stray

Stray is a term in the English language used as an adjective, a noun, and a verb. As an adjective, it describes something that is wandering away from its intended place or from a fixed course, such as stray animals, stray thoughts, or stray hairs. As a noun, a stray is an animal that has wandered away from its owner or home. The plural of stray is strays. As a verb, to stray means to wander away from the proper place, course, or subject.

In animal welfare, strays are commonly managed by municipalities and shelters. Programs may include registration and microchipping, vaccination, spaying or neutering, and attempts to reunite with owners. Unclaimed strays may be placed in adoption programs or, in some areas, cared for as community cats or dogs, including feral-cat management through trap-neuter-return.

Other uses include science and engineering: stray light refers to light that does not follow the intended optical path; stray current or stray voltage describes leakage, and stray radiation is unintended radiation.

In media, Stray is the title of a 2022 video game by BlueTwelve Studio and published by Annapurna Interactive. It follows a cat navigating a neon-lit, robot-filled city.