Devon Rexes - Indoor or Outdoor Cats?

I've always thought keeping an indoor only cat was unnatural at best and downright cruel at worst and my previous moggie Pushka was an indoor-outdoor cat meaning he could come and go as he pleased. I live in a hot country so I just left the door open whenever I was in the house so he was free to roam or chill out on the sofa, whichever he wanted to do.

He was a happy kitty who never strayed far and was always waiting at the door to greet me when I got home. The only downside was his penchant for catching rats bigger than he was and depositing them on my bedroom floor on a regular basis. They weren't always entirely dead either.

So I never even considered keeping cats any other way... until I started researching Devon Rexes. It seems there's a growing movement towards keeping cats as indoor only pets. I was surprised to find out that the average life expectancy of an indoor-outdoor cat was just 3 years compared to the 15 of an indoor only cat with cars, dogs and poisons as the most common cat killers out there. There's also a tonne of horror stories about cats being stolen and used as bait in dog fights although I'm guessing that depends on where you live and surely can't be all that common? My Pushka also became seriously ill once with an abscess from an infected bite, presumably from fight with another cat.

With pedigree cats you can add theft to the list. Some people will recognise your cat as the expensive, pedigree animal it is and pinch it either to keep themselves or to sell on. Or, in the case of the slightly odd-looking Devon Rex they may think it's a normal moggie that's been so badly treated by their owner that it needs re-homing or taking to the pound.

As I currently live in an area with a busy road nearby, gardens filled with unfriendly dogs and... (how can I put this nicely?) not the best class of neighbours I've made the decision to keep my Devons as indoor only cats for now. I'm currently renovating a house in the countryside with no neighbours and miles from the nearest road so once we're there I'll reevaluate the situation.

I do believe that access to the great outdoors does add an extra dimension to a cats life and would love nothing more than to let my babies run free. The cons outweigh the pros for now though, and my "kids" have always been kept as indoor only cats so don't necessarily know what they're missing. I have attached mosquito screens to several of my doors and windows so they're free to look outside and listen to what's going on, I'm training them to walk on the lead with me and I've done my best to make sure they have everything they need for a happy, fulfilling indoor life.

I'm happy with my decision considering the current situation but can't wait to get into my new house and watch my kitties run free through the fields

Blue getting some fresh air and watching the world through the mosquito screens. I call this "Cat TV"