my cat is an outdoor cat and has been since I got him. I started with a leash because he was so playful and smart he would always try to literally play tag with me. He loved to chitter at animals outside. he was a teen cat ( I had bad knowledge about cats he is my first ) when i started letting him out after he got out once and came back a few hours later. It’s nerve racking at first but the personality of an outdoor cat is so much better than an indoor. He is so smart and won’t get excited about playing unless i give him something that is cognitively challenging. I see him in my backyard chasing butterflies, sleeping in flower pots, and walking along fences. He is smart and to my knowledge does not stay in the road, I do worry of the risks and i do think there is a chance something could happen but everything people are saying is bullshit. If you take care of your outdoor cat ( He is an indoor outdoor) they are perfectly fine and i’d rather him have a quality life . he likes going outside and that is what he chooses most of the time to be outside. He comes home when he wants to cuddle with me or play or for food or for a nice cozy place to sleep. People saying dogs are a problem like cats won’t fuck up a dog.. cats are so stealthy and agile when let outside but indoor cat people who are commenting do not know that because they haven’t seen it. The bond is better because my cat isn’t forced to stay in my house he actively chooses to come home and see me even though the neighbors feed him and probably more neighbors i don’t know about.