I saved your cat today (found this on CL)

[MamaScorpio88]

 I found this on CL, and thought it was very moving and... saddening. Now, I realize there are special circumstances, but ya know, I believe, more often than not, the author of this is spot on.

You decided that you wanted to move to an apartment that didn't allow pets. I don't know what lured you. Maybe it was a boyfriend or a girlfriend. Maybe it was a great view. Maybe you liked the woodwork. At any rate, it was more important to you than he was.

So you took him down to the shelter and you cheerfully wrote on the card that he was very healthy for his age and friendly and just likes to purrrr! But I guess you began to feel uncomfortable in front of the intake staff, so you lied and said he fights with cats and dogs and sprays like a tom cat, instead of saying you were too cheap to pay a pet deposit, you wanted to buy a Wii instead to celebrate getting a new apartment. I guess you knew him pretty well - you put his birthday down on the card, too, making me believe you've probably had him since he was a tiny kitten.

Then you left, secure in your rationalization that somehow, in the midst of kitten season, your four year old cat would find a home. The shelter took a picture of his scared face and big eyes and put it on thier website.

For a few days, I looked at that picture. I hoped someone else would see his fear and feel compelled to help him, but the public wasn't seeing him. The tech wrote "fights\soils" on his card.

Finally today, I couldn't stand it anymore. I felt too guilty thinking about him sitting in that cage at his age. So I went down and I got him, and now he's curled up on a fleece baby blanket in a cat tree in my spare room. When I go in there, he purrs and rubs his head on my hand.

Today, I cleaned up your mess. I felt worse for your cat than you did. And all over the city, other rescuers did the same. They rescued your abandoned cats and dogs and bunnies and exotics. And we all wondered the same thing as we did it: How could you create this situation? How is it that you feel no remorse? How is it that you were you able to walk away from an animal you shared your home with for a year, five years, ten years even fifteen years, knowing that they might die because of you dumped them to the local shelter?

I'll never meet you to ask you those questions. I just hope I meet the person who will be good enough to give your baby that sunny spot to sleep for the rest of his life (however long that is). he deserves it, and it's a crying shame you didn't have the decency to give it to him.

[cindysue100]

Jun. 5, 2009 at 11:45 PM

boy that is moveing i rescued 2 cats from the place i work they had them for the winter one got pg and they was going to take them for a ride and just dump them now they have a nice home mom had her babies we feel we are blessed everyday with haveing them in our family

[MamaScorpio88]

Jun. 5, 2009 at 11:58 PM

I also wanted to add, change Cat to Dog, and it still fits.

(Original Poster)

[divinity80921]

Jun. 6, 2009 at 12:44 AM

I agree. We recently adopted an Australian Cattle Dog from the shelter. He's adorable. Quiet, sweet, already neutered, house-trained, smart as a whip and loving as can be. Scold him and you can see the disapproving tone of voice seriously hurts his feelings. We are sure he's lived with a family because he's completely tolerant of being "messed with" - my daughter pulled his tail and he didn't even turn his head and look to see what she was doing. He curls up with her when she sits on the couch and lays his head on her lap and goes to sleep. The one time he got out of the back yard he ran half a block away and up onto the porch of a house where two children were playing. He licked them. We think he misses "his" children. Not terribly playful yet. He breaks into brief moments of playfulness and slowly the periods of playfulness are becoming longer. He is a young dog, estimated at 3 years old. We call him Shadow because he follows me around like a shadow.

He'd been at the shelter two weeks and was a favorite among the staff and volunteers, so well behaved is he. He came to the shelter as a stray from off the streets of the city. No one came looking for him. Why not? Did they turn him out because they were moving away or into an apartment? Were they just tired of having him around?

Husband and I agree that some other family really lost something, and we don't understand why they didn't even call the shelter with a description of him and go reclaim him. Obviously, they didn't care about him. And he's such a very good dog. How could they not love him and want him back?

[mom2jade]

Jun. 6, 2009 at 4:37 AM

as much as alot of people want to make excuses..really theres not any

[the-wife]

Jun. 6, 2009 at 5:28 AM

I currently feed 6 feral cats down at the local McDonald's{of course} LOL!  We also now have a neighbourhood cat who has adopted us, or should I say me? Because hubby is allergic to her. It costs quite alot but they are worth it!                                                                                                 Lesley

[mom2jade]

Jun. 6, 2009 at 12:31 PM

as much as alot of people want to make excuses..really theres not any

Exactly.  Great post.

[lasombrs]

Jun. 6, 2009 at 2:55 PM

Great post! All 8 of our pets are rescuses(that we are keeping, these are not the fosters) and range from cats, dogs, iguanas to rabbits. I'm 7 months pregnant and was looking for a bigger apartment so our first child could have his own room. The other 2 bedrooms we already have are spoken for by said pets. Not only did I hunt for over a month to find a place that will take my crew, I am now renting a 4 bedroom apartment for 2 humans and a yet to be born child. People are just lazy and refuse to love their pets as much as their pets love them

[mtnmama111]

Jun. 6, 2009 at 4:04 PM

My hubby and I  have been unable to move to more affordable housing because of some of the members of our HOUSEHOLD- but boy would it take some extreme circumstances to *remove* them from our household... shame on people... they are just as much a part of your family as any other member...

 

[ethans_momma06]

Jun. 6, 2009 at 7:58 PM

I wouldn't say there are NO circumstances...I worked at a pet store for a little bit and we had some women come in and abandon 2 ferrets IN THE STORE that had been abandoned by her son when he went to jail.

So really, she didn't ask for them and couldn't keep them. It was obviouse that her son was an A**.

I hope that with the better practises of safe breeding, and litters being given to good homes that the amount of shelter animals can greatly decrease.

[Mom2Kenzi]

Jun. 6, 2009 at 9:40 PM

Great post!  Thanks for posting this!