Archive for the ‘Observations’ Category

While picking up Science Diet at the vet’s this afternoon, I overheard a conversation between a vet tech and an old man regarding the status of his old cat. From what I gleaned, the cat’s health was rapidly deteriorating, and its time was being measured in days, not weeks or years.

When I turned around, I saw an elderly man with a cane wearing the most dejected face I have ever seen. But I have seen that face before. I have seen that face looking back at me in the mirror. In every pet lover’s life, you will face that day when the vet says there’s nothing that can be done, that the best you can do is keep your pet comfortable for a few days, maybe a week. I have worn that face many times, and I will wear it again.

The vet tech brought his old cat out in a carrier. The cat meowed a few times. The old man spoke gently to his old cat, and the two left silently, like the passing of two ghosts.

I buried someone’s cat today.

As I was leaving to go hiking around noon today, I saw a kitty lying dead on the street in front of our apartments. Dodging cars, I scooped her up and took her to the parking lot. She was a pretty kitty, a tabby, with white markings on her face and neck. There was very little blood—just a few drops in her mouth. She had not been dead long, as her body was still limp and warm. I held her in my arms just like I hold my own cats. Only her sweet little head flopped over the side of my arm, her half-closed eyes stared straight ahead, and she breathed no more. Her right front leg was broken at the humerus; I could feel the two ends beneath her skin, and the leg flopped unnaturally.

I’m describing this in such detail for a reason. It’s a warning…a warning of what it will be like for you if you let your cat (or dog, for that matter) roam outside in an urban area. Someday, you’ll probably be the one retrieving your pet’s lifeless body from the street. Because this was someone’s kitty. She was well nourished and had the plump physique of a cat that had been spayed. Her fur was soft, and her ears were clean….not the trademarks of a stray. I want to warn you of the sadness you’ll feel when you hold that animal’s lifeless body, knowing only hours before it was enjoying its life.

Maybe this kitty’s guardian thought it was cruel to keep her inside. I agree with the Humane Society of the United States: keeping your cat indoors is the kindest thing you can do. Dying on the street alone and in agony isn’t kind. Maybe this kitty’s guardian could no longer keep her, for whatever reason, and thought she would have a chance on the street. Well, we can see how that chance turned out. If you are experiencing financial difficulty and worry about providing for your pet, please contact your local Humane Society or your veterinarian. They can either help your pet find another home or direct you to local organizations that can assist you with vet bills and food so your pet can remain with you. Dumping your pet is never the answer.

I buried kitty in the same area where five of my cats are buried—under a big tree in the countryside. The land abuts a nature preserve where I like to hike. I only knew this kitty in death, but that didn’t stop the tears from streaming down my face. When the grave was covered, I said a prayer for her…a prayer asking that, when her spirit returns again, may she find a home with a responsible guardian where she will be well-cared for and kept safe. Because that is what every animal deserves—a guardian who will love them enough to keep them safe.

Tonight I will light a candle and think about her. I’m sorry, kitty.

Wrap steel wool around your torso, throw in some kibble, and go to your Halloween party as a cat puke.

…it’s falling apart, but they love it. It’s the feline equivalent of Martin Crane’s favorite armchair (for you Frazier fans), and it makes me think of an old car up on blocks in a redneck’s driveway.

But “this old scratching house” was given to me by a dear friend when her last cat died. It’s been enjoyed and scratched to pieces by kitties who were young when I first brought it home and who grew old and have passed on. And now yet another generation of cats are scratching it, hiding in it, and climbing on it.

I’m guessing it will be a fixture in my office room until the last fiber of carpet is clawed off.