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Think of your cat as a child. Taking a child outside and letting them go, is not setting it free. Children depend on adults. Your cat depends on you.
You walk a cat on a leash because you, and your cat, are smarter than most.Indeed, the best life for a cat is the life the cat knows best. And true, what people does with their cats depends on the local culture as well.
The reason why I am somehow lost in decisions is that my tomcat started his life as an outside cat in a gas station , then comes to my apartment. I walk him, but I keep him inside. People here does not usually walk cats (some stops me and ask how I managed to do this) and I do not know anybody who made a cat-loggia.
In case of doubt, some people may just re-home the cat in the countryside. Myself I think this is to risky, although looks nice from the freedom point of view. Myself I highly value the freedom. But I am aware that there is no cat's choice, but mine.
So I am not a typical case. And this is why I highly appreciate your points of view. I am aware there is no simple answer, but your comments help me to find a practical solution.
I'm just going to cover my boys ears while all this talk of abandonment goes on
No. In the countryside there is people owning cats, just as I do or like anybody from this forum. They are people living in villages and owning cats. Their cats are outside cats. They feed their cats, they care them, they let them in the house during winter and so on. The only difference is that some cats enjoy having more owners (:-)). Of course, people in the countryside have less time to pass with their cats comparing to the urban owners.You would still, personally, be abandoning your cat.
You're moving goalposts. You originally asked if you should free your cat, and people responded to that. If you're asking about rehoming your cat to the country, that is different. I would still argue that your cat has a happy and safe life with you, and that's worth more than the freedom you're pushing on him.It looks like I say one thing and people hear something else.
Lets discuss in a more concrete way:
My friend Jim leaves in the countryside. He has 4 cats. He care them, feed them and let them in when the winter comes. Do you think that he abandoned his cats?
Now, I am going to tell Jim : "My friend, could be so kind and take care of my cat?"
Jim says: "Ok, bring him in! I will feed and care him". Do you think that my cat is abandoned in this case?
Only if Jim KNOWS he's supposed to feed that cat every day, and does.It looks like I say one thing and people hear something else.
Lets discuss in a more concrete way:
My friend Jim leaves in the countryside. He has 4 cats. He care them, feed them and let them in when the winter comes. Do you think that he abandoned his cats?
Now, I am going to tell Jim : "My friend, could be so kind and take care of my cat?"
Jim says: "Ok, bring him in! I will feed and care him". Do you think that my cat is abandoned in this case?
That to me is rehoming to a farm and not setting it free in the countryside. Many farms have little colonies to look out for each other. Nothing new about cats and farms. Setting it free and expecting it to end up on a farm would be cruel. It could go farm to farm and be chased off by resident cats and dogs left to likely die a horrible death.I know a lot will disagree, but I am of the opinion in the case of farm cats or country cats that quality over quantity is better. But that is only the case if the cat is use to living in that setting, and also only if there are livestock guard animals around to keep predators at minimum. Also so long as the cats are treated like you would a free roaming farm dog, fed, sheltered, and given medical treatment as needed.
Although your cat had it's kitten hood growing up at a gas station that is not the same as a country home. I think your cat would probably be better off staying with you, he will learn when it's time to go out, just like a dog, and eventually wont ask to go out all the time. The first cat I got when moving here was a stray from the city, she goes out now (and is leash trained too), but the two dumped cats I set traps for and brought inside have no desire to go out. So really it depends on the cat, just because it was outside when it was young does not mean it wants to live outside. If he seems content to walk on lead and live indoors (isn't having behavior issues or anything) he is probably happy with the situation. Just think of it like how people in the city just take there dogs for walks, where as someone in the country may let there dog roam free on the farm. Both cases they are well cared for and happy, but a city dog is likely to get into trouble in the country. I know even over in North America walking a cat on lead is not common, and you do get weird looks and comments, but really it shows that you have a good working and trusting bond with your cat.
Rusty was feral and you wouldn't know it.A lot of people around here think their cat would be happier on a farm. They usually aren't. Some housecats, when released to the farm, will just hide until they starve to death because they're so scared. But there are a few cats who are much much happier free-roaming. It has to be taken on a case-by-case basis, I think. I don't think cats in general are always happier with "freedom" but some individual cats might be. Unless he becomes very discontented with his life as it is now, I don't see any reason to think he'd be happier out there.