Stray Cats

The official start of my Spring softball season began a couple of weeks ago. And while this week has had 50-60 degree Spring-like weather, we were living in a different New York City two weeks ago.

As I hurried to the field, wearing a wool hat, gloves, long underwear, a scarf, I was frustrated that the game hadn’t been postponed due to freezing temperatures. It was an odd sight to see so many bundled figures on the field. I played catcher, and the umpire and I would have to shield our backs to the wind between batters.

Afterwards, my team and I headed to the subway to make our way downtown to our favorite watering hole. My boyfriend stopped at the ticket machine to refill his Metrocard. I stood waiting for him and noticed movement behind the machine. It was a beautiful orange and white cat, curled up where the machine left space from the wall, near a small vent that was letting off heat. He was friendly, looking up at me curiously. If I wasn’t still iffy about cats, and my apartment allowed pets, I might have scooped him up right there and taken him home out of the cold.

But this encounter also made me think about one of my cat sitting clients. He is a former stray cat who now resides in the Upper East Side. He’s affectionate and loves his owner. One of the strange requests the owner has when I cat sit is to open the window while I’m in the apartment. Her cat loves to sit at the window and gaze out at the courtyard, watching the birds come and go, feeling the fresh air on his fur. Even though he has a wonderful life of good meals, toys, a clean litter box, and refuge from the cold, he still loves to stare out the window at the world he used to roam.

Cats are so much different than other companion animals. They’re more wild, more in tune with their primal roots. I wonder how much of them misses that wildness. And more importantly, how much of them understands that the life of a stray cat might seem rebellious and exciting, yet how much nicer it is to have shelter and comfort on the coldest of nights.