This is always the dilemma .. you keep them in, they suffer. They hate to be shut up: but you let them out and every time you risk them not coming back ... I resigned myself to the fact I'd rather them have one glorious day outside, being cats, doing cat stuff, than thousands of miserable ones cooped up indoors only able to look on what they really want to do ......
Most car-related deaths are, mercifully painless; the impact usually knocks them unconscious, if not kills them outright.
Poor little bugger.
It's even more of a dilemma for a city person and their cat. My aunt and cousin live in the middle of nowhere but have had cats just go missing. They told me the coyotes are probably the culprits. Out there, from day to night cats go from hunter to hunted. In the city though I've had my cats come in with some strange injuries. I suspect kids from the neighborhood or even maybe dogs.