Saw this cat today

    by webi11

    16 Comments

    1. Do you live in a rural area by any chance? Outside cats are rare in Chicago, unless they are feral, but this one looks cared for. There is one outdoor cat in our neighborhood that’s obviously cared for and trusts people, but it has no collar or tags so we don’t know who owns it.

      City shelters strongly discourage letting adopted cats wander and some make new owners sign a pledge to keep their cat inside. The shelters discourage the practice in part because it’s dangerous for the cat, and in part because cats can play havoc with the local ecosystem.

      Barn cats in rural areas are another matter. They are often kept in the barn to catch rats and mice, and they may never come in the house.

      When my mother was a child in the Great Depresdion, she would milk the family cow before the sun rose. She had fond memories of the barn cats, and would put out a platter of fresh milk for them every morning. But none of the cats had names because they weren’t treated as pets.

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