Tom says: Mira belongs to my mother and is a "one woman's cat," so I was quite surprised when she allowed me to take that photo. The biggest challenge when taking it was one of the other cats in the house was quite curious and was doing his best to inspect the photo gear like all cats do (by lying on it and generally being in the way - imagine how "funny" it is to try to use a cable remote control when six-kilo Norwegian Forest cat wants to play with it...). Mira is still an "indoor cat," but that might change when she get older.
Indoor cats generally live from 12-18 years of age. Many may live to be in their early 20s. The oldest reported cat was 28 years old at the time of death.
Outdoor cats generally live to be around four to five years of age. Their deaths are typically due to traumas such as being hit by a car or dog attacks. Outdoor cats are also more susceptible to several deadly viruses that are spread by fighting or prolonged intimate contact with an infected cat.
Our cats have a large garden to play in, they have their own cat door so they can decide if they want to be outside or not, are vaccinated against all the usual viruses and go regularly to the vet for checkups. Most of our cats have lived for more than ten years, the last one to die was 16. Dogs will never manage to catch a healthy cat that is used to being outdoors - there are far too many trees and hiding places around here. :-) Tom
gorgeous kitty kitty. I think she'll probably be really happy outside. Especially if she can come in when she wants too. :D My Ili loved chasing leaves around. :D I bet she's gonna have tons of fun.