Monday, June 20, 2011

People make me so MAD.

There was a little kitty out in the front yard the other night when I got home from work. She seemed unafraid but cautious, so I talked to her a bit and got some meows in response. I forgot about her until last night, when she showed up in the back yard--and any cat who does that is either ballsy or desperate, given that that's Max's territory--and meow-meow-meowed until I came outside.

(I should mention here that I live in a part of town heavily populated by what my marvelous pal E. calls "stupidents." Everybody moved out about a month ago. Some of them apparently left a cat behind. It happens every year; some folks think animals are disposable.)

Poor little cat was skin. And. Fucking. BONES. Her spine and tail were sharp through her skin, she was covered with scabs, and there were big patches of fur gone from her back legs and belly. At one point, she was a floofy, long-haired cat: now she's a bristly, skinny, patchy-haired cat with her ribs showing.

What could I do? I fed her. When I went outside later, she was as ravenous for affection as she had been for food. We sat for a bit and I petted her--carefully, since I'm nervous around strange cats--and then she ate some more. She did the head-bump, pet-beg, eat, head-bump thing for about a half hour, by which time I was fairly sure that she wasn't pregnant and wasn't sick. I got my hands around her and picked her up briefly; she might weigh four pounds. The boys watched it all from the window, interested but not pissed off.

If she sticks around, I'll feed her up and then take her to the vet to get her spayed (or, on the off-chance it's a him, neutered), because I'm sure whatever moron left her behind didn't bother to get her altered; get her shots and so on, and then I'll probably have another cat.

I've seen dogs with their ribs showing. I've never seen a cat with its ribs showing. I've also never seen a cat so thin that you could see each individual joint of its tail through its fur.

Poor baby. There is a special place in Hell for the people who abandoned her.

27 comments:

Anonymous said...

Thank you so much for taking care of her! And thank god she found you; I hope she sticks around to be rescued.

We found one of those guys on our porch some years ago, four pounds that should have been ten, covered with terrible mats, and declawed front and back (except polydactl, so they missed one claw which had driven into the paw.) The vet donated all his time once he figured out we weren't the ones who let the poor thing get in such bad shape, and we eventually found him a great home as the lapcat of someone who really needed him.

RehabRN said...

Yes, there is a special place.

If they'd do that to an animal, what will they do to humans?

Penny Mitchell said...

I love you. Like, seriously.

Bethany said...

She's lucky you took care of her. Sadly, at my shelter that's not unusual for some of the animals that come in. I always repeat to myself that the ones surrendered like that are actually the lucky ones, since they weren't left behind and abandoned. It's a crime in DC but so difficult to prosecute. Your shelter might have a low cost spay/neuter & vaccine clinic now if you end up keeping her.

Thanks for reminding me that there are good people who care for the animals left behind.

Beth Brakewood said...

I hate people so much sometimes....I mean, not you, obviously. But those others are just awful.

Knot Telling said...

I was on the waiting list for a kitten at a local shelter when they called and asked if I would take a rescue adult cat instead. I went down to see him - an adult male Persian who had been tortured over a period of time and then abandoned. I cried.

The shelter people cried with me, the shelter vet donated hours of care, the shelter volunteers taught me how to care for him, as I'd never had a long-haired cat before.

I called him Oscar, because he just looked like an Oscar. I hope his last years made up for the hell he suffered.

Anonymous said...

Three of my four animals are shelter animals. My cat had been starved and abused and was very sick. I picked her because she looked the most in need of a good home and after four months she finally worked up the courage to come out from under the bed. Six years later she's a darling.

Your poor kitty will be a joy, promise. Thank you for taking her in.

Barb

bobbie said...

And there is a special place in heaven for people who rescue such critters ~
Bless you ~

messymimi said...

Thank you for rescuing her. We've rescued animals from people who were being intentionally cruel, but those who just leave them are worse in some ways.

Allison said...

Yes, you are definitely getting another star for your crown in heaven. I hate people who dump animals, I just hate them. Back when my parents lived in Arkansas, people were always dumping dogs in the woods, believing they would 'live off the land'. No, they got hit by a car. Thank you for feeding the cat.

Azmomo2andcounting said...

