I don't get it. I sooooo don't get it. I grew up in a rural area, we had many cats and we really loved all of them. Cats had complete freedom - they'd leave whenever they'd feel like it, they'd go wherever they wanted to go, engaged in social life with other cats including fights over territory and mates, hunted, played, explored, sometimes they'd be gone for days, but they'd always return, love us, stay with us and enjoy our company. I was so happy to let the cats be cats and I am not getting a new cat because I live in an apartment complex and I cannot let it be a cat there, I'd feel horrible about confining it to 40 square meters. I really like to think that the cats I owned got to be cats to its fullest. Unfortunately, they also haven't lived for long, with 4 years being tops due to stray dogs around, cars, other cats, etc, but I'd rather have it that way than treat it like a house fixture.