COMMUNITY CATS

Is your neighborhood like mine, stray, feral cats everywhere? I support a wonderful organization called Best Friends who run a huge facility for lost, abandoned, problem animals (dogs, cats, horses, rabbits - lots of different animals) on a ranch out west, and they prefer the term "community cats" rather than stray or feral, and promote the community to help these animals.



There are four cats who live across the street from my apartment building, next to the post office, in a parking lot of a school. There are several women, including myself, who help take care of this little pride. I met these other women while bringing food to the cats, and learned they REALLY take care of this pride, and have spent hundreds of dollars on trapping, spaying and neutering, and other health issues. When the cats are ready to be released - they cannot be domesticated - their ears are clipped so the animal is marked as being spayed. Me, I just bring food, and was amazed at the dedication of these women.




There is one old male I call Tomcat that incredibly is still alive. I have been feeding him for several years and am always amazed to see him. "Tomcat, you're still alive?" I say to him, looking at his poor eyes, rough fur and many times, terrible wounds. He is the leader of this little pride, and is dearly loved by one black female and two of his offspring, which I believe are both female also. They have all been spayed, Tom was neutered, and they just loll around the parking lot waiting for someone to come feed them.




I make it sound like the life of Riley, lolling around, but you know the street is a very hard place to live. I wish I could take better care of old Tom. When I was talking to the other women they told me the vet did as much as he could for him, cleaned him up, treated wounds, did medical stuff on his eyes, and he looked pretty good for a minute. Now of course, he looks awful. He knows me now, and lets me get somewhat close to him, within a couple of feet while I'm putting out his food, but he will never let me touch him. Poor ol' Tom.

If there are cats in your neighborhood, try to take care of them. Get them neutered and spayed so they can't reproduce, make a shelter so they have protection from rain and weather, monitor their health so they don't spread diseases. It isn't necessary to kill them, all life needs to live its life, but we can try to make another's life as comfortable as possible, and food is the best gift you can give. All religions say so. Being able to feed another being is a gift from God. You know all the gods will bless you when you feed another being, even the strays in your neighborhood.