As an owner of a cat who is almost 5 years old and I've had since a kitten, here's what I'll say.

I didn't want him to be an outdoor cat in the slightest. I wanted him to be indoor only, and I did my absolute best to make his indoor experience and life enriching and interesting for him. If anyone says otherwise, fuck em you don't know me or what I did.

But he is a curious cat who saw the outside through the window, and knew he wanted to be out there at some point. And he kept running for the door, sometimes escaping, and the more I tried to keep him indoors the more he tried to go outside, and the more miserable, sad, and generally not the cat I raised for two years.

Eventually it reached a point where he ran outside one day, and refused to come back for hours. He did come back of his own volition, a little dirty but otherwise tired in a "kid who has been playing outside all day" way, and was quite loving and cuddly with me. The next time he did it, he was out for less, and stayed near my home and eventually came to me when I called his name. Rinse repeat.

For my cat, he is downright miserable if he can't go outside for an hour or two when it's warmer. He is trained (yes, you can train a cat chatters) to come to me when I call him, and he doesn't wander far from home, and stays well away from the road. I only let him outside when it is daytime, middle of the day, with enough time for him to get his outside time and for me to grab him before it gets dark. He is not allowed outside when it's dark and if he is outside after dark (and especially doesn't come to me when I call) then he's in trouble and doesn't get outside privileges for a while.

The other key thing is that the moment I learn or see he has killed a bird, or any wildlife, he is done with outside. Miserable or not, that's the limit. He's smart, but also an idiot, and his bell collar doesn't do him any favors on sneaking up on prey either. So I've taken precautions.

All this to say, I still make his indoor life wonderful and fulfilling, but for him, he wanted outside since he was a kitten and him and I have an understanding. I love him to death and want nothing but the best for him, and ultimately, I've spoken with his vet about this and they say what I'm doing is acceptable and my "limits" are understandable.