Just to clarify, I am an American. I've only been gone for 2.5 years.

FYI - Feral cats here (NZ) meet another fate. They are regarded as pests since they kill off the native bird and plant life, so they are trapped, killed or poisoned. There is not catch and release programme here because ferals pose an extreme biosecurity threat.

But I was aware of the TNR programs. What I was not aware of was that Gracie was a stray. I assumed she was a feral just like this one, which is why I didn't understand why she was choosing between the two.