Reading through the posts it strikes me that in a lot of situations other than an icy wilderness, a cat, even your house bound moggy, is far more likely to be able to survive, than your average man. It is after all a born hunter, and has no qualms about killing birds and small rodents.
Doubtless there are exceptions to this, but thier ability to survive is not as "bred out" of them as it is for the modern day human.
What value you put on "animal" life depends on the individual. I verge on the more cold-hearted side of the fence, others may differ.
However it does seem rather strange in a forum like this to be talking about animal welfare, while we practice making snares to kill those cute little fluffy bunny rabbits, and perfect the art of tying line on barbed hooks to catch fish.