Under my apartment building

There lives a colony of cats.

I walk to school in the early morning

And feel their eyes upon my back.

The topic that I learn in class

Genetics of the Domestic Animal.

I think of the basement cats

Equal genes, “uncompanionable.”

Their knowing glowing eyes

Fluffed fur and pricked ears.

I watch them back and realize

The ground is not their only frontier.

Surrounded by comfort and constant love

The apartment cats live a life of ease.

Content while suspended high above

Feline eyes watch the streets beneath.

The ginger tabby that rules next door

Mews wretchedly when dinner is late.

Twin to the tom hunting below his floor

Wholly silent is his stalking gait.

I wonder– what divides them more?

One above and one under

Upon the same spot in the world.

Domestic or feral, pet or pest

Glass and hardwood or pavement plants.

They cannot deny their human interest

These are cats of circumstance.

Isabel DeVos is an Animal Sciences major specializing in Animal Biology. One of her primary interests is the concept of One Health: a focus which allows for a comprehensive approach to human, animal, and environmental health. Outside of writing and her work in veterinary medicine, Isabel spends her time running, sitting with her dogs, and enjoying life slowly.