Of Crowns and Cats
It’s been a hell of a week around here and I haven’t had time to do much blogging or reading because I had both kids home on Monday and again on Friday.
Having two kids isn’t all that hard except when one of them can talk and tell you they’re bored as they scornfully eye your computer. That kind of guilt trip can keep even the most intrepid of bloggers away from their Google readers or Bloglines and posting screens.
And, as if two days of bored children were not enough, I lost a filling and then subsequently cracked a tooth eating Fritos (I know…WTF?) and had to go get a $700 crown. No root canal. No surgery. Just a stupid crown for SEVEN. HUNDRED. DOLLARS. Grrrrr.
But the icing on the cake was when my freakin’ cat disappeared. The one I completely adore beyond all reason…
I know some people don’t like cats but this cat would be the one to make you cross over. He’s so lovable and puts up with my children and has never once tried to scratch or bite them though they bother him constantly.
He’s just the sweetest, mellowest, most tolerant feline I’ve ever known and when I didn’t see him for most of the day, I knew something was wrong.
My mind was just all over the place, imagining the worst, and I felt sick to my stomach thinking about what could have happened to him.
So we have these new neighbors across the street and they have a lady behind them that feeds a ton of semi-feral cats. It’s a noble gesture but the end result is a lot of cats and a constant influx of kittens.
Apparently, the new neighbors have three dogs with a bloodlust for kittens and they’ve already killed a few. The owners feared the trend would continue so they started trapping the cats and having Animal Control come get them.
Well, these are not tame cats that we’re talking about so we all know they won’t be adopted. It’s very sad but I also don’t like to think of kittens/cats being killed by those dogs or eaten by the hawks so in a way, being put to sleep seems somewhat more humane.
The day I couldn’t find Bootsy, I had looked everywhere around the outside my house because he generally stays in my yard. My husband suggested I check the neighbor’s cat trap so I went across the street and looked in their backyard and sure as shit, there was my big, fluffy cat sitting in the fricken trap. I let myself in the gate and released him.
I estimated that he was in there for about seven to nine hours and though he looked fine, he reeked of fish. Apparently, they were using some kind of stinky, oily fish like sardines as cat bait, which explains why he went all the way across the street and into their backyard.
I was SO relieved to have found him. That same day, I made an appointment to have both my cats microchipped so if Animal Control ever picked them up, they’d know they belong to someone. Collars with tags are useless. We’ve been through three in the past year alone.
Another neighbor’s pet cat got caught in their trap and because I had had warned her about it, she found her cat right before Animal Control came to take him away.
Naturally she was pissed and wrote a nasty note to them about their half pitbull dog, which I’ve seen running loose at least once and I feared the fallout that would surely result from the note. It just really sucks to be on bad terms with your neighbors.
Just as I knew would happen, the cat trapping neighbor came over asking about the note. I very diplomatically explained that the writer of the note, as well as myself, were a bit upset that our normally non-wandering cats had been lured into their trap by that gnarly fish.
He apologized and said that they would take more care in identifying a cat as tame or feral because a tame one is most likely someone’s pet.
Phew! That made me feel a lot better. I was constantly worried about the damn cat trap and it broke my heart to see those cats in their carport waiting to be taken away.
I have to confess that one day I couldn’t stand it anymore and I considered going over there and letting this cat out of the trap but by the time I got P dressed and in his stroller, Animal Control had already come and taken it away!
Ai! Such drama… It’s a regular animal planet around here. The other day, in the middle of the afternoon, I saw a possum come from my neighbors yard, cross the street and disappear up a tree. The day before that, a small black racer snake was by my front door.
I also tried to snap a picture of these lizards about to uh…make baby lizards, but apparently they’re camera shy and I totally ruined the moment for them with my gawking.
You can see pictures and read more about our wild ‘hood in the city here.
Sorry to hear about your crown. That sucks.
And where is it that you live? Snakes on the front porch? That’s enough to freak me out for good!
I’m so glad that you found your kitty before it was too late. Do you think you could gather a few pictures of the neighborhood animals for them to keep and check before they send off their gathering to the shelter?
If I were you, I’d be hoping that they’d use those traps for good and do something about those Possums!
I’m so glad you found your cat! Sounds a LOT like my neighborhood.
Eek! I would have completely freaked out if I were you - our cats are strictly indoor cats, mainly to keep me sane. Are there no spay and neuter programs there for feral cats? They at least keep the feral population in control. Your cat sounds exactly like one of mine. His only emotion is happy. There’s no angry, or bored or sad or annoyed, just happy. Glad yours came home ok.
What a week! Neighbor stories are so much fun to read (though not so much fun to live). They can get downright soap-operatic.
So glad you found your cat!
In my old neighborhood, I had a literally crazy neighbor who had a BAHzillion cats plus left a bunch of feral cats out into the wild. My other neighbor would trap them also. The kittens would always get adopted but the moms and toms…?? I also knew a woman who out of the kindness of her own heart used to trap them and have them neutered and return them. I don’t think that’s too common but I thought she kind of deserved an award.
Maybe you are at the age where you need to keep the Fritos in your mouth for a little while to let them soften up…
The entire dental world may be one of the biggest scams ever.
Glad to hear you got your cat back.
Wow … what a week! Between animal planet and the $700 fritos … yikes. Glad your sweet cat is home.
