alleycats
Homeless street felines
Alleycats are stray cats that live in urban areas, scavenging in alleys and streets.
The term suggests scrappy, unsocialized animals that survive by their wits.
Figuratively, an alleycat is a person who prowls around at night, often with connotations of promiscuity or rough living: He spent his twenties as an alleycat, never home before dawn.
Wild after domestication
- strayWander from course
- homelessWithout a dwelling
- abandonedLeft behind completely
- wanderingTraveling with no fixed course
roaming · unowned · lost · neglected · free-roaming · unclaimed · scrappy · scruffy
Active during darkness
- prowlingMoving stealthily while hunting
- yowlingHowling mournfully and loud
- caterwaulingShrill, harsh crying
- moonlightReflected solar radiance, nocturnal
rooftop · shadows · after-hours · tomcatting · territorial
Gathering discarded or dead material
- foragingSeeking wild food sources
- territoryLand under jurisdiction
- scrappingDiscarding as worthless
- resourcefulnessAbility to solve problems creatively
instincts · fending · vigilance · hunting · nocturnal · wary · streetwise · tough
feral
Wild after domestication
wandering · roaming · unowned · lost · neglected · free-roaming · unclaimed · scrappy · scruffy · mangy
nocturnal
Active during darkness
- prowlingMoving stealthily while hunting
- yowlingHowling mournfully and loud
- caterwaulingShrill, harsh crying
moonlight · rooftop · shadows · after-hours · tomcatting · territorial
scavenging
Gathering discarded or dead material
resourcefulness · instincts · fending · vigilance · hunting · nocturnal · wary · streetwise · tough · adaptable
dumpster
Commercial refuse container
fence · rooftop · bodega · tenement · streetlight · pavement · prowling · shadows · doorway · crates
criterium
Multi-lap cycling race
peloton · breakaway · paceline · drafting · fixed-gear · messenger · checkpoint · cadence
alleycatshousecats
Tame feline companions
house cats · housepets · domestic cats · indoor cats · lap cats