We live in a suburb of LA. There are coyotes, many of them wearing little bibs with a picture of a moggie on them.
Pretty much all across the USA they have coyotes, who will eat a housecat if they are hungry enough. There are also raccoon.
Bollocks to* that*!
where the hell do you live?
ah so “some special UK bullshit”.
You do know North America has nearly ten times the population and 100 times the area of your tiny island, right?* And* we have a whole host of endemic wildlife, you Britons having killed off everything bigger than a fox.
We still have wolves, bears and mountain lions.
Not to mention your tiny cars made of ill fitting pieces arent that much danger to pets, the reverse being true.
So, we’re the norm, you’re the special case.
The big difference is that the UK has no large predators. Foxes mostly don’t bother cats. Coyotes and fishers think cats look like a nice lunch, and often selectively prey on them.
There are also large predatory birds in some areas. I’m in the Seattle area, and it’s not that unusual to see bald eagles go by. Magnificent birds, and more than a bit scary.
I’m in Iowa and live out in the country off of any busy roads. Of my 4 cats 2 are allowed outside as they wish, 1 likes to go outside but is only allowed out on a leash or tie-out (he’s dumb) and the 4th will step out on the patio and then want right back inside. I don’t worry too much about the 19 lber (other than coyotes, coons, bobcats, the occasional mountain lion or black bear, or random dogs running loose). I do worry about the 9 lber (same as above but also the great horned owls). When we lived on a main road I lost 2 cats to it and buried a ton more for the neighbors. Which is why mine pretty much stay indoors now.
Then again I also worry about my Chihuahuas when they are outside even when I am standing right there. Nothing makes me call them in faster than to hear the HooHoo in a tree close by.
Onto whether one should keep a cat. All cats are different.
I have some that cover their pooh, some that scratch the side of the litter box and pretend to cover their pooh and 1 that will go behind the other and cover his pooh. I have 2 that love being loved on, 1 that will let you love on him for about 3 minutes and then he will bite or scratch at you and 1 that doesn’t like to be petted upon but loves being patted (like you pat a horse).
Are you up to paying a yearly vet visit, buying flea and tick meds (even for indoor pets because those parasites can hitch a ride on your clothes), toys to keep him stimulated mentally when you aren’t around, scratching posts/climber toys of some kind to keep his nails in check and provide exercise?
Are you prepared to clean up hork (hairball vomit)? How do you feel about cats on your: couch, bed, counter tops, top of the refrigerator and right behind your feet? What about cat hair on everything you own even if it just came out of the dryer?
There’s nothing like having a cat jump up on your lap, look you in the eye, forehead bump you and then suck on your fingers while purring up a storm. Unless he accidentally misjudged his jump and sank his claws into your thigh… I’m looking at 7 punctures that are just now healed.
I understand that for some cats there isn’t a choice and they must be allowed outside. But there are so many that with a little effort would be just fine indoors. We have all kinds of cat trees, toys and window perches, and the cats are played with every day. We have coyotes and raccoons here and cats disappear from our neighborhood on a sadly regular basis. The last outdoor cat we had (died in 2000) was a scrapper and we were at the vet every other month to treat abscesses. He also liked to leave gifts, like RATS. Better than birds, I guess, but it was gross.
There are so many well-documented reasons why keeping cats indoors is much better for them. I’ve had about ten strictly-indoors cats and all were happy, healthy and had no interest in going outside. I don’t understand this thinking that it’s “bollocks”.
My indoor cats, though I’ve only had two, have both been anxious, dumb scaredy cats that seemed like they had no idea how to deal with anything. They didn’t want to jump or explore anything and even a little rain scared them; heck even wind outside scared them even if the windows were closed! They were clumsy and frequently ran into furniture if they got excited at all. They’d knead and faux-suckle a great deal and overall show a lot a juvenile traits. None of my indoor/outdoor cats had such behaviors and were much more well-adjusted in both personality and coping skills. It’s like the indoor cats were stuck as 12 year old kids with neuroses and the outdoor cats actually became adjusted adults.
Is there anything that actually supports my observations or am I just talking out my ass, anyway? A sample size of 7 cats is not very many. But if keeping them indoors keeps them stuck in a perma-child mindset it doesn’t seem very healthy to me. I can’t let my current indoor-only cat outdoors at all though for multiple reasons.
I’d be interested in that, Spam.
Have you a link?
Thanks. 
Well, one of my indoor cats is an anxious dumb clumsy scardy cat. That’s why i won’t let him outdoors, even though he begs to go out ask the time and sometimes escapes. His sister is a well adjusted adult cat. She shows little interest in going out.
So I’m dubious.
Note: blue-eyed whites are prone to being deaf.
Now that that’s out of the way:
Does the cat come around at a specific time?
The problem is unattended water and/or food: you may not like every creature that is attracted to water - opossums, raccoons, dogs, armadillos - esp. if backing up to a farm and/or wild patch.
I once saw a clever contraption in a house for sale (the R.E. agent couldn’t figure it out) - plastic “kitchen” trashcans with the bottoms cut off assembled in a telescoping arrangement from a window to a sawhorse outside, it was 3-4’ above ground.
It was a cat door - a cat can jump up into the thing - 'possums and 'coons can’t.
If you have a sliding door, such a tube (go to Home Despot and get a concrete form tube at least 12" in dia.) opening into a bit of plywood or whatever can be wedged between the door and frame.
If the cat wants in, it will figure out how to follow the scent into the house.
I now pronounce you Cat and Slave.
p.s. - after 5 years, my cat has decided that maybe letting me rub her belly might be worth the risk of exposing her underside.
She is also the only cat in the world who does not recognize the ‘squat-and-extend-hand-down-and-wiggle-fingers’ universal cat call.
Oh - toilet training a cat (assumes cat will allow you to pick it up and carry it):
Place cat in litter box (use clumping litter) and pick up its fore paws and move them in a scratching motion.
It will know what to do with a chunk of stuff in which a deposit can be buried.