I have had probably more than a hundred cats throughout my childhood more than 13(kittens) at one given point.
All my cats were outside/indoor cats free to go and come and I am convinced that the cats that would go out and not come back were either killed by dogs in the surrounding neighborhoods or simply didn't not want to come back. The cats that would not usually return were the older ones. If a younger cat did not return then I assumed it was dead.
We had given a few cats aways and they would sometimes come back home after a week or so. We lived on a mountain and my Aunt miles away in the valley and a cat we gave her came right back home. We gave away another few that did the same thing this time in even further locations.
We had given a few cats aways and they would sometimes come back home after a week or so. We lived on a mountain and my Aunt miles away in the valley and a cat we gave her came right back home. We gave away another few that did the same thing this time in even further locations.