No way my kitties ever get out. There are quite a few cats in my area that do roam free, especially at night so I always drive really slowly and have my high-beams on when its dark too.

My mom has....8 cats and she lets them roam free too.

I have mixed opinions on this.

If someone lives in the country away from major traffic, and they have had thier pets neutered I have no problem with letting them be outdoors.

If they live in the city? no way. too many dangers.

My SIL had 3 cats. Only one was neutered (it came that way) the other two were male and female. She let them come and go as they pleased (she lives in an apartment) the male eventually stopped coming indoors and went semi-feral. The female got pregnant by that male and had a stillborn kitten. They still let her outside, and he is usually out there waiting for her. Its irresponsible.

I know it's a lot of work and expense, but would they be able to construct one of those outdoor pens? That way, the cats could go out, be protected from the coyotes, and prevented from straying into traffic.

I have two cats... one completely indoor and one in-and-out...
The cats are perfectly happy that way, and the "in-out" one has a meow that permeates any walls/doors and is very vocal about letting us know when he wants to come in or go out.
They are both fixed. The in-outer pretty much DEMANDS to be able to go outside... I doubt there would be any way to stop him. lol.

Unfortunately, you can probably beg and plead and drown them in literature about why it's safer and actually healthier to keep kitties indoors. Unfortunately, it probably won't sink in until they suffer enough loss.

Growing up, I always had "in-out" cats. After loosing quite a few to cars, animals, and just disappearance, I finally couldn't take it anymore. When I moved out and got my own place and adopted my own kitties, I decreed right away that they would be indoor only. Now I can't stand to listen to my mom get panicked because she hasn't seen a cat for a couple of days. I know it seems like the cats enjoy going outside, but it's just not safe and not worth the stress. Any cats I have from now on will be inside only. It takes a little more work to keep the occupied and out of trouble, but it's totally worth it to know they're not going to be hit by a car or contract some disease.

Show them the statistics that show just how much shorter the average outdoor cat's lifespan is compared to the average indoor cat. I can't remember what the outdoor cat's lifespan is, I think 6 years? but the indoor cat's lifespan is about 18 years.

I never let mine outside. Traffic, other animals, bad things they might eat, illnesses they might catch...the list of bad things just goes on and on.

My bf and I fight about this often. He thinks cats should be allowed to roam free but I am too scared of something happening to them. Growing up our cats were indoor-outdoor, but as an adult, my cats are always indoor only. My first cat I got as an adult was a rescue Persian. Part of the contract I signed was that I would keep him an indoor cat.

I have friends whose cats roam around and get lost and they don't seem to think it's that big of a deal. I really don't understand that way of thinking.

I've had cats all my life - and I have unfortunately lost a couple(hit by car, killed by dog). I continue however to have my cats indoor/outdoor. To me it's a quantity of life vs quality of life argument. Sorry if that sounds cruel but keeping a cat locked up inside all day is worse in my mind.

Of course there are exceptions - apartment building in a city being one obvious one. But I've always lived in the suburbs/small towns/country.

My 6 month old kitten just wants to hunt lizards in the backyard all day.

Plus, if you keep your cat inside all the time, there will come a time - guaranteed!! - that it gets out, and then what? Total panic and freak out. That's when they get hurt. As for diseases, my cats always get their shots every year and flea/heartworm medication every month.

I am 100% mine are happy inside. I was less sure when I only had one cat because he seemed to get bored while I was at work. Now we have two indoor cats and an indoor dog and they are healthy and happy, and keep themselves entertained when we're not there. I totally don't buy that animals can't be as happy indoors-only. After burying a pet cat about 10 years ago that I found after he had been hit by a car, I will never let another one out. It's not worth it.

(100% sure)

I agree, lawchick. Mine are perfectly happy and purr-y, and they have each other to keep each other company.

BTW, please tell me that that's your cat in your avatar

lawchick - if I'm totally honest, it probably is MY quality life more than theirs. I could never life my life with doors always closed (I live in Hawaii). When we are home we leave our screen doors open to the backyard all the time. The stress of keeping a cat inside would ruin any enjoyment of having a pet. And then we wouldn't have pets. And then everyone would lose.

Plus, the overwhelming majority of my cats have lived long happy lives outdoors - my last kitty lived to 19 years old, happily in the sun on our sidewalk.

I'm in a similar boat, actually. When I was growing up we always had in-out cats, and we only lost one (who we think found another, better feeding family to love) after we got a dog.
All my other cats have been indoor-outdoor.

However, I lived abroad, and my cat was strictly indoors, but when I came home for grad school (and the parents kindly let me stay here rent free) my cat became and LOVED being able to go outside. She chases birds, eats grass, rolls around in the sun, and generally is a gypsy.

However, in 6 months, she's had two abscesses, and a puncture wound, and disappeared for two days -- locked in someone's garage...It drives me crazy. But my parents don't want to confine their cat (who is 14 and has been indoor-outdoor his whole life) or the dog simply to protect my cat, and I can't stomach locking my cat in the bedroom all day.

It's hard, and heartbreaking but ultimately, it's your parents decision on how to handle their animals. All you can do is give them statistics on indoor cats versus outdoor cats, and have the cat collared, tagged and microchipped.