Re: the indoor/outdoor debate. My best childhood kitty lost a hind leg to a neighbor dog and nearly bled to death where he'd gone under the deck to die while my parents were at work all day, then to choir practice in the evening. He was there at least 12 hours. In the dark. In shock. This dog had killed a $500 Siamese cat just months earlier and his a-hole owners let him off the lead near my folks' house, knowing full well that my family had 2 indoor/outdoor cats.

I will NEVER have a cat that goes outdoors. Not ever. Crap, 4 my strictly indoor cats are still battling fleas on a regular basis, since we have a yard full of squirrels and deer, so we end up bringing in fleas and eggs on our clothing and shoes. Tapeworm really sucks to deal with, too. Do you know how much it costs to treat 4 cats for fleas? Even buying topical Frontline or Advantage online is about $30/month for all 4.

The same cat who lost a leg also once brought in a still-living chipmunk and let it loose in the house. Who willingly puts themselves in that situation? Especially when a lot of these rodents are potentially carrying rabies. Ever gone through the treatment for a potential rabies bite? Me neither. Don't ever want to put myself in a situation to need to do so.