I live on a main road and my house is very near it i do not let boots out because i dont want any thing to happen to him. and the people next door put out things to kill off rats and things and i dont want boots to get in to that stuff but i wounder if this is bad for boots not to go out and look around he is a very happy cat and does not try to dart out if you open the door. i do take him out on a string and let him play but walking cat is not very easy to do. does any one out there keep there cat in all the time and has it hurt them in any way Please let me know

P.S.  Boots and i are looking for a few pet pals to chat with from time to time so if anyone would like send a invite

I've had my cat in the house for 14 years, on occasion he will get out and come right to the back door to be let in.   I also live on a very busy street and have seen too many animals along the road.   My cat is very happy, and love to sit at the windows, we have plenty of toys to keep him busy too.  but he is most happy when he is curled up sleeping somewhere... 

I agree with the other posts about keeping the kitty inside. I also live on a busy street so, I trained Lucky to wear a harness. I attach it to a light weight rope and he does very well with it. I must say I trained him when he was very young. I recently became a mother to a feral kitten. Libby was already over six months old and she had never been held by a human. Harness training was not something I could do with her.  I have trained her to stay in the yard when I go out with her.  In fact she will only go as far as Lucky can reach on his rope. Though I never leave her alone. I spend about an hour a day outside with her. It gives me a reason to just relax for a while!! If you have room, you might consider purchasing an enclosure.  The one I want is a bit pricey so, it will have to wait a while. Hope this helps.

I can understand the controversy but like other posters I think keeping cats inside is better overall.  Better fror the cat and better for the environment since they are not native to the United States and can damage bird populations.  There is controversy about how much they contribute to this but most people studying it believe that PET cats are worse for bird populations than ferals because pets tend to be well fed and will go after birds for the fun/play even though the effort is often not worth the food value.  At any rate I am fortunate enough to have a fenced yard so my cats go out under supervision several times a week and that seems to be fine for them.  The thing you have to watch with indoor cats is their weight and making sure you're playing with them, etc. to keep them mentally stimulated. 

With respect to walking cats on leashes....I have never liked the collars / leashes / harnesses designed for cats.  They seem to me to be poorly designed and the risk of choking high, as noted by a previous poster.  I actually use dog harnesses.  They have a connector between the neck "ring" and the chest "ring" both on the top (back) and underneath (chest).  This greatly decreases the risk of choking both because the pressure is not on the throat and because you don't have to adjust it as tightly.  I have one cat that will wear it and the other is a bit less happy about it but will still wear it when we go out front where there is no fencing. 

In response to the other posts.....I do not use a collar on my cat. I put him on a dog harness. There is no chance of choking with this design. Cat harnesses are dangerous and the cat can easily slip out of it.  I'm sorry that I was not more specific in my other post.