i'm very sorry to hear about your cat, i also 
live in an area with wild animals that roam right 
into my yard, and having a lot of cats i can 
sympathize.

almost the same thing happened to me recently; 
about a year ago i sold off a ton of my cel 
collection to pay for a vet bill for my youngest 
dog, eaton, because he was hit by a car and had 
to get metal plates in his back legs.  he had to 
stay indoors for the subsequent 11 months, so 
needless to say he was anxious to get out 
whenever the door opened.  and he got out a few 
times, but he'd usually just run around with our 
older dog and stay away from the road, coming 
back when we coaxed him or later that day.

about two weeks ago, though, i was feeding my 
cats and he got out, and he didn't come back.  
when we went to look for him the next morning we 
found him down on the main road, almost half a 
mile from the house, and someone had hit and run 
him.  they moved him out of the road, but you'd 
think if they took the time to do that that they 
would call the number on his tag and let me know 
what happened.

i know that people grow fond of pets as family 
members and sometimes even best friends, but we 
still have to remember that they're not going to 
outlive us, and just hope that when they do go 
they go peacefully like we would want to.  i know 
that you have come to the realization that your 
cat has probably moved on, but either way i hope 
for the best for you in your situation.

haruna