@LostInParadise So say you. “Prison” may be a human concept, but being confined isn’t, and nor is not liking where you are, or not being happy with the behavior of their house-mates (humans and/or animals). Cats can and do decide to move out of homes they’re not happy in (when they can get out, and particularly when they see a better alternative).
I’ve seen at least three clear cases where cats have chosen to move out of a house, and in two of those, the cat spent some considerable time feeling out an alternative home, in one case making a series of social moves to insinuate itself into the new home and get accepted there before moving out of the other home.
Also many cases where cats have a wide territory including many homes where they have learned who’s at each house and what may be available where, how to behave which each person, where the other animals are, etc, and go about on a routine, collecting food and homage, etc.