I live in the country and have had my cat for 8 years. It started out as being an inside cat but once it started going outside it preferred to be there. Cats love to roam and hunt. He generally sleeps in a box in the garage, even thought my girlfriend bought him this little “cat house”. I care enough about the cat not to try and keep him cooped up in the house all day when he would rather be outside chasing chipmunks.
Then you have no room to complain if someone kills it for being on their property, particularly if, like the one in the story, it has no tags or collar.