Unfettered? No. Feral cats often aren't cared for and live suffering lives. They have significantly shorter lives. They're domesticated animals and aren't suited to life in the wild. We bred that out of them. They fare better than dogs, but they deserve better.
I just buried one that some asshole dropped off near my house. My dog doesn't do well with cats and I found them scrapping in the yard. I pulled them apart, literally the cat had several claws stuck in my dog's face. I went out a few times to make sure that it was ok. After about 20 minutes it was gone. Three days later I go out to see my dog barking at the road. It seemed like the cat was back. Either running away from my dog or distracted by her, it lay dead in the road. It has been run over by a car or a truck. Blood everywhere. I put my dog in the house and scooped it up into a bucket and buried it with my shovel.
This wasn't just some feral cat. It was friendly and had known the love of people. Unfortunately, that love wasn't enough to do what was right. It deserved better. This happened about a month ago and it still bothers me.
Get your pets spayed and neutered. If you can't afford to house the results of your irresponsibility, then at least do right by them, and make sure they go to loving homes, instead of dumping them off at someone's farmhouse in the country.
You can't get them fixed before a certain age and that cat might have threaded the needle.
A friend of mine adopted a stray that turned out to be pregnant.
Neutered cats statistically live longer and healthier lives. Fertile animals have health risks. Unless you actually intent to breed your cats, there is no reason to leave them unfixed.
If you can't afford it, don't get a cat. It's like adopting a pet without first figuring out whether you can even buy the food to keep it alive.
Pretty sure it was actually nineteen ninety eight shortly after the undertaker threw mankind off hell in a cell and plummeted sixteen feet through an announcers table.