What do stray cats mean spiritually?

There is something special about cats, their unique aura and charisma.

As a child and even when I was young, they never failed to draw my attention when passing by. There was something spiritual in the gaze they bestowed on the passerby, something powerful and mysterious. I could feel that it had to do with their eyes; the irises had an emerald green color, so bright it sometimes seemed like they were lit by their own internal light.

Later on, as I grew older, I began to notice how the cats came to live with the house next door. Cats normally stay in the wild; however, the ones who come inside the house have no doubt become domesticated, given that they have accepted to live close to people and the smell of humans. These cats know what the smell of human food is all about; they don't just walk around, sniffing for a while and then make their way to the kitchen. They follow and live within the house itself, and in time they get accustomed to the smells of the house, they take in all the habits of the family and end up accepting them as normal. When it comes to these domestic cats, they've got to be considered as spiritual beings, or perhaps angels of some sort.

How has the stray dog evolved from her spiritual origins? Cats have always been in the houses of humans; we have shared our houses with them and the ones that live outside, such as dogs, come inside only in the heat of the day. Dogs are more or less our equals, they too are a member of our society, and it is not their fault that they have begun to see people in a different way; in their eyes, man represents a challenge, he doesn't mean to do good but rather to bring harm. These dogs are, indeed, part of the struggle for domination, they come to fight for us when they feel that the threat has surpassed a certain limit; we call this a natural instinct, it's something they've inherited from the wild.

In other words, the stray dog is in fact part of the enemy; his only task is to attack the enemy on our behalf. Therefore, we mustn't go out and play with him, so long as the dogs are here they have no other purpose than to attack us.

How can you tell if a cat is a stray?

If you've read our How to be a Good Pet Owner post, you know that the best way to find out if a cat is a stray is to ask the cat.

This means if you adopt an adult cat (no kittens), you have to ask it's history. If you are adopting a kitten, your instinct is correct and it is best to let it do the asking.

What questions to ask a cat about its history. To start off with, ask it what it was doing when you saw it last. This can help determine if it has been spayed/neutered and what it has been up to in the days before you found it. If it looks like it hasn't been spayed or neutered, ask it what it's up to now.

Then, try to work your way backwards. Were you told where it was abandoned? Did someone throw it out a window, on the street, etc? You want to rule out anything that indicates no home. Was this a recent occurrence, or have you had this cat for a long time? If you haven't had it for very long, ask about how long it has been there, and if anyone has brought it food.

When did you see it last? And did you try to find its owner? This one is easy. If you see the cat, ask if you can find its owner. If they don't have a name tag, and they have a collar, you can probably get it's owner from the animal shelter. Otherwise, you have a lot of options. Keep looking at this cat through each of the steps below until you find its owner.

The good news is that when you do find the owner, and it's OK to return the cat to them. What if you can't find an owner for a cat? If you aren't able to find an owner, you should try to keep the cat alive until someone is able to take it home. If you have an indoor/outdoor cat, go ahead and bring it inside if you are concerned. You might try to find out where the cat lives in a shelter, if there are multiple cats in the area. Be sure to check shelters in the area before heading out into the cold.

What does it mean when a stray cat visits?

It means the cat's been fed and cared for and is no longer starving or ill.

The fact that the cat still lives at your home means that you are providing a suitable environment for it. It also means that the cat has been treated as a domestic animal and not a wild animal, which makes it safer for you to have it living with you.

The cat is visiting you as a house cat. You might have fed the cat or you might have kept it as a pet, but it is visiting you as a house cat.

Your friends might ask you why your cat is visiting you, and your answer will be: "He's my house cat.