Is it time to put Taz to sleep?

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Wanted: Thoughts, comments, advice. Here’s the situation. I grew up in farm country. When I was 10 years old I got my very first pet, an orange tiger cat who I named Taz. Since we lived in the country he was an inside/outside cat who came and went as he pleased, but he LOVED being outdoors. Over the years, the neighbors nicknamed him “King of the Hill” because he would wander all over the place, greeting the neighbors, hunting mice and birds, and just being all around everyone’s favorite cat. When I turned 17 I moved out of my parent’s house and into an apartment with my boyfriend in the city. I tried to take Taz with me, but he absolutely hated being confined indoors. He was miserable, and I actually had to take him to the vet because he was showing signs of depression. I decided it would be best for him if he went back to the country to live with my parents so he could be happy again. Two years later my parents moved out of the house in the country and into a house just outside of the city. Once again, they tried to take Taz with them, but once again he started showing signs of depression – loss of fur, loss of appetite, bad behavior. So my mom took Taz back to the country and worked out a deal with our closest neighbor, John. John said that he would look out for Taz and leave him some food on his porch every day. So in essence, Taz was left to his own devices, now a full fledged “outside cat”. This worked out GREAT. Taz got to stay in the country where he was happy, and our old neighbor would keep an eye on him for us. Over the past few years I have gone out to the country every once in a while to check up on him and I just have to tell you – I have never met a more self-sufficient animal. Taz currently weighs about 27lbs, he lives outside all year round, he hunts, he relaxes, and he reigns over the hill like a king. That is until a few months ago, when John moved to Florida, and Johns father moved in to the house. The other day I got a call from Johns father (who I hardly know) and he told me that he doesn’t want Taz coming around anymore. I don’t know why – I think he’s just a grumpy old man who needs something to complain about. But in any case, this man told me he was going to stop leaving food out for Taz. Keep in mind, by now, Taz is about 17 years old in human years. He has survived on his own with little help from humans for the past 10 years. It really is remarkable. So I called my father and told him the news. My father suggested that we put Taz to sleep because he’s afraid that Taz will not survive through the winter if no one puts food out for him. But in my mind, (and I could be wrong), Taz can take care of himself – he has taken care of himself all this time. He hunts mice, moles, birds… I think he even kills woodchucks. He’s a survivalist. In my opinion, Taz will survive even if this jerk decides to stop leaving food out for him. But my Dad doesn’t think so. My Dad thinks Taz will starve to death over the winter and he thinks the best option would be to put Taz to sleep. So what would you do in my situation? I live in the city with two indoor cats right now, and I cant bring Taz to live with me because we already know he hates being an inside cat, plus, he would kill my two cats that live with me. The only place in the world that Taz will be happy is out on the old farmstead. In my opinion, I would hate to see Taz put to rest. He is 17 years old and I think after that long he deserves a natural death, living the few years he has left in the only place in the world he knows is home. But do you think my father is right? Do you think the humane thing to do would be to put Taz to sleep just to make sure he doesn’t starve to death during the winter? What would you do???