"CatNipped" wrote in message
...
Here, counter these facts:

Indoor cats...

have a life span of 12 - 20 years

As do outdoor cared-for pets in safe environments

are not exposed to disease

but are exposed to an increased risk of diabetes and obesity, not to mention
anxiety disorders

will not get abscesses from fighting neighborhood strays

yup, agree

will not be threatened by dogs or wildlife

yup agree

will not suffer injury or amputation from leghold traps

yup agree, but then neither will urban cats in New Zealand.

will not suffer from frost bite

yup agree

will not be hit by cars

yup agree

will not get lost

unless they accidentally get out - then it's more likely

will never go hungry

if they have an owner who ensures that

cannot be abused by strangers

it is less likely, but there is no guarantee that people inside the home
will not abuse them

are safe from chemicals and fertilizers

you don't keep disinfectant and deterents in your house?

cannot be stolen

it is less likely, but not impossible


are happy living indoors

some are, some aren't


They're also more likely to find themselves on mood-altering drugs and have
their claws lopped off.

Outdoor cats...

have a life span of only 1 - 5 years

Nope. Compare like with like - pets with pets. No ferals. And even then,
unless you can produce worldwide figures, your figures relate only to the
States. If that is their lifespan, how come my two are both 10, and the vet
who saw one of them a couple of weeks ago spoke of him having "at least
another 6-10 years"? How come I was having a conversation yesterday with a
colleague about her 18yo cat? You've been brainwashed.

will be exposed to leukemia, kitty AIDS, parasites, etc.

yup. Parsites are easily treatable, most other diseases can be vaccinated
against.

will fight - causing expensive vet bills

Antibiotics ain't expensive

are maimed or killed by dogs and predators can get caught in leghold traps


depends on where you are. I know of one cat that has been killed or maimed
by a dog. And that was before laws changed to make it illegal to let dogs
roam. Any roaming dog now runs a very high risk of spending the rest of its
life at the pound. We don't have leghold traps in the suburbs, only in the
wilderness areas where, whether anyone likes it or not, cats *will* be
killed for the sake of the environment anyway.

do suffer from frost bite

not here they don't. And not anywhere where they've got free access to a cat
door. Or a warm barn.

are hit by cars and injured or killed

yup. A risk that can be minimised by choosing your house carefully,
neutering your pets and keeping them indoors at night.

do stray from home and get lost

see above

can die from starvation

if they're ferals, yup. If they're pets, no.

are abused by strangers

very occasionally

are exposed to toxic lawn antifreeze

not here, they're not

are stolen

very rarely - more of a risk with expensive pedigrees than with moggies

breed, if not neutered or spayed, and add to pet overpopulation

but as pets *are* neutered and spayed, this isn't part of the issue, is it?
That's actually a straw man

Disagree? Which of those things above are wrong? OK, I already know,
where
you live you have none of those dangers right? I think Mary has the right
of it - fingers in your ears chanting lalalalalalalalala!

I appear to be the one with my eye open, here.