Also! I have a theory for WHY outdoor cats are a prominent thing in England - now I will give a caveat that it's possible that it just seems more prominent to English-speakers because we're sharing the same language, but I digress. For a long time cats *were* outdoor mousers, since the medieval era, so I imagine folks are just really used to the idea of cats being outside and just haven't shifted that mindset. Another reason is probably that Chief Mouser cat, Larry. That's been a thing for a long time, and I do not think it's a good idea that we have such a famous *outdoor* cat. Hell, articles often talk about Larry - for example, newspapers were all cooing about how Larry 'chased off a fox' like it was a good thing as opposed to maybe questioning why an invasive species is chasing off a native species OR whether he might someday get nabbed by a fox.
That’s an interesting theory! I can’t imagine government at any level is very inclined to advocate for cat welfare re: indoor cats if the cabinet office has a famous outdoor one.
