I know I am preaching to the choir but if this gets to at least one person who thinks cats can survive on their own, it will have served its purpose.
A few weeks ago, I saw a red, long haired cat outside our door, hunkered down behind our air conditioning unit. He was obviously in bad shape but bolted as soon as I opened the door.
Our neighbors have a long-haired red cat named Butters, so when I saw their daughter Shannon in the yard, I told her about the cat and asked (for the umpteenth time) that they keep him inside. She answered (as she always does) with something flippant about Butters being fine. (AKA - mind you own business).
A few days later, I was driving to an appointment and saw the cat in the middle of the road, just lying there. I stopped the car and he wobbled away. Because I had to go, I called my husband and a cat friendly neighbor, Betty, to apprise them. My husband called Animal Control, who came out right away. He finally found the cat under a tarp near Betty's house.
My husband told him about Butter's family, so he knocked on the door and was shown Butters, who was on their sofa. The ACO took the cat to our SPCA, where he was put down. That cat had mats all over his body and maggots has eaten much of the base of his spine and tail. He was also skin and bones.
When I came home and found out it wasn't Butters, I realized who that cat was. TWO YEARS ago, a third neighbor moved and left his cats - a red, long-haired cat and a tabby. I captured the tabby and neutered/vetted him. We named him Alfred and he's now in our outside enclosure, living the good life. I left the trap out for a few weeks but was never able to trap the red cat.
What I realized was that this cat was the red cat they left behind. Isabel, the neighbor who told me about Alfred, had told me the original owners had been back for the cats. I thought this meant they'd captured the red one. Because Alfred was in our enclosure, they hadn't gotten him. Isabel did not know their contact information, so I was unable to get Alfred back to them or check on the other cat.
In any case, during the past two years, I'd seen the red cat but always thought it was Butters. Turns our this poor animal has been on its own for two years. And he suffered, terribly. I am so angry, sick and heart broken, I can barely stand to think about it.
Please continue your good work helping strays and ferals. They wouldn't be stray or feral if irresponsible people, like those neighbors, had done their jobs. It is so vital we keep this work up, even when we're flipped off, ignored and made fun of.
I am still nagging Shannon and her family, though. I saw Butters out last night in our yard. If she thinks I am crazy, she's correct! Crazy about strays and ferals.
A few weeks ago, I saw a red, long haired cat outside our door, hunkered down behind our air conditioning unit. He was obviously in bad shape but bolted as soon as I opened the door.
Our neighbors have a long-haired red cat named Butters, so when I saw their daughter Shannon in the yard, I told her about the cat and asked (for the umpteenth time) that they keep him inside. She answered (as she always does) with something flippant about Butters being fine. (AKA - mind you own business).
A few days later, I was driving to an appointment and saw the cat in the middle of the road, just lying there. I stopped the car and he wobbled away. Because I had to go, I called my husband and a cat friendly neighbor, Betty, to apprise them. My husband called Animal Control, who came out right away. He finally found the cat under a tarp near Betty's house.
My husband told him about Butter's family, so he knocked on the door and was shown Butters, who was on their sofa. The ACO took the cat to our SPCA, where he was put down. That cat had mats all over his body and maggots has eaten much of the base of his spine and tail. He was also skin and bones.
When I came home and found out it wasn't Butters, I realized who that cat was. TWO YEARS ago, a third neighbor moved and left his cats - a red, long-haired cat and a tabby. I captured the tabby and neutered/vetted him. We named him Alfred and he's now in our outside enclosure, living the good life. I left the trap out for a few weeks but was never able to trap the red cat.
What I realized was that this cat was the red cat they left behind. Isabel, the neighbor who told me about Alfred, had told me the original owners had been back for the cats. I thought this meant they'd captured the red one. Because Alfred was in our enclosure, they hadn't gotten him. Isabel did not know their contact information, so I was unable to get Alfred back to them or check on the other cat.
In any case, during the past two years, I'd seen the red cat but always thought it was Butters. Turns our this poor animal has been on its own for two years. And he suffered, terribly. I am so angry, sick and heart broken, I can barely stand to think about it.
Please continue your good work helping strays and ferals. They wouldn't be stray or feral if irresponsible people, like those neighbors, had done their jobs. It is so vital we keep this work up, even when we're flipped off, ignored and made fun of.
I am still nagging Shannon and her family, though. I saw Butters out last night in our yard. If she thinks I am crazy, she's correct! Crazy about strays and ferals.
But you are doing a great thing to help. I totally hear you on this... I just don't understand people of the mindset that cats will just "take care of themselves."