That sucks! It was probably an indoor cat all its life then up and shut out, unaware of how to get food other than from humans and afraid to boot. Sorry you had to come across this. Its so heartbreaking.

Silliyak said...

The best cats we've had were/are strays and rescues. Our last one is just starting to become playful with us. Good for you for saving him/her.

Kitty said...

Once I too had the same kind of poor cat with his ribcage totally visible, but I took great care of him & in weeks he changed a lot & became a healthy Tom Cat.

hazardx said...

Thank you for being kind to that kitty. She sounds like she really needs a friend.

Rosanna said...

Anatole France said, "Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened."

Maybe even with *more surety* than that, though, his quotation really could read, "Until one has loved an animal ............ that's been neglected, abandoned, and/or abused ............ a part of one's soul remains unawakened."

My husband and I (volunteer to) do some Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation; and----(as evidenced by your compassionate actions with the little cat, Jo)----you're one of the inspiring *Animal Advocates* out there, too. Thank you.

Cartoon Characters said...

I have more pity for animals than humans right about now

and u are right....there IS a special place in hell for those who do things like that.

B & N said...

This is so sad. Why do people get pets they don't want, or allow them to get pregnant? People misunderstand that 20$ may buy you a pet, but it's not enough to pay for annual vet visits. You gave me a break from my mCAT study guide :). meo. Also: picture of the cat?

Dr. Alice said...

That's just AWFUL. Bless you for your kindness and let us know what happens!

Elyse said...

I am glad that you've decided to keep him/her. That way we can hear about how the cat will flourish and sometimes we just all need to see that process happening rather than merely hoping it does.
My most adored childhood kitty was actually a scrawny flea-bitten feral who became the most loving all white with one green eye and one blue eye lap cat ever created. She adopted a litter of 5abandoned kittens when she had 4 of her own. Not sure why she had a personality like that after her traumatic childhood - but there you go . .

woolywoman said...

awwwwww. glad she found you. I had a neighbor who referred to cats as "disposable pets". nice. Of course, both her kids had to have every.single.tooth. capped by the age of four, so I was pretty happy when she moved out.

terri c said...

I hope she is OK. You are A-OK in my book. When I could have cats, my cats all found me. Now I have dogs, all three rescues. May all be well for all of you.

Sweetbriar said...

You're probably right about the hell part. The last thing God has to say to Jonah is that the innocent animals are part of the reason he sent Jonah (of whale fame) to try and save the city.

Also, be careful you don't transfer any of the fleas or mange from the kitten to your own animals. Lap sitting is dangerous. Food and a head scratch until you can bathe him. Good luck and thanks.

LizzardO said...

How about this name (with your other cats' names used as inspiration) -- No-stray-damus.

Margaret said...

Found your blog through Dr. Grumpy. Proceeded to start from the very beginning and just got to today's entry last week.

While I sure don't understand the nurse-tech terms used, I can follow the gist of your entries.

You're not mean at all, children have no business reading this blog-the internet is not designed exclusively for kids, some patients deserve their fates, others cause me to question higher powers, you have incredible fortitude.

Glad the little kitty found you. I have 5 "found" kitties myself, all abandoned in the neighborhood. Two were pregnant.

Keep up the wonderful writing!

Margaret

Anonymous said...

Seems like rescues often make the most loyal and affectionate pets.

My Sunny was slow to trust but he sure is a cuddler now.

CandyGirl said...

Ohhhhhh. That poor little thing! Nothing makes me madder than when people treat animals like garbage.

I would do the same as you. In fact, we currently care for 4 regular abandoned/ferals (food, water, shelter and shots/vet care when we can catch them) and I just lost my calico that "came with the house" to cancer. (was told in closing on our house that there was a cat hanging out and they tried taking it out of the neighborhood and dumping it but it found it's way back... mouth dropped open and couldn't hide my shock at the announcement... as we got the keys, I was over there and fed and watered her and took her in as a permanent house cat with our two other shelter-adopted kitties)

Thank you for being one of the good ones.

Can'tSpell, DVM said...

Feed, shots, flea medicine and cephalexin for her nice little pyoderma and she'll be good as new and ready to come inside! :)