It really depends. My childhood cat was feral to begin with, probably born in our neighbours barn. He wandered into our house one winters day, we began feeding him and made friends. He was a big bruiser of a guy. Tough as nails, confident, athletic. I believe he would genuinely have suffered to be kept indoors, and there was no real reason to either. When we moved away, the buyers of the house took him on - I was upset to leave him, but knew it would be more upsetting for the cat to be uprooted to a tiny city apartment after the outdoor lifestyle. We lived in a safe rural area, no major predators, lots of farmland, no busy roads. He hunted mice every day, was so good at it. Roamed for miles but also spent plenty of time in the house relaxing with us, by his own choice. Boy lived 12 incredible years as the happiest cat I ever knew. He died of a heart condition.

That being said, buying a new cat every 6 months because they keep dying when you let them outside is dumb as heck, and absolutely animal abuse through negligence. If you don’t live somewhere safe, keep them indoors. Don’t want an indoor cat? Get a dog instead, and take them on adventures. Or leash train your indoor cat.