Should cats be confined indoors? That is the question we had to ask ourselves when we bought home our kittens two years ago. When I was growing up, there was always a cat in the family who spent the day outside and came home for dinner. These days being more enviromentally aware, we decided that we would keep our cats indoors. When I went to the council to register them, I was given some information regarding a cat cage which is similar to a large aviary. This seemed a good idea and we went ahead and had a cat cage installed next to our patio with a bridge from our dining room window where they can gain access. In addition to that, I bought them harnesses and started to take them out for walks around the garden with their leads on. Once they got used to that, I detached the leads and now they go out (with close supervision) with their harnesses on every couple of days. The first few times each one climbed over the fence, but they found out very quickly that they were immediately bought inside, so now they spend their time in the garden, I get some weeding done and they usually come in on their own after an hour or two. Not only am I keeping my cats out of harm’s way, but I am also trying to do my bit to save the bird and lizard population as well. We live on a reasonably busy street and I would be too worried to let them out alone so this seems a good balance. What do you think – have you made the decision to keep your cat indoors or do you let yours roam free?