I miss my dead-cat but still managed to do fine without it

For serious use, or if recording outdoors, you'll need a proper wind muff ("dead cat" style).

If your environment is clean from noise your recordings will be as clear and perfect as you could ever dream

I highly recommend it for pros as well as for common audiophiles.

This item is used extensively in a DSLR video shooting function, as well as for ambient field recording