Ok here's the short version...we trap cats to get them spayed and neutered (de-balled) by a group here in the county that sponsors such activities. The scheme works as follows...we borrow 5 traps (we have one of our own), trap the cats with cat food as bait (canned works best), transport them to the local animal shelter for their various surgeries which are completed by vets, we transport them back "home" (which is where they were caught) and after a short (max 3-4 days) healing period are reinstated to the local herd. We have done this to some 16 cats this year, it is a one clinic a month program with a maximum of 6 cats per ??? family ??? Sure. That was our total for the first 3-4 months this year. More to come. How many are left un-neutralized? Who knows? Many, maybe as many as 20. I know that 4 that frequent our cat feeding/watering/periodic trapping station on the front porch that are about to sprout kittens any day now. We like cats, but too many cats are a burden to the birds in the neighborhood especially if they are not fed regularly. Our neighbors supply some monies for food and the $20 USD per cat fee charged by the group. We would do it without their financial support but we welcome it for sure! Anyway...the month of July was to find us trapping once again, we had returned the traps to the cat person we obtain them from when we left to take the USA trip back in late April. So we had to make arrangements to pick up the traps once again which we did. Traps obtained, we baited them with small cans of wet cat food (ugh!) and awaited the gala SPRONG! SNAP! CRUNCH! of the traps. Soon, over a period of 2 days, the traps were full of lady and gent cats of the un-neutered variety and we were set for the great deed the next day, a Sunday in July. Come Saturday afternoon a grey SUV drives up sharply and the lady that we obtained the traps from a few days before steps from the cab yelling "You can't do this!" "No, no, no" "This is wrong!" as she steps up to me as I stand beside my truckload of caged cats. "They're too hot, this is awful!" I turn back one of the towels covering the top of the cage and look at a cat staring up at me. "It's not hot, they're covered from the sun." I say somewhat loudly. "Look" I say and turn back each of the 6 towels covering the cats much to the cat's surprise. They blink in response. "They're fine, no heat stroke, they're covered." She insisted "It's not good, it's not O.K., it's against the law!"
Around and around we went for about 5 minutes, finally in frustration and with her continuous vocalizations regarding getting them "out of the sun". There was no sun, only the late afternoon shade of the house. I began picking up the traps, spilling both food and water, and taking them into the front yard to put them in the shade of our front porch. Until this time I was alone in this losing battle, her barrage about the nonexistent "problem" had me going her way. Soon I was joined by Kelly who I know would not have been so bent by her pronouncements and...she wasn't. She joined me with assailing the logic of this entire scene, now she turned to the reality of the cats themselves now with spilled water and overturned food containers and NOOOOOO...cat shit too! Yes...cat shit too! The stuff Kelly REALLY doesn't want on the porch! The next exchanges, sharp as they were on both sides, led me to now move the offending cages and their messy cat contents to the catalpa tree shade. Kelly got fresh water and I worked to right the food bowls and renew the food situation for each affected cat. "Well take them with YOU" I said. "There's no room" she replied looking at her SUV. Then she continued, "You can't treat them like this! This is TERRIBLE!" said the wild Cat Lady waving her arms furiously. That DID it for Kelly..."Turn them loose" she said looking directly at me and I dutifully did as I was told though with some reluctance! Shit, shit, shit. "They'll die in the streets, some will have kittens," Kelly said to the over-zealous cat lady. "If you hadn't been so strident", I said, "This wouldn't have happened!" "There were lots of ways to tell me about this, where is it written?" I continued getting madder with every passing breath...not to Kelly but to the now retreating cat lady. To the SUV the cat-person went commenting on how she had just called the lead person of the group, "Tell her to come over and inspect then!" I said. Shortly Cat-Lady returned to the yard retrieving the very cages she previously said she couldn't take. I watched her take one at a time and place them behind the back seat empty. She mumbled something about Kelly under her breath. I shook my fist at her, "Fuck You, Bitch!" as she stuck the last now empty cage into the back of the SUV. I was mad...very. Then she said weakly "I wouldn't fuck you"..." fading off as she started the car..."Fuck You" I repeated loudly..."Bitch" and she pulled away. Ah, a nice ending to some tedious work...I came inside, sat down and had a beer and let my heart rate get back to near normal.
Why did I all of the sudden bring up this subject? After all this was over 3 weeks ago, a week before Furry died. Because the Cat Lady just slowly drove by eyeing our porch....shit, shit, shit!
Around and around we went for about 5 minutes, finally in frustration and with her continuous vocalizations regarding getting them "out of the sun". There was no sun, only the late afternoon shade of the house. I began picking up the traps, spilling both food and water, and taking them into the front yard to put them in the shade of our front porch. Until this time I was alone in this losing battle, her barrage about the nonexistent "problem" had me going her way. Soon I was joined by Kelly who I know would not have been so bent by her pronouncements and...she wasn't. She joined me with assailing the logic of this entire scene, now she turned to the reality of the cats themselves now with spilled water and overturned food containers and NOOOOOO...cat shit too! Yes...cat shit too! The stuff Kelly REALLY doesn't want on the porch! The next exchanges, sharp as they were on both sides, led me to now move the offending cages and their messy cat contents to the catalpa tree shade. Kelly got fresh water and I worked to right the food bowls and renew the food situation for each affected cat. "Well take them with YOU" I said. "There's no room" she replied looking at her SUV. Then she continued, "You can't treat them like this! This is TERRIBLE!" said the wild Cat Lady waving her arms furiously. That DID it for Kelly..."Turn them loose" she said looking directly at me and I dutifully did as I was told though with some reluctance! Shit, shit, shit. "They'll die in the streets, some will have kittens," Kelly said to the over-zealous cat lady. "If you hadn't been so strident", I said, "This wouldn't have happened!" "There were lots of ways to tell me about this, where is it written?" I continued getting madder with every passing breath...not to Kelly but to the now retreating cat lady. To the SUV the cat-person went commenting on how she had just called the lead person of the group, "Tell her to come over and inspect then!" I said. Shortly Cat-Lady returned to the yard retrieving the very cages she previously said she couldn't take. I watched her take one at a time and place them behind the back seat empty. She mumbled something about Kelly under her breath. I shook my fist at her, "Fuck You, Bitch!" as she stuck the last now empty cage into the back of the SUV. I was mad...very. Then she said weakly "I wouldn't fuck you"..." fading off as she started the car..."Fuck You" I repeated loudly..."Bitch" and she pulled away. Ah, a nice ending to some tedious work...I came inside, sat down and had a beer and let my heart rate get back to near normal.
Why did I all of the sudden bring up this subject? After all this was over 3 weeks ago, a week before Furry died. Because the Cat Lady just slowly drove by eyeing our porch....shit, shit, shit!
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