Sultana

Last night when I get home I park in the driveway--not what I usually do, but hubby is working on a project in the garage, so it remains closed for now. The street is dead quiet and still, and for a second I hear a small voice, calling or maybe crying. I jumped and looked around a little nervous, and said, "Hello? Who's there?"

Suddenly a little orange comet burst out of the shadows and rocketed at me, meowing for all it's worth all the way! I was so surprised I just stood there with my mouth hanging open as the cat frantically rubbed itself around my ankles, talking, talking. I put down my bags and touched it tentatively on the head, and it started purring so hard it almost couldn't stand up. I picked her up and took it to the neighbor's from which direction it had run to me, thinking it belonged to them. It didn't.

Oh crap.

I had just a few minutes to change and go to teach my class. But I was torn. The temperatures here have been in the low teens at night (mid-40s during the day), which is very unusual. It's been a harsh week weather wise.

So I bring it a bit of food, which it falls on like it hasn't eaten in a day or two, and put out a cardboard box with an old big towel in it, tucked away out of the wind. I called the hubby to let him know what to expect when he got home, and had to jet out. When I left the cat was on the roof, meowing loudly. LOUDLY.

In the end, we brought the cat in and locked it in the guest bathroom for the night, with a small litter box and food, water, and the towel. We decided to let it back out during the day--we have three cats already, and I won't risk exposing them to anything, plus I really don't know it's situation. It doesn't act like a wild cat or a stray, and I'm hoping it belongs to someone and just got out--and will return home. I tried to check her ears for mites (a sure sign of living in the wild for a significant amount of time), and they looked pretty clean to me. She's not particularly skinny, just smallish.

I figure that if it's still around when I return home today, we'll take it to the pound and see if it's chipped (of course, no freaking collar!). If it's chipped, the pound will take care of contacting the owners, and if she's not, and belongs to someone, if they have a brain in their head they'll look for her at the pound, right?

I'm not crazy about her being out during the day, but I figure I should give her a chance to return home--I mean, you shouldn't just scoop up every cat who comes to talk to you and immediately take them to the pound, right? If she hadn't run to me the way she did, hung out at my house for hours, and if it hadn't been so freakishly ice cold at night, I probably wouldn't have brought her in.

Have I mentioned it likes to walk backwards in a straight line? LOL!

With three cats already, I cannot take in any more. I just hope I'm doing the right thing. I *really* hope she's chipped.

__________________
"Love is a snowmobile racing across the tundra and then suddenly it flips over, pinning you underneath.
At night, the ice weasels come." -

Matt Groening

My goal? To fulfill my potential.