The Found Cat

Whack saw a black bag sitting in an otherwise empty parking spot at the grocery store yesterday. A duffel of sorts. A bomb? Someone's luggage that accidentally fell off the back of a truck?

It was 100 degrees in direct sunlight at this point, and whatever was in that bag had to be cooking. She circled around to get a better look and discovered that part of the bag was mesh, and the contents within were visible. And then....an ear twitched.

The cat was exhausted, hot, and completely dehydrated. She was panting when Whack found her, crouched in the bag. And still, despite her discomfort, completely friendly.

I came home from work to find Whack in a state of dizziness. It didn't take me long to understand why.

Found Cat is beautiful, all black with some white patches. She's tremendously affectionate, full of purrs and rubs, and appears to be fairly well-kept. Once she got some water, she was fine. Absolutely fine. Cold wet nose, curious mew. She even lets the dog hang out with her, which I am not happy about because this is setting a precedent in the dog's mind that cats are Friendly Creatures. In the year and a half that Whack's dog has cohabitated with my cats, she still has not learned that my cats: a) do not like her, b) do not want to play with her, and c) WILL lash out if she comes within ten feet.

I digress.

There are things in this world that move our foundations in ways that leave us with a little less faith in humanity. Who, on this planet, could leave a cat in a black carrier in a parking spot on a day hotter than the surface of the sun? And, the even worse question- what would have happened if Whack hadn't come upon the bag? I don't want to know, and whenever my mind starts to wander down that path I have to reel it back.

It's not worth thinking about. It's not worth thinking about because Whack DID find this cat, and this cat found the right people. We have given her food, water, a litter box, and a warm little bed. (Actually, the bed was generously "donated" by the dog.) We have emailed everyone we know in this neighborhood (which, between my trivia list and my neighbor's Emergency list, totals close to 300 people.) At this point, I'm not terribly concerned about finding the owners. Mostly because, unless there is some ridiculous circumstance that robs them of culpability in leaving a cat in a parking lot, they don't deserve to get this creature back. I am of the lot that believes in making animal cruelty a felony. I have no pity for anyone who knowingly harms an animal. I worked in a shelter in college and am all-too-familiar with the sick and twisted things people can do to animals.

Whack happened to be in the right place at the right time, and the cat is comfortable and already spoiled. We can't keep her. Not with two cats and a dog already residing here. But she is possibly the luckiest of Found Cats because we will take care of her until we find her a home, and in the event that we can't find her a home, I will take her to one of the No-Kill rescues. I don't care if I have to drive to the Eastern Shore. This cat will not be left anywhere that she might be euthanized. It was her good fortune to have found us, and our responsibility to do our best by her.

So, regardless of how this pans out, for this cat the story ends happily.

Anyone want a cat?