I've lost too many kitties to the perils of neighborhood living. When we got Ritz, we decided up front "indoor only".

Even though she's been indoor only since about 7 weeks of agec, she still longs for the great outdoors, and does such a pathetic meow at the back door sometimes, I admit it's hard to resist, but if we don't come in and cater to her whim, she eventually joins us in another part of the house.

She darted out once...scared me to death because she cowered under our deck for hours (actually she was having the adventure of her life and I was the panicked one - finally she came to me all covered with dirt and leaves with this look "what's the problem mom, all the other cats do it!")

However, when i was growing up, we had indoor/outdoor kitties all the time - it was a 100+ acre farm with lots of room to roam. I really think it depends on many individual circumstances and a loving pet home can be either one that allows a little outdoor freedom as well as one that permits outdoor living as a "voyeur only" sport.