Cats are gaining positions in our homes. In many countries, the population of felines kept as pets already exceeds that of the popular dogs. And in those nations where “man’s best friend” is still the predominant companion animal, each year they see their advantage over that of the felines reduced.
On the other hand, feline colonies cause a lot of controversy in society. Cats that live in urban environments, in our towns and cities, have been with us for centuries. Fortunately, they increasingly have greater protection after having suffered the indifference of the administration, social persecution and the authorities to the people who care for them and even their indiscriminate extermination.
There is something undeniable and it is that the history of domestic cats is closely linked to that of humanity. They need us to survive , both in the case of the cats that inhabit the streets of our municipalities and those that reside in a comfortable home. Each in their own way.
It may seem that the cat that has been lucky enough to live under the care of a family will function on the street like its stray congeners, aren’t they all cats after all? But, without wishing to anthropomorphize with the example, would you know how to subsist if you suddenly appeared in the Amazon, in the Sahara desert or in the North Pole? After all, there are also human populations in those places, right?
Eating, drinking, finding a shelter, facing the many unknown risks, the feeling of helplessness… It is exactly the same thing that happens to cats that are abandoned to their fate on the street, which leads to facing a hostile environment and , therefore, to their physical and emotional suffering that in many cases ends in the cruel death of the animal.
The search for food and water
The lucky cats that are companion animals have their bowls with clean and fresh food and water at their free disposal. And, in many cases, they are also rewarded with juicy cans of wet food and even snacks.
When they have responsible humans who give them food adapted to their needs and in the correct amounts, it is not that their nutrition is optimal, it is extraordinary. This makes your health improve remarkably.
A cat that is abandoned on the street and that until now had lived with the certainty that when it was hungry or thirsty, it simply had to go to its dishes to be satisfied, what will it do now?
Finding a source of food and water is “mission impossible” for him. Until now, he will only have caught at most a fly that entered that house that he misses so much. So he will probably have to make a living rummaging through containers (with possible confrontations with a neighbor) or going to try to get some food from a feline colony, which will cause fights with other cats (which a house cat is not used to either) .
In the best of cases, in which the abandoned cat manages to feed itself, its nutrition will be of poorer quality. In addition, it can get to eat some prey or food in poor condition and even poisoned.
hostile environment
Cars, passers-by, noises, animals… When a cat lives in a home, it does not face a series of everyday situations and actors that exist on the street. The unsuspecting feline has a high chance of being hit by a car, being hit when approaching someone, being attacked by a dog or fighting with other cats.
find shelter
The search for a safe place to rest or shelter from adverse weather (extreme cold, rain or snow, a heat wave…) is life or death when you live on the street.
Until now, the only thing that had been enough for the “ex-cat” at home was to curl up in his bed next to the radiator when he was cold or to spread out on the cool floor when he felt hot. And there was always a roof that sheltered him from the rain.
Finding something similar to a shelter in an unknown environment can take a long time and, once again, possible confrontations with neighbors or other cats.
confident cat
A house cat, in most cases, has had close contact with its human family. When you find yourself helpless on the street, you can go to someone who can hurt you to seek help.
