A Defense of Free-Roaming Cats from a Hedonist Account of Feline Well-being

Acta Analytica 35 (3):439-461 (2020)
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Abstract

There is a widespread belief that for their own safety and for the protection of wildlife, cats should be permanently kept indoors. Against this view, I argue that cat guardians have a duty to provide their feline companions with outdoor access. The argument is based on a sophisticated hedonistic account of animal well-being that acknowledges that the performance of species-normal ethological behavior is especially pleasurable. Territorial behavior, which requires outdoor access, is a feline-normal ethological behavior, so when a cat is permanently confined to the indoors, her ability to flourish is impaired. Since cat guardians have a duty not to impair the well-being of their cats, the impairment of cat flourishing via confinement signifies a moral failing. Although some cats assume significant risks and sometimes kill wild animals when roaming outdoors, these important considerations do not imply that all cats should be deprived of the opportunity to access the outdoors. Indeed, they do not, by themselves, imply that any cat should be permanently kept indoors.

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Author's Profile

Cheryl (C.E.) Abbate
University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Citations of this work

Valuing animals as they are—Whether they feel it or not.C. E. Abbate - 2020 - European Journal of Philosophy 28 (3):770-788.
Keep Your Cats Indoors: A Reply to Abbate.Bob Fischer - 2020 - Acta Analytica 35 (3):463-468.
Keep Your Cats Indoors: a Reply to Abbate.Bob Fischer - 2020 - Acta Analytica 35 (3):463-468.

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The Killing Game: An Ecofeminist Critique of Hunting.Marti Kheel - 1996 - Journal of the Philosophy of Sport 23 (1):30-44.

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