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.

mixedmedia

Sounds to me like you're doing all the right things. A soft touch is always better than not giving a hoot.

Poor little baby...the cat, I mean.

__________________
Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

Glory's Sun

I guess it's a good thing the cat found you instead of me.

I certainly wouldn't have even given it a second glance and left it to it's own will.

Now if it were a dog....

ratbastid

Our second cat (of three) showed up this way. Hurricane Floyd was barreling down on us, and suddenly here's this tiny little kitten sitting outside the door of my office, SCREAMING HIS HEAD OFF.

Five years later, our cat Floyd is one very content girl.

sillygirl

Awww, I want an orange kitty. I don't know if I could turn one away in a situation like that... kittens do go quickly at a pound though. I just try to find no kill shelters.

Then again, if I said no, my SO would probably convince me. *sigh*

//goes back to her house full of animals

__________________

Anyone can be passionate, but it takes real lovers to be silly-Rose Franken
....absence makes me miss him more...

Sultana

Well, she spent the night again last night (Feline sleep overs, what will I think of next?), but I am more and more convinced that she belongs to someone. She's not skinny, no mites, no worms (that I can tell), and last night when she ran up to me (after I called, I confess) her fur wasn't even cold! However, I wonder about whomever would be letting their cats out in the awful weather, no tag, nothing. I was thinking about getting her a collar and attaching a message (Who does this cat belong to? Call me @..."). So if she hangs around at night, I'll let her sleep over, and if she's still around next week, I'm taking her to the vet to get scanned for a chip. If I weren't so insanely busy prepping for one of the two biggest shows of the year that I regularly perform in, I'd just do it tonight (or last night). Bad timing, Grrrr.

Not kidding, I work 9 hours and then come home and work about 4-4.5 hours. But it'll all be worth it in the end. After about 7 minutes total of performance time.

__________________
"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.

mixedmedia

Hope we're gonna get treated to pictures.

__________________
Most people go through life dreading they'll have a traumatic experience. Freaks were born with their trauma. They've already passed their test in life. They're aristocrats. - Diane Arbus
PESSIMISM, n. A philosophy forced upon the convictions of the observer by the disheartening prevalence of the optimist with his scarecrow hope and his unsightly smile. - Ambrose Bierce

Sultana

You betcha! As soon as I get them, which is usually a week or so afterwards. I hate waiting that long!

__________________
"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.

Smooth23

I've had cats that were outdoor kitties mainly. They stayed out in michigan winters, no problems. As long as they had fresh (liquid)water and a bowl of food at my door I knew they were fine. I was a sucker though so if they came knocking I'd always let em in.

Sugarmouse

awww
I would've done the same,dog,cat...any animal inneed lol!
Its a good idea about the collar message.Have you checked out shop noticeboards etc?Inotice 'lost' pets messages on those alot in most places..but then with how busy you are I can understand how its difficult

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Sugarmouse=Festered

Sultana

Alrighty, we finally managed on Wednesday to make an appointment to deliver the kitty to the no-kill shelter, which is fantastic, they're very hard to get slots for.

However, immediately after making the appointment...kitty doesn't return.
Wed. night: No kitty.
Thurs. night: no kitty.

I start planning on calling the shelter lady to cancel the appointment, when who comes strolling out? Kitty.

Hubby and I take her to the shelter at the local PetSmart, and during the subsequent exam (which showed that she is indeed a mere 10 months old), hubby and I are shocked to learn that she is in her first trimester! I blurted out, "Ohmigod, she's an unwed teen mother!"

So now I know we did the right thing. We also paid for all her associated expenses, and asked the lady running the shelter to let us know if any more will be needed for the babies. I so wish we could have gotten to her before she got pregnant, this will complicate the process a bit, as well as create even more kittens that will need homes. Also, she of course cannot be adopted out until after the birth. But I'm going to help promote the shelter in general, and that cat and her babies specifically. It's the least I can do to help place the cats I am responsible for putting in the shelter, yeah?

Wish us all luck. By the way, the shelter's name is 2 Minutes to Midnight.

__________________
"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.

hagatha

she's sweet. She found the right human to help her out....god cats are wiley. Smartest critters in the universe....that's a good thing you did Sultana, good karma is sure to come your way because of it.

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Thats the last time I trust the strangest people I ever met....H. Simpson