Some silly booger has reported me to the RSPCA. For those who don't know, here's the backstory.
I have two old lady cats of my own, one is about 21 the other is around 18. They have lived with me happily for over 14 years. Recently I took on the task of trapping, socialising and rehoming 8 ferals. These are getting bigger by the day and are very healthy and happy. They live in an unused bedroom of my three bedroomed, two reception roomed victorian terrace, which has just me and the cats rattling around in it. Hardly overcrowded.
One of the ferals has gone to a new home, two have a home promised. I'm being super fussy about who has them because I've put months of work into their domestication.
I'm a bit reclusive, but go out on the occasional date, or for dinner with friends, never for more than a few hours. I even had to check with a friend to arrange care for the cats when I go into hospital for three days in March; I wouldn't go unless she could come and feed and change the bcats daily.
She will do this.
I don't open the front door unless I'm expecting someone. Friends ring first, some even phone from their mobiles to let me know they're outside! This is because I don't want nasty surprises like an enormous bill after the meter has been read.
A few days ago I was in the bathroom, which is downstairs at the back of the house, when I heard a woman's voice at the back of my house. She was talking to one of the students next door. Unfortunately, I couldn't leave the bathroom right then
but I listened to what they were saying. She asked: "do you see her around?"
"Yeah," he said.
That was the gist of it.
A day or so later I noticed some cat food had been spooned through the catflap. Weird, I thought, watching Polly picking at it even though she had Whiskas in her dish! I rang a friend and we mulled over the oddness of it. It was suggested that someone might think the house was empty because I don't use the front reception room since I stopped having lodgers. We thought if that was the case, there might be a note through the front door, along with the pile of junk mail. So I went and had a look.
I found a note from the RSPCA asking me to ring urgently, which I did. The guy on the phone was pleasant and told me that an anonymous complaint had been made about there being a lot of cats in the house and no one being there. I explained things to him. He said an officer would be calling in a day or so.
Yesterday I found that someone had put raw meat into the lean to at the back! I was furious, cos I firmly believe it to be harmful to my old ladies.
I went to the local shops earlier, the first time I've been out in daylight since this began. I went out on friday evening to celebrate imbolc. When I came back from the shop, I noticed that some selotape had been put over my keyhole and where the door meets the frame.
Why don't people mind there own
business? If they were genuinely concerned about the cats they could have rung me. I put a note by my back door thanking them for their concern but my cats are well fed and cared for, but if they wanted to leave a tin of food for the feral rescue this would be welcome. The note had my phone number on it. They didn't call, they just left raw meat.
My mother suggested I try and catch the boogers (her words) so I'm sitting in the dark typing this by the light of my monitor, waiting for them to turn up again. The cats have been locked in with litter.
I hope the dreaded RSPCA don't take all my cats, ferals and P and S..........
Sorry for the long rambling post.
