We were visiting my step-daughter in the neighboring state of Kentucky. She is one of those people who picks up and harbors every stray dog and cat she sees. To her husband’s and every visitor’s dismay, to step in her house is like walking into an animal refugee camp. It stinks! The spraying cats and the yelping dogs can push insanity! There is no place safe to sit, the house is stained with feces, hair, animal food, and destroyed furniture used for scratching poles beside walls dug out and destroyed by dogs. She is on a relentless search to pawn one or more of these strays to any willing person or family…r.e: Suckers.
Our son fell in love with, and I must admit it’s true, a beautiful, fluffy, six-month-old Persian male cat. His fur is almond. Around his eyes, ears, and paws, the almond fur blends into a dark coffee color. His eyes are the deepest ocean-sparkling blue. My wife hates cats, and I’ve never owned one. So, when my three year-old son begged me to let us take him home, and my step-daughter pushed him on us like an animal dealing drug-pusher, we absolutely, immediately declined. By the time we were in the car on our way back to Tennessee, the cat was in the floorboard and my wife and I were the Suckers.
All the way home, my wife and I pondered the magnitude of our mistake. But, our son’s glee was a worthwhile joy, no matter the cost. And the cat never moved or made a sound. When we arrived home, I bathed him and made provisions for him in the house. He was already litter-trained, thank God, and he proved to be a splendid indoor-cat . Our son named him “Little, the Cat”. He was now officially family.
That was over a year ago, and sad to say, he sprayed in the house that first spring and was exiled to face the cruel world. The spray-smell was horrible. It ruined the house for months. My wife labored futilely to erase the stench. Our son cried, and my heart wrenched for all of us.
Even though I sought to have him neutered, for the next year Little faced the outdoors alone. I fed him regularly and let him in for only a few seconds at a time. There were times we couldn’t find him for days, though he always managed to find his way home. I have had to rescue him a few times from the neighboring cats who beat him up and ate his food. Little the Cat is by no means a fighter. He was never bathed or brushed since his exile, and I worried relentlessly about him during those winter months.
Our son has gone to his grandmother’s for the weekend, and last night my wife and I went to the V.F.W. We came home about midnight. Little came hobbling on three legs. My wife noticed, so I picked him up and examined him. A large wound was exposed above his paw. He was bleeding. We brought him in, bandaged him up and made provisions for him. While bandaging him, he whined and fought us. He is now resting comfortably under my feet as I write this.
I called the local animal hospital to have him checked out and see if they could neuter him there. To my surprise, I learned that February is the national month to spay and neuter cats, so they are discounting the price to a measly $53.00! WOW! I had been under the assumption that this operation was at least $200-$300! What a good news slap-in-the-face! I could have had Little neutered last year, living safe and sound in the comfort of our home!
So, we are going this week to have him fixed. Our son will be so happy when he comes home, and that will one less burden on my heart. I just hope he doesn’t spray until then!
