While we may love our cats, many of us also acknowledge that living with them can be challenging. Not only do you have the mess and smell of litter boxes in your house, but cats also shed, scratch furniture, and sometimes pee in inappropriate locations. If your cat has developed bad habits, you’ve probably been tempted to make them an outdoor pet.

Many cat owners struggle with whether cats should be indoor or outdoor pets. In my own life, I’ve owned fully indoor cats, outdoor cats, and indoor-outdoor cats, so I’m also familiar with this dilemma. In this article, we’ll look at the arguments for and against cats living outdoors, as well as what experts and researchers say on the topic.

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Those of us who are diehard cat lovers already have a good idea of how cats help us. When you have a cat in your life, you know how it feels when your cat looks at you with those big, beautiful eyes and makes that rumbling purr.

Cats can literally make you feel better after a difficult day just by cuddling on your lap and making biscuits on your tummy.

I can say without any hesitation that my cat helped me and my son immensely during the COVID-19 lockdown. She continues to be a source of good — in addition to the occasional bit of naughtiness!

The ways that cats benefit humans are even backed by science, so if you haven’t yet been converted into the world of cat people, read on!

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Some of us know all too well what it’s like to have a Houdini living in our home. Even though it is hazardous for cats to be outside sometimes, it is an instinct for them. Every time your cat catches wind of somebody going in or coming out, they’re ready to dart as quickly as possible.

And while we really can’t afford them escaping our clutches due to the dangers that await, it doesn’t mean our cats are in the wrong for wanting to explore. Luckily, there are ways to curb the desire to escape. We’re going to discuss a few here, and hopefully, one of the methods works in your situation.

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According to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA),¹ there are roughly 60–62 million cats in the United States and about 26% of American households have at least one cat. Almost 2.3 million pets go missing each year,² and that’s only the reported animals. The actual number is undoubtedly much higher. However, it’s also the most compelling reason cats should be microchipped or wear collars.

Life outdoors is incredibly risky for felines, with only one-quarter surviving until 6 months old.³ Many factors threaten these animals, from traffic to predators to disease. Outdoor cats are also 2.77 times more likely to contract parasites,⁴ including ones transmissible to humans, like toxoplasmosis. You may think that an indoor-only pet doesn’t need identification, but some felines do escape, leaving their owners devastated.

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One of my son’s first words was “kitty.” At the time, my parent’s had a cat named, fittingly, Kitty. As soon as he could crawl, my son would chase after the cat to the best of his ability. Luckily for him, Kitty has reached her senior years already and didn’t seem to mind his uncoordinated toddler hands. Unluckily for me, this friendship (and the dangerously laidback attitude of Kitty) led to me following the two of them around a lot.

Kitty may not have cared when my son picked her up upside down, but I’m sure that wasn’t the best option for her 15-year-old joints.

When my son was 1, he discovered a black cat hiding in the storm drain at the local park. The cat shared Kitty’s hazardously laidback temperament and spent the rest of the trip following my toddling son around—who made every attempt to scoop the cat into his lap. Next thing I know, I’m the proud pet parent of a new feline, who we named Binx. So in my experience, cats and babies can absolutely be friends!

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You might see all the videos and pictures across the web of cats enjoying outings just like dogs. You might also think that it requires special training to make a cat walk on a leash, but you might be pleasantly surprised to know just how easy it is to train them.

If you have a cat with wanderlust in its heart, taking them out to see the sights might be exactly what they need for enrichment. So here we’ll go over how easy it is to train your cat to walk on a leash and how to do so safely. Let’s discuss it!

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As your cat basks in the glow of the high noon sun, you may be wondering if felines ever do anything except eat, play, and sleep. The truth is, cats are so domesticated now that some are spoiled beyond employment for heavy-duty jobs such as pest control. My own cats have become so lazy that they don’t always bother to catch the occasional annoying fly, but simply follow it with their eyes (which, I also do apparently since the fly got away in the end).

Unlike my cats, not all felines are fortunate enough to live in loving homes where everything is provided for them. Some cats live on the streets with the minimum necessities for life. They’ve never known the love of a human and aren’t typically fit to be good pets since they’re partially wild. However, working cat programs can give these cats a second chance when they’re caught in trap-neuter-return (TNR) programs and find themselves unable to be released back into their former environment.

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If politics doesn’t stir your sauce, that may change after learning about the mysterious history of the White House cats. The Bidens have introduced a new feline friend to the White House, and everyone wants to know more about how catty politics really are.

I always assumed that Presidents didn’t have time for pets. But apparently, the White House is full of cat lovers.

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Istanbul, the largest city in Turkey, is known for many things: its incredible landmarks, rocking nightlife, historical significance, and the beautiful relationship between the city and its cats. Were you surprised to learn the last one? I was too!

Several hundred thousand cats roam the streets of Turkey’s largest city, and each seems to be as cared for as the humans that live there. Istanbul has a long history of caring for its feline citizens that goes way back to the city’s origin in the Ottoman Empire, so it makes sense that the cats are so well cared for.

Keep reading to learn more about why cats are so highly revered in Istanbul and what the citizens do to ensure the health of their strays.

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It wasn’t that long ago when the concept of sharing your workplace with an animal was entirely unheard of. The workplace was for just that—work. Thankfully, the modern workplace is ever-changing and much less rigid than it used to be in generations past. As a result, it’s becoming increasingly popular in our modern world for employees to bring their pets to work. And you might be surprised to learn that 94% of people support having pets in the workplace.¹

While it’s primarily dogs that tag along with their humans to work, some workplaces allow cats and other pets, too. What possible benefits could there be to bringing animals into a work environment, though? As it turns out, lots! Keep reading to discover how sharing your office with cats can lower your stress levels and make you a better employee.

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While I often watch movies with my cats, it’s a rare treat to find a movie featuring felines. Dog movies abound (anybody still keeping up with the never-ending Air Buddies series?), but you won’t find many with cats, and even fewer with cats as the main character. Maybe it’s because cats are little prima donnas. They want to do what they want to do, when they want to do it. Training a cat to perform is arguably harder than training animals that are more popular in movies, such as dogs and horses.

It’s also interesting to note that orange tabbies reign supreme in Hollywood, followed by Siamese cats and black cats. Unfortunately, Siamese cats and black cats are often cast as villains. You’ll be hard-pressed to find a movie featuring other common house cats such as a calico or blue tabby.

Next time you’re searching for good titles to put on your watchlist, here are 20 films starring cats, from classic children’s movies to horror. Most of these titles are centered around a human subject, but all have some feline drama thrown in.

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