A cat outside its owners house, not on a leash and not inside a fence should be treated as a stray, just as a stray dog would. If a cat attacked me, I'd treat it as I would a dog that attacked me. It wouldn't get the chance to be put under "house arrest".
July 4th badass kittykat ping ... )
Ever put a cat on a leash? Better yet why the thought that a leash will change the nature of the beast? Cats roam, fight, catch prey and defend their territory. People do the same thing only with more deadly results sometimes.