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More cat stories!
Dec. 31st, 2009 06:42 pmOur day started and ended with cats.
Oscar, the kitty contortionist, has been spending most of his time at his original owner's house for the past few months. Last night, however, he spent the night here--huddled behind the toilet in the bathroom. He was acting grouchy and didn't seem happy, so my mother took him to the vet. He has a fever, red throat, and respiratory infection, so he's on meds. The vet also disposed of the Hartz flea collar his other owners gave him. Word to the wise: those things are toxic and do not kill fleas. He's outside right now (he was begging to go out, so we couldn't really resist), and hopefully he'll come back. He came to us when he was sick, so he probably realizes who his real owners are.
The second cat story started when we were driving away from the grocery store today. My mother started shouting and pointing at a small area of shrubs next to the driveway. A white and orange cat was wandering around it, totally lost. He was still in good shape and had a ring around his neck where a collar used to be, so he must have escaped or been abandoned recently. We pulled out of the way and tried to call it to us--unsuccessfully. Another woman pulled up to find out what we were doing, and the three of us tried to get it over. Even with cat treats he was resistant. We started to do it the smart way; instead of trying to call him to us, the other lady and I went around to the other side to flush him out. It still didn't work until I started rustling some dead leaves on the grass. Finally, he came out of the bushes and I yanked at the scruff of his neck and held him tight. The other lady put him in his car, leading to the next question: what to do with him now?
The humane society was closed, so the other lady called a couple of friends to keep him with them until they re-opened on Saturday. No luck there. Fortunately another lady showed up--someone who went to the school in my neighbourhood, it turns out--with a can of cat food to help us out. She fell in love with him at first sight and decided to take him home.
Meanwhile, I ran a four-minute mile to the mall across the parking lot to get a cat carrier for him. When I got back, we put the carrier together and got in the car to catch him. In his efforts to avoid being put in the carrier, he made his way to the floor in front of the driver's seat, and nearly crawled under the dashboard into the engine compartment before the first lady and my mother wrestled him out and got him into the carrier. It was a tight fit (small carrier), but he's on his way to a better place. We exchanged phone numbers and parted ways.
Before we left the parking lot, I felt in my pocket and realized that I'd lost my wallet somewhere between Zellers and the parking lot. I retraced my steps into the mall and asked at the first register in Sears if it had been turned in. Sure enough, they'd just called my house to tell me they had the wallet. No idea how they got the number; I'm guessing they ran a check on one of my cards, but they could have had another way. Thankfully I had to take my driver's licence out of my pocket for ID when I paid, so I still had a credit card and my licence in another pocket to confirm my identity. (They fell out too, but I heard them land in the parking lot and picked them up.)
I got my wallet back, put all my cards where they belonged, and we set off for home--stopping at Chapters to browse and get some refreshment at Starbucks.
It was a full rich day! Ended the year on a high note, though! :)
Oscar, the kitty contortionist, has been spending most of his time at his original owner's house for the past few months. Last night, however, he spent the night here--huddled behind the toilet in the bathroom. He was acting grouchy and didn't seem happy, so my mother took him to the vet. He has a fever, red throat, and respiratory infection, so he's on meds. The vet also disposed of the Hartz flea collar his other owners gave him. Word to the wise: those things are toxic and do not kill fleas. He's outside right now (he was begging to go out, so we couldn't really resist), and hopefully he'll come back. He came to us when he was sick, so he probably realizes who his real owners are.
The second cat story started when we were driving away from the grocery store today. My mother started shouting and pointing at a small area of shrubs next to the driveway. A white and orange cat was wandering around it, totally lost. He was still in good shape and had a ring around his neck where a collar used to be, so he must have escaped or been abandoned recently. We pulled out of the way and tried to call it to us--unsuccessfully. Another woman pulled up to find out what we were doing, and the three of us tried to get it over. Even with cat treats he was resistant. We started to do it the smart way; instead of trying to call him to us, the other lady and I went around to the other side to flush him out. It still didn't work until I started rustling some dead leaves on the grass. Finally, he came out of the bushes and I yanked at the scruff of his neck and held him tight. The other lady put him in his car, leading to the next question: what to do with him now?
The humane society was closed, so the other lady called a couple of friends to keep him with them until they re-opened on Saturday. No luck there. Fortunately another lady showed up--someone who went to the school in my neighbourhood, it turns out--with a can of cat food to help us out. She fell in love with him at first sight and decided to take him home.
Meanwhile, I ran a four-minute mile to the mall across the parking lot to get a cat carrier for him. When I got back, we put the carrier together and got in the car to catch him. In his efforts to avoid being put in the carrier, he made his way to the floor in front of the driver's seat, and nearly crawled under the dashboard into the engine compartment before the first lady and my mother wrestled him out and got him into the carrier. It was a tight fit (small carrier), but he's on his way to a better place. We exchanged phone numbers and parted ways.
Before we left the parking lot, I felt in my pocket and realized that I'd lost my wallet somewhere between Zellers and the parking lot. I retraced my steps into the mall and asked at the first register in Sears if it had been turned in. Sure enough, they'd just called my house to tell me they had the wallet. No idea how they got the number; I'm guessing they ran a check on one of my cards, but they could have had another way. Thankfully I had to take my driver's licence out of my pocket for ID when I paid, so I still had a credit card and my licence in another pocket to confirm my identity. (They fell out too, but I heard them land in the parking lot and picked them up.)
I got my wallet back, put all my cards where they belonged, and we set off for home--stopping at Chapters to browse and get some refreshment at Starbucks.
It was a full rich day! Ended the year on a high note, though! :)
