Swiss Cats are no Kittens
In India stray dogs and cows freely roam the streets. In Switzerland, one can spot cats. Seven or eight, black, blue and grey coloured felines, regularly trespass our house. Maybe, we have infringed their territory. A couple of them are friendly and allow themselves to be petted, few are cautious and some saunter through nonchalantly, as if they own the place.
As we have discovered, these Swiss cats are not strays. They are pets. Given their innate wild feline instincts, they feel the need to loaf about.
And hunt, crawling on all fours like their bigger brethren in the jungles. I have been witness to one unfortunate innocent and very pretty birdie fall victim. There was no way I could save her as the black cat, a regular, ran off into the woods nearby. Also, like many other matters in Switzerland, there are a couple of unwritten rules about dealing with cats.
First, one is not supposed to be too friendly with them. Second, feeding them is unacceptable. This is because cats are notoriously disloyal pets. They are known to ditch their family and adopt a new one they happen to prefer due to better perks on offer.
We have had two instances of families approaching us about information regarding their cat son/daughter that has not returned. The popularity of cats as pets has increased across the world, including India, as they are easier to manage than dogs. Rather, cats can pretty much look after themselves and more.
