And I will try to think of anything else I do that seems to help. If you do nothing else, daily interactive play will really be of benefit to Shadow and it's a great way for the two of you to bond.
I agree with all of the above. The life span of an outdoor cat is significantly less than that of an indoor cat. I would guess that vet bills would be higher due to all mentioned above.Inside cats should stay inside...I noticed that was already talked about quite a bit at the start of your thread...plus you would have to worry about the cat getting harmed or possibly picking up fleas, ticks, diseases, infections etc....you also have to worry about them possibly never coming home...I'm biased though I'd be too afraid to ever put a cat outside..unless they already grew and lived out there or preferred it to indoors and I was in a safe location.
My kitty usually goes to bed with me when I go: i play with her then give her a meal before bedtime and she will typically be ready for sleep when I am. Most nights she will either be asleep or lie on my bed with me until I get up around 5:30 am. They key is to play them hard then feed a meal before your bedtime. The next part of the cat natural cycle will be to groom and then sleep.I've heard cats are awake at night, how do you entertain cats on a night when you are asleep??
Happy to help! I really struggled with deciding to adopt a cat for some of the same reasons you are and like you, I did not take the commitment of adopting a cat lightly. So I can understand your desire to make a good choice for yourself and for Shadow.Thank you, you are my little guru!!!!