Housecats and Community Cats
If I Were a [Stray] Cat
I would love to prowl the neighborhood, if only for a day
I don’t bother chasing mice around
I slink down the alley, looking for a fight
Howling to the moonlight on a hot summer night- Lines from the song “Stray Cat Strut” by the Stray Cats, with lyrics by Brian Setzer
We humans apply the term housecat to the domesticated cat for good reasons. We intend to keep our feline friends in our houses to protect them from the world’s dangers. But we also keep them indoors to protect the natural world from them.
Except for short, fully supervised forays into the wild outdoors, I keep my beloved Little Miss Muffin indoors. I would be distraught if she were to be lost, harmed, or killed out in the big wide world.
I don’t bemoan the fact that some people choose to let their cats wander outdoors. They have built-in survival instincts, sharp claws and teeth, fast legs, and keen senses to help them survive.
Even though house cats are bred to live indoors, they might survive outdoors long-term by developing skills…
