Comment by slazaro

Having lived with a cat that had been in the streets for months before being adopted, and a different cat that had always lived indoors, I think that's the main difference in behavior regarding safety.

The one that had had experiences outdoors was more obsessed with food (to the point of eating everything fast until vomiting sometimes), scared of noises and sudden movements (going to hide in safe places), even from the people that had been living with her and caring for her for years. She was sweet and loving, but the streets never left her.

The one that had always been indoor was friendly to everybody, never super scared of noises, super curious, could regulate food properly (eating piecemeal throughout the day), etc.

There's always differences between cats' personalities, and this is a small sample, but it seemed significant and made sense given their experiences and possible past trauma.