The Naturalist's Corner By Don Hendershot Domesticated and deified by the Egyptians more than 5,000 years ago, the domestic cat, Felis catus, is an enigma in today's society. Most animal welfare organizations support licensing and leash laws for dogs. Very few communities require any type of licensing for cats.
Cats have carte blanche in most neighborhoods.
Then there is the question of strays. Stray dogs are generally captured by animal control officers, held in a local shelter for a required period of time and if the animal is not claimed by its owner it may be put up for adoption, rescued by a private welfare group, or humanely euthanized. Putting healthy animals down is surely not the option of choice, but it has been the option of necessity. Stray or feral cats tend to create colonies near human habitation where there is a regular food source. This source may be a local garbage dump, cans behind a restaurant or a picnic area where humans leave lots of scraps.