Generational Change

I previously wrote an article about a 'community cat' living in my neighborhood.

When I was about to head out on Sunday, the brown tabby cat (that I wrote about in that article) was lying at the edge of my parking space. It didn't respond when I called out to it...

It is generally said that cats go off to die where humans cannot see them. It seems to be a kind of defensive instinct, where they try to stay still in a safe place to recover their strength.

She always used my parking space as a shortcut.
It seems she ran out of strength on her way to her hiding spot.

The lifespan of an indoor cat is around 15 years, but the lifespan of a stray cat seems to be about 3 to 5 years. In the case of community cats, they don't struggle for food, so they might live a little longer. Even so, they likely won't live to be 10.

Come to think of it, the brown tabby cat that appeared in that article has also stopped showing up.

The world of cats around my home must have reached a time of generational change. However, because humans have intervened (community cats are also called 'cherry blossom cats' because they have a notch cut into one ear as proof of having undergone spaying or neutering surgery), I will not see any kittens of the next generation.

I don't know if that is a good thing.
Perhaps it might be human ego.

Until now, I had only been involved with the cats from a distance, but in the end, I ended up taking on a slightly larger role.

That, too, might be fate.