Hi,
Where I live there are five cats who belong to a lady who, because of financial constraints (I think), has to work a lot of hours each week. She actually has two jobs...and one takes up most of her weekends including the evenings. I think she is divorced but has a grown up daughter who lives with her but I rather feel that both of them are looking for someone special (if ya see what I mean....i.e. they are hardly ever at home).
Of these five cats, two of them are always roaming about. One is not allowed in the house any longer because she pees on the doormat (she's a beautiful little girl but is extremely timid..she has to live in the shed...) and the other is the dearest, sweetest, friendliest little tortie...who bounds towards you every time she sees you and delivers supersized headbutts. Steve and I have often fantasized about catknapping them, but you would never get near to the timid one, whereas 'A' would follow you into the van. I did ask this woman once when she was telling me how exasperating 'B' was becoming with this constant urinating just inside the front door (is that all???) whether she would consider re-homing her and she said that she would not and that her daughter would not allow it in any case. So poor 'B' has to live her days out in the garden shed.
Suffice to say that 'A' is very lonely and is very much a 'people' cat. She loves human company and is always looking for someone to give her a cuddle. I don't think for one minute that they are ill-treated as such but they are lonely and the lady has already lost a beautiful Birman since moving here. She was a gorgeous looking cat and was very popular in the neighbourhood. I was very sorry to hear of her death on the road. She was only two.
Well, tonight I was coming home at about 9.30 and who did I see rolling about in the middle of the road but 'A'. (I won't name her in case she is identified). I drew up at the side of the road and stepped towards her and she immediately came leaping across for a cuddle. I picked her up and placed her safely back on the pavement. As I was doing this a young guy walked towards me because he had seen her earlier in the evening too and was worried about her. He told me that he had lost a cat in an RTA who looked just like 'A' only a week earlier...poor little babe.
I know that 'A' would not be tolerated by my other cats (the new kitten has been but I feel sure that this is because she is just that...a kitten...) otherwise I would have taken her back for safety, but the young guy said he would stay and watch her for a while.
I have pondered what to do for some time and have now written a note to 'A's owner explaining what I had seen and hopefully alerting her to the danger of the situation. I hope it doesn't seem as though I am being judgemental or interfering. When I popped back to post the note through the door dear little 'A' bolted off the window sill where she was waiting and wouldn't leave me. In fact, she walked home with me to my front door...bless. There was no-one in at her home and this was at about 01.15 am. I left her outside my front door and went inside to fetch a treat but she had disappeared by the time I re-opened the door.
What does one do in these situations? She and 'B' are beautiful little cats but they are very lonely and I don't think they have a way to enter the house (or shed) when their owner is out. I'm sure the other three cats are out and about somewhere too but I don't tend to see these ones where I live. They probably head in the opposite direction. It's all very sad. I suppose deep down I know that there isn't really anything that can be done in such circumstances but nevertheless it remains a very unsatisfactory situation.
What do you think?
Best wishes,
Roz
