- Joined
- Apr 6, 2006
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- 86
When I first moved in here, I met a little cat named Baby Girl. She's a tabby female about the same age as Tiny--according to the vet, that would be 9 months. She is supposed to belong to my next-door neighbor. She's friendly and vocal as a Siamese, demanding attention--a kitten with an attitude.
Over the past few months, Baby--though her owner insists she is an indoor cat--has been constantly left outside. Nearly every day, I go to sleep hearing her cry to be let back in. They never do listen to her... I've picked her up and gone to the neighbors' door to tell them I've "found" their cat; but they've stopped answering the door now. Baby often comes to my door, because she knows I will pick her up, pet her, maybe give her a kitty treat.
Last week it has been in the high 90s, with high humidity, and the neighbors haven't been letting her back inside when she cries--not even during the day, when it's so hot I soak through my shirt walking half a block. Baby has been crying every night; and I've put out some water and food for her on my porch. She drank and ate as though she hadn't in a week--which could be true, because the neighbors don't feed her outside; they feed their cats inside because they are "indoor cats".
Tonight, Baby began crying again and the neighbors wouldn't answer their door (though the lights were on inside). I took her inside my own apartment; I'm going to leave a note on the neighbors' door tomorrow morning: "I've found your cat--come get her". She hisses at Tiny, so she's been separated from him in the bathroom.
She's young and strong; but I've had the chance to examine her, and she's also quite skinny. She's Tiny's size (and he weighs 9 pounds), and weighs maybe 6 pounds (but she's female; he's male). Tiny was skinny when I first rescued him; she looks like he did then, and it's been a month on kitten food to fatten him up to normal size.
I went over her with a flea comb... and was horrified. I stopped counting fleas at thirty-six, and I wasn't even half done then. Flea dirt everywhere.
No wonder the neighbors' girls have flea bites all over their legs. Their house must be crawling with them.
Baby hated being flea-combed. I can imagine why--all those fleas must have her poor skin riddled with bites, and it couldn't have felt good to go over it with the comb. I didn't see any alternative though--both for her good and in case she spreads the fleas to Tiny or my carpet. Likely enough she will stay for at least 18 hours, because I have to go to work in the morning.
Also, she smells like stale cigarette smoke. I know for a fact she's been outside for a while; that she still smells like it must mean their house smells horrid indeed. And they have children! Talk about your secondhand smoke.
I have put her inside a carrier and dimmed the bathroom lights. With luck, she will calm down a bit once she has a chance to rest in a small, quiet space.
I almost hope they don't pick her up tomorrow. This cat is not being taken care of.
A couple weeks ago, I had a chat with the neighbors' girls about their cats. They have three cats--Baby and two older cats--and a dog. The girls' mother used to have a cat called Tiny, whom she let out into the street when she didn't want him anymore. (This is what the girls told me when they brought me my Tiny, who is too young to be their Tiny but was named after him because the girls thought it was him.)
The girls' mother spoils her dog and her two older cats. The dog, a tiny Chihuahua/Jack Russell mix, is called Peanut and eats anything she wants--especially, and mostly, table scraps. Her pudgy belly attests to this. The two older cats, their owner told me, are "her babies", and never go outside.
Well, there was an exception--one of the cats, named Prince, did bolt outside once. She spent a day looking for him. In the evening I once again found Baby Girl, who had as usual gone to my porch, and brought her back to my neighbors; she was annoyed and said I had "found the wrong cat".
It's like this woman decides she loves "her babies", and everything else is just a worthless animal... Must be of the "animals are moving stuffed toys" persuasion.
I could just scream.
Over the past few months, Baby--though her owner insists she is an indoor cat--has been constantly left outside. Nearly every day, I go to sleep hearing her cry to be let back in. They never do listen to her... I've picked her up and gone to the neighbors' door to tell them I've "found" their cat; but they've stopped answering the door now. Baby often comes to my door, because she knows I will pick her up, pet her, maybe give her a kitty treat.
Last week it has been in the high 90s, with high humidity, and the neighbors haven't been letting her back inside when she cries--not even during the day, when it's so hot I soak through my shirt walking half a block. Baby has been crying every night; and I've put out some water and food for her on my porch. She drank and ate as though she hadn't in a week--which could be true, because the neighbors don't feed her outside; they feed their cats inside because they are "indoor cats".
Tonight, Baby began crying again and the neighbors wouldn't answer their door (though the lights were on inside). I took her inside my own apartment; I'm going to leave a note on the neighbors' door tomorrow morning: "I've found your cat--come get her". She hisses at Tiny, so she's been separated from him in the bathroom.
She's young and strong; but I've had the chance to examine her, and she's also quite skinny. She's Tiny's size (and he weighs 9 pounds), and weighs maybe 6 pounds (but she's female; he's male). Tiny was skinny when I first rescued him; she looks like he did then, and it's been a month on kitten food to fatten him up to normal size.
I went over her with a flea comb... and was horrified. I stopped counting fleas at thirty-six, and I wasn't even half done then. Flea dirt everywhere.
No wonder the neighbors' girls have flea bites all over their legs. Their house must be crawling with them.
Baby hated being flea-combed. I can imagine why--all those fleas must have her poor skin riddled with bites, and it couldn't have felt good to go over it with the comb. I didn't see any alternative though--both for her good and in case she spreads the fleas to Tiny or my carpet. Likely enough she will stay for at least 18 hours, because I have to go to work in the morning.
Also, she smells like stale cigarette smoke. I know for a fact she's been outside for a while; that she still smells like it must mean their house smells horrid indeed. And they have children! Talk about your secondhand smoke.
I have put her inside a carrier and dimmed the bathroom lights. With luck, she will calm down a bit once she has a chance to rest in a small, quiet space.
I almost hope they don't pick her up tomorrow. This cat is not being taken care of.
A couple weeks ago, I had a chat with the neighbors' girls about their cats. They have three cats--Baby and two older cats--and a dog. The girls' mother used to have a cat called Tiny, whom she let out into the street when she didn't want him anymore. (This is what the girls told me when they brought me my Tiny, who is too young to be their Tiny but was named after him because the girls thought it was him.)
The girls' mother spoils her dog and her two older cats. The dog, a tiny Chihuahua/Jack Russell mix, is called Peanut and eats anything she wants--especially, and mostly, table scraps. Her pudgy belly attests to this. The two older cats, their owner told me, are "her babies", and never go outside.
Well, there was an exception--one of the cats, named Prince, did bolt outside once. She spent a day looking for him. In the evening I once again found Baby Girl, who had as usual gone to my porch, and brought her back to my neighbors; she was annoyed and said I had "found the wrong cat".
It's like this woman decides she loves "her babies", and everything else is just a worthless animal... Must be of the "animals are moving stuffed toys" persuasion.
I could just scream.
