Caterwauling

I always call my mother “Snow White,” as she always adopts the neighborhood strays and feeds them and gives as much love as she can to these feral animals.

Last night I was working in my apartment around 9 p.m. and she called to say there was a sick kitty down by our pool. (The pool I haven’t set foot near in the two months I’ve lived here due to lack of time.) I was like, mmhmm, OK. Fine. Whatever. Can I get back to work now?

She called back later to ask if I’d bring down some food. For once, I didn’t even argue, since I had been thinking about that kitty for an hour.

He was very sweet, very docile and very sick. Reminded me of Maddie in her final days. Very weak, very loving, very wobbly. I’d guess kidney failure for him, too. Gorgeous black cat with white paws and the sweetest face you can possibly imagine.

I held him for an hour or so before calling the county animal control. It took the guy another hour to get to me. I continued to try to get the kitty to eat and basically just tried to keep him warm with the towel I’d brought down to cloak his bony body.

It hurt to part with him — it was like handing Maddie over to the vet techs, all over again. I cried for a good hour. I’m still very sad now.

I always stop and wonder “why” — why did this cat cross our paths? Was this a chance for me to do something good or heroic or make up for Maddie’s miserable end?

I lined the kitty’s cage with my towel. I guess I just wanted him to remember that, as he was whisked away, he was loved … even if only for a few hours.

I asked if I could get an update on him and they said I could call the office today. The guy also said, “Well, we DO have plenty of OTHER pets waiting to be adopted.” *kick*

What I find funny is that it’s easier to find immediate shelter and care for a cat than it is for a human. Actually, it’s not funny. It pisses me off.

But I’m sure, like Maddie and my grandfather and my grandmother before that, the medical staff will give up on them before they even get there. Too old, too ragged, too sick.

And I feel bad, too. If I didn’t see a Maddie-sized vet bill for a cat I had just met, I probably would have taken him to the emergency vet myself.

I’m saying a prayer for my little four-pawed warrior and hoping that he’s comfortable. And I’m saying a prayer to thank God that I could fall in love so easily with another cat, so soon after losing my own. I never thought it would happen.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 8th, 2009 at 7:14 AM and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.