You are correct. Even if the cat is just a plain old cat if you love it keep it inside. As I have heard my vet say “outside cats live short violent lives”
Certainly there are lots of risks to kitties going outside. We now live in a rural area with lots of fun things for kitties to do outside. They love to go out & I would hate to keep them in against their will. We lost one to a coyote that moved into the area last summer. I loved her more than I can say, but she was already used to going outside (she’d been abandoned & had learned to feed herself on mice & birds). I would’ve been fighting to keep her in. We now have 3 females who go out on occasion but stay very close to home & one neutered male who rambles a bit. I want them to enjoy life, not just be alive.
My cat is female and an indoor cat. There's nothing that ticks me off more than an outdoor cat coming up onto my deck in the middle of the night trying to pick a fight with mine thru the doorwall glass. My cat goes absolutely nuts..........She was so worked up one night that when I walked up beside her to push back the curtains to see what was outside she turned on me and almost bit me........
When a cat shows up uninvited, that's when I set out the trap.......