stray cat; alley cat
Refers to a cat that lives outdoors without a specific owner, often in urban or rural areas. Can carry a slightly rough or independent image.
Several stray cats have taken up residence in the park.
Feeding stray cats is prohibited.
An elderly woman in the neighborhood feeds the stray cats every day.
I took in an injured stray cat and brought it to the vet.
Several stray cats have settled in the park.
I chased away the stray cat that came into my yard.
野良猫 specifically means a stray cat living among people, while 山猫 more broadly covers wild or feral cats, including distinct wildcat species.
野良猫 is a cat with no owner living outdoors, while 飼い猫 is a pet cat that has an owner and lives indoors.
野良猫 is simply an ownerless stray with no organized care, whereas 地域猫 is a stray that local residents collectively feed and manage, often through TNR programs.
counter for small animals · counter for rolls of cloth · archaic counter for horses · roll of cloth
Standard kanji spelling; high frequency in news and common usage.
Katakana spelling sometimes used for emphasis or in casual contexts.
Hiragana spelling; common in children's materials or when avoiding kanji.
Compound of 野良 (のら, 'field' or 'stray') and 猫 (ねこ, 'cat'). The word 野良 originally referred to agricultural fields, and by extension came to describe things that are wild or ownerless.