My head is spinning from all you have had to deal with lately! Glad everything turned out well but holy cow you have been busy!
I’m happy you got your cat back. My cat jumped out my apartment window once when I didn’t realize that the screen had ripped away from the frame. I know the feeling when your pet has gone missing! Luckily, I got mine back as well, but I don’t know what I would’ve done if I didn’t.
Good idea about the microchip, except you kind of need to rely on people to turn them into animal control, or that animal control will pick them up. But I think they’re definitely worth it, you have a much better chance of getting them back that way. Both my cats have them too.
I live out in the sticks and cats come and go as part of life. But my darling kitty, I couldn’t bear the thought of losing her. I had her spayed and microchipped and I spent a small fortune on her health and well being.
I managed to keep her for seven years before a damn coyote snatched her in his jaws of death.
I’m still pissed and heartbroken.
I’m glad you found your kitty.
A CAT TRAP?!?!?!
I’m so glad you found your cat okay. I know how that panic is. Microchipping is a great idea. It’s an even better idea in Hurricane Alley.
No lizard porn? Color me really bummed. ;)
cat trap, pitbull…your neighbor sounds a little bit creepy:0
I’m so glad you found your beloved kitty! It would kill me to see cats, feral or otherwise, trapped in a cage. If people would just spay and neuter their animals… ….
Here, you have to have pets microchipped by law. And your neighbour DOES sound a wee bit creepy, I would definitely be careful of leaving them mean notes! I’m glad you got your kitty back.
Dude. I just lost a filling today. If I find out that I need a new crown too, I may lose my freakin’ mind.
I’m really sorry about all the crap you’ve been fielding - especially the chunk o’ change crown and the missing kitty. I can’t get the phrase “bloodlust for kittens” out of my head though. Your neighbors think that the way to handle that problem is to trap the cats? Uh…how about keeping the dogs confined?
That’s so sad about the kittens being killed by the dogs. The cycle of cat breeding needs to be stopped but I doubt sending a few to be euthanised will stem the problem. All the adults need to be fixed first and then every kitten needs to be fixed as soon as it old enough. Glad you got your kitty back safe & sound.
Sorry to hear about the tooth. I always dread the dentist - not because of the pain, but because of the bill.
Glad you found your cat! We have ours microchipped, too. Although ours are indoor only - too many of my cats disappeared when I was younger, so mine are indoor only now.
My mom lives on a farm, and she traps feral cats, has them spayed or neutered, and then lets them go again. Her vet gives her a good deal on it, since she’s trying to help fix the problem. She has a ton of cats on the farm that she feeds, but at least she knows they’re not making more.
I would be pissed off if my cat was caught in a neighbors trap. My dog. Not so much.
SO happy to hear your cat is safe and sound. And I see you are going to BlogHer. YEAY! Am dying to meet you.
Thank goodness you got to your cat before Animal Control did! I understand the neighbors trying to protect the cats from their dogs & all, but just trapping cats they know MUST belong to someone around them and then calling someone to come get them seems a little….I don’t know….?
Hey! Contact me, we have alot in comoon. Regards,
I will happily give you our cat if you’d like…
Fritos!? Fritos are supposed to be your friends. Dental horror stories. Glad you got your stinky cat back. Did you have to give him a bath?
I have a cat lady like that across the street as well. I hate to say it, but I can understand where your neighbor is coming from trapping them like that as the Akita down the block loves nothing more then to jump his fence and find “snacks” while his owner is at work.
I’m just glad you found him before he went. Good on the microchipping too. And Fritos.. oh I’d die if my favorite food in the world hurt me like that!
Oh, I am so glad you cat is OK. I had my heart in my throught until I read the rest. (cat lover here) Sorry about the hefty dentist bill, I know that sucks big time.
Dentists are very evil people and glad you found your cat.
My father-in-law trapped a feral cat and freaked out when I took him out of the trap before animal control arrived. He cuddled up in my arms and that cat is now my little buddy, Posey. Now everytime my father comes to our house Posey hides from the Cat-Killer.
PS. I emailed you. Did you get it? No rush. :)
Ick - dental work always sucks. I’m glad your cat is back and safe (I’m a cat lover) and I have to commend your strength in not sneaking over there and letting all those trapped cats go. I’d be constantly crying and I’d probably move but I know that those cats (the wild ones) are going to a better place rather than becoming dog-toys or the zillion other horrid options. How come the right thing to do is sometimes so heart wrenching?
Eeks. The whole thing freaks me out. Good thing my cat is so huge he wouldn’t fit inside the trap door to even get stuck in the first place.
Seriously. Relieved you got your puddin’ back.
Oh, and of the crown - my dentist has the nitrous mask hanging out the door of his office waiting for me because he knows I FREAK whenever he does ANYTHING, so I feel your pain on the crown.
I was worried something bad had befallen your cat.
Cat traps! What the heck? Glad you found your cat, safe and sound. I think you need to call Jeff Corwin right about now, eh?
I LOVE your mom!!!
I am a cat lover and we have a big, fluffy pile of sweet cat-hater-converter here, too. I also have a prima donna kitty who is really a love, too, but less sure of strangers.
Both are indoor cats but both are microchipped. That’s always a good idea.
Glad you found your kitty.