Our cats are totally inside cats, but I have to say I do enjoy the cats who are allowed to roam the neighborhood. I love watching them play in our gardens, nap in a sunny (or shady) spot in our yard, greet us on our deck for a relaxing visit, help me pick peas or tomatoes in our summer garden.
We also feed birds, but rarely do we have 
cats in the area of the feeders. The last time I recall seeing a cat with a bird was maybe ten years ago before the neighbors with the cat from hell moved. Thank heavens they took Rocket with them. I’m not of a mind 
to dislike any cat, but Rocket was evil—he even broke into a house through a window and attacked a frail seventeen-year-old Abyssinian while she slept. He was perhaps the only truly mean-spirited cat I’ve ever met. I tried making friends with Rocket. But quickly learned that after 
allowing you to get close and maybe petting him once or twice, he’d turn on you 
ferociously. He definitely was a cat to stay away from.
I’ll never forget when a large orange cat used to visit us at the backdoor. He came so regularly that we started offering him kibbles. We hadn’t lived here long enough to know where he belonged. But one day he showed up wearing a post-it note on his forehead that said, “I belong to Tyler. Don’t feed me.”
We looked around and saw a young man waving at us from across the street. Nice way to meet the neighbors. Yes, a cat can help with that.
We had a cat break into our house once and go after our cat. the neighborhood cat was an unneutered male and we had a neutered male who was indoor/outdoor. It was horrible! Our cat eventually got an abscess from that bite and poor veterinary service and poor observation on my part and I lost my cat. Just another reason to spade and neuter your cats and keep them indoors.
Oh yes. Excellent point. Thank you. So sorry about your kitty. I think we all make kitty mistakes—usually only once.