I'm sorry but I just need to rant for a few minutes.
I keep seeing people on my social media posting pictures of cats they found wandering around. They have picked them up and taken them home, or even to a shelter. I really need to know what makes these people think these cats are lost. If it was a dog, I would understand. Dogs are not supposed to be running loose. They are like small children and need supervision. Cats are more like teenagers and need the freedom to explore their world. They go where they go, and will go home again to be fed if nobody locks them in someplace they can't get out of.
Now, I will admit that my previous cat became part of our household exactly that way. She was just a tiny kitten who took shelter during a big snowstorm under a pile of Christmas trees that were for sale where my hubby worked. She was brought into the building to warm up for a while but when she was still around the next day someone decided to feed her. Of course, then she was quite happy to stay there. She was brought home to our place and presented to me. I was told she was lost. Well, since we live 12 miles from where she was found, my answer to that was, "Well, she is now!"
My dog adopted her right away. He washed her ears and followed her around the house. He taught her the rules. No pets on the furniture and no claws in the rug. He would pounce at her if she tried. I refused to name her for several weeks. She wasn't mine and I fully expected someone to claim her. I was afraid to get attached. I felt sorry for whoever had lost her. But she did become my cat and I had her for nine years.
My current cat is very snoopy. Curiosity is generally a sign of intelligence. It's how we learn. It may be true that it can also get you, or your cat, into trouble sometimes. We have alerted our neighbours to please check their garage or shed before closing the door, especially if they are planning to be away for an extended period of time. If my cat goes missing, it will not be because she is lost. She would either be locked in someplace, killed by a preditor, or taken in by some misguided helpful person who thinks she's lost. That has actually happened twice this past year when other people on my block thought she was lost and were determined to rescue her. So please, unless you find a cat that is in obvious distress, do not assume it is lost, it is just exploring its world and knows the way home.
