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I don't think animal should be held in captivity, but can they not see that they are allowing them to roam into mortal danger? Honestly, those cats will die because of their stubbornness.

Because they aren't your parents it's hard to tell them without seeming rude, but I would encourage your friend to tell them until they start listening. Otherwise it will be too late.

The way they are letting those cats slowly die is not humane, why is she afraid of getting yelled at if she is doing the right thing?
Maybe she should show them some shock sites/images to show them what is going to inevitably happen confused

That's okay, it's hard when it's not your parents.
Sounds like she needs to learn to grow a pair though as she can see her cats are suffering.

I'm making a petition to keep cats indoors.

And I'm going to show it to the mayor and present it to them, in hopes that a by-law comes out.

It worked in my old town, and the punishment was that if your cat was caught outside, it would be impounded and it cost the owners fifty dollars.

that is so stupid cats need the outdoors to be happy. They are wild animals who choose to live with us. Some cats can't be kept indoors. Its cruelty. Oh and give the owners a fine. Our pounds are already overcrowded lets shove them full of cats that people can't afford some stupid fine cuz their cat slipped out. Not to mention how busy animal control is catching loose dogs. Ever try to catch a cat? you can't unless it wants to be caught. I can't even catch my cat when he doesn't want in.

My cats have always been indoor/outdoor. I have a lot of friends with outdoor cats. Granted, we lived in the country, but that brings it's own set of risks with natural predators. I also grew up with barn cats. The idea of it being unhealthy to let cats outside sounds insane to me. I don't live where you do, but I don't like the idea of someone else telling me the best way to keep my pets. I keep them happy and healthy, and I have enough knowledge of animal training and veterinary science that I think I'm qualified to make my own decisions about my animals.

I live in an apartment in town now, so if I get a cat, it'll most likely be indoor-only.

I've never heard of tethering a cat. I can't imagine it going well. I know cats that were leash trained, and I leash trained one of my cats as a kitten, but haven't put it on him in about 8 years, so I doubt he would still react well to it.

If they are refusing to pay the vet bills for serious injuries, then that would be considered abuse. Allowing wounds to fester and denying an animal in your care necessary medical care is abuse. If this is the case, you could contact the authorities about them.

As for natural predators... Cat vs. Cougar, who do you think won?
Natural predators that have been seen on my property (though not necessarily by me):
Cougar/Mountain Lion/Puma
Black Bear (though they're not particularly aggressive)
Coyotes
Lynx
Feral dogs (uncommon in my area, however)
Large birds of prey (I know there's a red-tailed hawk, and a couple osprey. I've seen bald eagles very occasionally. They'd have trouble carrying off MY cats, because they're monsters, but smaller cats would be easy prey)
We also have deer and elk that randomly roam through the area.
Our cats know to avoid the road. The cars scare them. I know more people in my area who have lost cats to coyotes than cars, though.

My cats have been injured as a result of being outdoors. Cider got into fights fairly regularly defending "his" territory. Jazz ripped his stomach open once, though we're not sure how. Being responsible pet owners, we took care of their injuries and treated their wounds, and they healed just fine.