat owners cited most frequently the benefits to their cat’s mental health. Over two-thirds of owners did not consider the alternative lifestyle for their cat. These data give insight into the priorities of cat owners with regards to feline wellbeing, feline safety, and wildlife depredation, helpful for individuals or organisations working with human behaviour change. They provide evidence that the numbers of indoor-only cats are likely to rise with increasing urbanisation. Finally, the data identify cat populations who may be at risk of compromised welfare due to unsuitable, or under-researched, lifestyles.

Perspectives of Canadian and American Cat Owners on Provision of Uncontrolled Outdoor Access for Owned Domestic Cats

“…The majority of owner perspectives aligned as predicted, where owners who were concerned about risks to their cat's welfare (e.g., being injured or contracting a disease) had lower odds of providing uncontrolled outdoor access, and owners who agreed with factors related to outdoor access that could enhance their cat's welfare (e.g., reduce risk of behavioral issues) had higher odds of providing uncontrolled outdoor access. These findings are similar to those of another owner-completed survey that found that owners cited various outdoor risks as reasons for keeping their cats indoors (24). Our findings are further supported by previous research with Australian cat owners.…”

“…In addition, cats older than 15 years had higher odds of outdoor access and cats younger than a year of age had lower odds. Foreman-Worsley et al (24) also found that juvenile cats under 2 years of age were more likely to be kept indoors. It is possible that older cats have a higher probability of having previous outdoor access based on recently updated recommendations for keeping cats indoors, as owners reported strong agreement with continuing to provide outdoor access for cats with prior experience.…”

Pet–Human Relationships: Dogs versus Cats

“…In an international study, the results indicated that the number of indoor cats is likely to increase with increasing urbanization and that the main reason for keeping cats indoors, regardless of the country, was concern about traffic. Although Mexico was not included in the aforementioned study, this reason for keeping cats indoors would be applicable to the country [ 33 ]. For dogs, it is still common in Mexico for dogs to spend most of their time in the courtyard or garage of the house.…”

Putting the cat before the wildlife: Exploring cat owners' beliefs about cat containment as predictors of owner behavior

“…We drew on these theories and community‐based social marketing (McKenzie‐Mohr, 2013) to understand beliefs and attitudes associated with containment behaviors and perceived barriers to or opportunities for behavior change with the aim of improving messaging in campaigns promoting cat containment. We expected that attitudes and beliefs associated with concern for cat welfare and wildlife (Crowley et al, 2020a; Foreman‐Worsley et al, 2021; McLeod et al, 2015), perceived behavioral control, and social norms would predict containment behavior by owners.…”