A cat

The cat came back on Thursday morning. Actually it was at a neighbors' and the wife was petting it so I said,

"Oh, is this your cat?"

"No. But it is a friendly cat isn't it? It's been hanging around here for about two weeks. We don't want a cat though. We're not feeding it but it keeps coming back."

We chatted a bit about what to do and the wife and the cat followed me home where Tetsu got involved in the conversation.

"It's a female so it's going to have kittens if we aren't careful. How about if we (Tetsu and I) get it spayed and your family adopts it."

"My kids keep wanting to adopt it and I like animals but when they die... Anyway, I'd have to talk to my husband about it first. He'll be home in an hour."

So the cat stayed on our front door mat and the neighbor went home. But she didn't come back and in the end Tetsu and I decided that whether the neighbor wanted the cat or not, it was going to need to be spayed so we both went to the vet.

The vet is sort of our family friend. He and Tetsu have worked together (pet therapy programs at the convalescent home etc.) so the two of them chatted while the nurse ran a few tests and we arranged for the cat to be spayed that evening.

"Oh dear… I'm sorry to tell you that this cat has an immune disease."

So another cog thrown into the gears. The cat is healthy and can live a healthy life but it cannot be let into contact with other cats. So now what are we going to do? Find it a home but who is going to take a cat with a disease. So do we put it down? The vet did NOT think that was a choice.

"This is a perfectly wonderful, friendly, lovable cat. If someone with no other cats kept it there wouldn't be any problem."

We all spent a long time talking about whether to go ahead and have it spayed, or let it back loose as a feral cat, or trying to rearrange our own cat family to include another cat; one that can't be allowed with any of the others or finding someone to take it. We left it with the vet to be spayed.

And I told the neighbor that since it had a disease, that we didn't expect them to adopt it after all. The husband was very concerned about what we were going to do though. A few minutes later the wife came over and said her husband was willing to take the cat after all. Wow! Okay it would be home on Saturday and then we could make final arrangements.

The short of the story is that this morning, the neighbors decided they didn't want the cat after all. Yesterday they came over with their daughter who really wanted the cat. We talked about toilet training and costs of cat carriers, they went home to think it over again but this morning said they couldn't give an answer until after their kids' next doctor's appointment in two weeks. I don't think they really want the cat, they just feel obligated because the discussion has gone this far.

I was so let down. I've tried a couple other people but no one is ready for a new cat.

Tetsu has started building a cat house in our yard. He thinks the cat is a real cutie. I have not named the cat yet. I really haven't opened my heart to it yet though it is doing a good job of burrowing in. A cat lover friend is calling friends trying to help and she has been a God-send about keeping me upbeat.

So here is the cute cat all bundled up in its cat coat after being spayed (my vet's special invention!) Don't you agree with Tetsu? She really is a cutie!