stray cat strut or feeling feral?

Kuki asked about the difference between a stray cat and a feral cat, related to my response to Kathy's foster kitty.

A stray cat is one that has lived around people and therefore is not afraid of them. It has most likely been abandoned or gotten lost. A feral cat is, basically, a wild cat--it's never been domesticated and so is afraid of people. Stray cats can usually be re-domesticated, but it's extremely uncommon to to tame feral cats that are beyond the age of 8 weeks or so. Check out http://www.pets911.com/programs/national/feralcats/ for more.

Kathy and I were both surprised by the websites's description of the physical condition of stray and feral cats. Apparently stray cats often appear disheveled because they're not accustomed to living on the streets. Feral cats will generally be well-groomed--life on the streets is all they've ever known. Seems the opposite of what you'd expect, huh?

For an oldie (from the 1980s) but goodie, have a look at the lyrics of "Stray Cat Strut" by (who else?) The Stray Cats: http://www.geocities.com/ironwallcoleman/songs/strut.htm