Many years ago a buddy of mine had some freshly weaned kittens to give away so I figured I'd take one to keep my dog company. Not having a cat carrier, not wanting to buy one for just one trip and not wanting the cat climbing all over my head as I drove home, I put him in the empty trunk.

He meowed a little once we were under way but settled down after a few minutes.
Once home, I open the trunk, the cat slowly looks up over the edge of the trunk, I say "You're home!", he gingerly climbs out and once on the ground, darts next door to a vacant home!

I chase him and lose sight of him in a pole barn/shed in the back. I look and look and call and call and the cat is a no-show.

I say "fuck-it" and go home figuring the cat will find his way to me.
A couple days later a buddy of mine, who also got one of the kittens, says "Didn't you get one of Kevin's kittens?" and I tell him the story of the cat bolting next door. He asks me for a box of cat food and I had none--I wasn't going to buy food for an animal I didn't have.

So he takes a box of pasta and shakes it outside my back door and here comes the cat running over from next door!

I gave him some tuna fish and he was mine after that. Named him Coolio, or Cool for short.
Went and got some food and kitty litter and put the litter in a little bin in the bathroom under the open sink. Picked him up and dropped him in it and he knew what to do. Because it was a small cottage with a central heater, we would keep the bathroom door closed so the heat would find its way to the living room. We didn't have a lot of room for a litter box in the bathroom or anywhere else, for that matter. When the cat had to go, he would meow by the bathroom door and I'd open it for him. This went on for about a week until I ran out of litter. When he meowed by the bathroom door, I would pick him up and put him outside. After about the third time, he started meowing at the door and he was officially trained.

He was destined to be an outdoor cat just like the dog.
About the only "accident" I ever found was when moving a couch away from the wall there was a paper bag way in the corner. Somehow the cat had backed his butt up into the bag and pooped IN the bag! It had been there a while and was petrified but we never smelt it.
He and the dog became best friends. They would go on "begging rounds" in the neighborhood together.

At feeding time, I would whistle at the back door and both would come running up the walkway!

I would take them for a walk down to the ocean about a block away, both unleashed. The dog would wander and all I'd have to do is snap my fingers and she would be right by my side. The cat would trail about 10'-20' away. Quiet neighborhood so no worries about cars.
There were always "presents" by the back door for me, a robin's head or wings, countless mice and rats and one time there was even an eel!

I caught the dog chewing on a pet rabbit one time, and my neighbor had a pet rabbit he kept outside, so I go over and tell my him "My dog Alex got your rabbit. Let me know how much a new one is."

"Oh no, the rabbit died so I just threw him on the top of the garbage."

I get a shovel and show him what to do with a dead pet...
Best dog and cat I ever had.
