Indoors, outdoors, balconies and windows
In a city, an indoor cat lives longer and better if its home is set up for it. Balconies and windows are the big danger almost nobody plans for.
What the outdoors costs
A cat that roams freely is exposed to traffic, fights with other cats, bites that transmit feline immunodeficiency virus, feline leukaemia infection, poisons, loose dogs and people who do not want it around. That is why outdoor cats live, on average, quite a lot less than indoor cats. Cats with free access outside also hunt birds, lizards and small mammals, and their impact on wildlife is well documented. In a city, with traffic and neighbours, an indoor cat is the sensible choice; in the countryside the decision is more nuanced, but always with neutering, a microchip and vaccines.
High-rise syndrome
Every spring and summer, vets see cats that have fallen from a balcony or a window. Vets call it high-rise syndrome: the cat leaps after a pigeon or a fly, loses its balance on a railing or gets a fright, and falls. Landing on their feet does not mean they walk away unhurt: fractures of the jaw and palate, chest injuries and broken legs are typical. It does not have to be the tenth floor; a first or second floor can do damage too. No cat, however calm, learns not to fall: what works is making sure it cannot.
How to make balconies and windows safe
A properly tensioned and anchored cat safety net turns a balcony into a safe space, and reinforced screens work for windows you open every day. The whole opening has to be covered, including the sides and the top if the cat can climb. Take special care with tilt-and-turn windows, the ones that tip open inwards at the top: the cat tries to get out through the gap, slips down and gets trapped by the abdomen, with serious spine and kidney injuries. There are side guards that block that gap; if you do not have them, do not leave the window in that position with the cat alone.
Going outside safely
There are middle ways. A balcony or terrace enclosed with netting, an outdoor cat enclosure (a catio) in the garden or yard, or walks on a harness and lead for cats that accept it. Harness training is done gradually at home: first leaving it on for a few minutes with treats, then with the lead hanging loose and, only once it walks calmly, going out to somewhere quiet with no dogs. Not every cat enjoys it and none should be forced. If your cat goes out into the garden, make sure it has a registered microchip and, if it wears a collar, that it is a quick-release one that opens if it snags.
An indoor life should not be a cage
An indoor cat needs its home to give it what the outdoors would: high places to watch from, windows with a view, hiding places, scratching posts, daily hunting play and food it has to find. Without that, a flat falls short and you get weight gain, boredom, stress-related cystitis and behaviour problems. It also needs the vaccines and parasite treatment your vet recommends: even if it never goes out, viruses come in on shoes and fleas on clothes or with another animal. And if it ever gets out, a registered microchip is what brings it home.
In a city, an indoor cat with a home designed for it. Safety nets on balconies and windows before you open them, care with tilt-and-turn windows, and if it goes out, to a secure space, with a chip and vaccines.
Educational content from Michipedia. It does not replace the advice of a vet or a feline behaviour specialist. Every cat is an individual.