How Wild Do We Want It? "Wiley" Coyote Versus Fluffy.

Human relationships with companion animals (cats) and nondomestic, wilder animals (coyotes) are explored in terms of domestic and nondomestic spaces in urban and nonurban settings. What companion animals contribute to and mean to human well-being is considered alongside the perceived need to protect companion animals from wilder animals while allowing them to live naturally, a contested category. Questions related to companion animal/human relationships are explored: do humans romanticize their relationships with their companion animals? Is that to the detriment of other animals' well-being? [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]