stray (v.) Look up stray at Dictionary.com
c.1300, aphetic of O.Fr. estraier "wander about," lit. "go about the streets," from estree "route, highway," from L.L. via strata "paved road" (see street). On another theory, the O.Fr. is from V.L. *estragare, a contraction of *estravagare, representing L. extra vagari "to wander outside" (see extravagant). Fig. sense of "to wander from the path of rectitude" is attested from early 14c. The noun meaning "domestic animal found wandering" is earlier (early 13c.), from O.Fr. estraié "strayed," pp. of estraier. The adj. is first recorded c.1600.
I recently found a stray on a random trip to gas up the car. After putting up posters, calling vets, the SPCA, and anyone else I could think of, I came across a realization. There are many strays in the community of Alfred.
There are cats roaming the alley and dogs on the highway. Where do they all come from? I recently learned that one student tried to hand over a dog that she knew she could not take care of to the SPCA, she was told it would be $95 to turn him in.
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My cat, Juniper, was a stray behind my apartment two summers ago, so I kidnapped her. Dana and I also got a hold of a stray kitten who was sick last semester, and we went to the SPCA in Hornell and they told me that they couldn't take anymore cats, so we had to drive all the way to Egypt (the outskirts of Rochester) to the Humane Society at Lollypop Farm who will take any animal at any time, and only ask for donations.
ReplyDeleteStrays are a huge problem around here. I think a lot of it has to do with students deciding on a whim to get a kitten or a puppy, and then not realize how expensive all the medical stuff is, so they never get them spayed or neutered, and thus a boom in population (especially cats).
It's actually quite interesting, last summer I found a nearly delirious fawn in the dried up creek behind my apartment, and it was a piece of cake to get her help. There is actually a woman who lives near Wellsville who takes in injured and orphaned fawns, and she was there within 45 minutes. I find it very odd that there aren't any "Forgotten Feline" programs around here, yet there is a woman who spends her days nursing fawns back to health.