'Wild-cat' ?

Shaun got to Midway safely yesterday.  It was a good drive and he and Bryce had a nice road trip.  He reports that it is green and beautiful and very different than when we were there in April when winter was trying it's best to linger.

It is finals week for Christine, so yesterday began what has been known in our house as finals weekend.  Study, study, study.  I took her for the traditional 'break' to Panda for some lunch.  Then she hit the books again.  Josh and Meredith were back and forth during the day and night.  Adrianne was on her computer almost all day long (!) doing things for everyone else.  She and Mere helped Chris with an English project for her accelerated class, then put together a dvd for father's day for Meredith's dad.  It turned out really nice.  He will love it.  I need computer lessons from Adrianne.  She loves her MAC laptop.  I'm learning how different they are from other pc's.  She is really talented on it.  She has and knows how to use all these programs to make amazing things.  My little computer world is so limited.

We seem to have a stray cat that has adopted our yard.  I have noticed some 'signs' that something like a cat has been in the back, and saw evidence of it in our garden, but couldn't quite wrap my arms around that because cats don't make it outside here.  The coyotes, bobcats, etc. grab them right away.  But it came right up to our back slider this morning.  We couldn't believe our eyes.  And it is a big gray and black thing.  Bigger than Darla.  It regarded us and when I opened the screen it went running.  Okay.  Gone, right?

No.  Later at dusk, Darla was itching to go out.  When I opened the door and she took off, this same cat came out from under the bushes along the back fence and ran, hiding by some other set of bushes.  When Darla got to it, the cat hissed and arched it's back.  Darla whimped out and ran away!!!  I went over to it and my presence didn't seem to scare it off either.  I actually had to chase it out of the yard and up and over the fence where it took refuge under Mike's car.  It looks well fed and kept.  No collar though.  We aren't necessarily cat people, so I don't know much about them.  I wonder if it belongs to someone and is lost?  Is there such a thing as a 'wild' cat?