5:14pm
Spay and Neuter
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When I was growing up, my parents insisted that all our pets (cats and dogs) be "outside" animals. We lived in southern California, so the weather was mild, and our yard was fenced. My dog was purchased from a breeder and was probably neutered, but none of my cats were. Generally, the males wandered off once they reached maturity, and the females had litters of kittens and were then banished by my parents to the local shelter (which, looking back on it, was probably a "kill" shelter, so they probably weren't doing the cats any favors). Both my parents grew up in the 20's and 30's on farms in the Midwest, and I wonder if it just didn't occur to them that housepets should be spayed and neutered, or that cats were really pets at all. They were otherwise intelligent and compassionate people.
Since I became an adult and have had pets of my own, I have made a conscious effort to make sure all my animals are spayed/neutered. In my own small way, I have contributed to rescue by getting strays off the streets and either adopting them myself, or finding loving homes for them.
My rescuees:
(1) RAGS. Very loving tortie cat, found in my neighborhood in Santa Clara. She was already spayed, and was probably abandoned by a military family when they got deployed elsewhere. She was an indoor/outdoor cat while we lived in that neighborhood (our house backed onto a golf course, where she went hunting). When we moved to a house backing onto a freeway onramp, we insisted Rags stay indoors, much to her chagrin. She loved catching mice and moles, and once brought us a bunny head that was just about as big as she was! She was maybe a year old when we got her in 1985, and she lived to be 18.
(2) PATCHES. Calico cat, also found in my neighborhood in Santa Clara, in 1986. She was adopted by Rags, who routinely drove every other cat out of my yard. Patches was also already spayed, and desperately wanting an inside home. She had a mouthful of broken teeth (the vet speculated someone had kicked this poor cat in the mouth) and cost $$$ in vet bills to have the badly infected remnants of her teeth extracted. It was totally worth it to see her playing again once she was out of pain. She was a loving companion and never showed interest in setting foot outside again once she had regular meals and a soft place to sleep. She was probably 6 when we adopted her, and lived to be 16.
(3) SORCA was an orange and white tabby cat found as a 6-week old baby crying on my neighbor's porch in Santa Clara, 3 doors down. I knew said neighbor had two dogs and no cats, so I swept up this baby and took her home. She had burns on her face, and there was no sign of her mom or sibs. Rags and Patches took an immediate dislike to her, so she had to live in exile in my garage until I could find someone to take her. She was adopted by friends of mine who lived in Berkeley, and she had a good life with them.
(4) KATRINA was a tabby cat adopted from the Washington Area Humane Society in 1992 while it was still a kill shelter. She was already an adult, maybe 4 years old, at the time of adoption. Based on her markings and her attitude, I often wondered if she had some Egyptian Mau in her. She climbed out of the cage and into my arms, and that was that. I was "her" person, and she was either on me or near me 24/7 until her untimely death from cancer at the age of 13 in 2002.
(5) PUNKIN was a calico juvenile (under a year old) who climbed through a ground-level window into our basement in 1998, looking for food and a sheltered place to sleep. Trina took an immediate dislike to her, so she ended up with friends of mine in Virginia Beach.
(6) BINKS is a large black cat who came to us as a scrawny juvenile (again, under a year old) in 1998. He tried to adopt the people across the street, but they had dogs and snakes that looked upon him as food. Trina tolerated him, so he got to stay in our household. We neutered him ASAP, but he still sprays if he feels confined or threatened, so he retains in/out privileges. We live in a rural area, and he is very personable, so all our neighbors know him and like him. He is currently 10 years old, and in very good health. We think of him as a wild animal that occasionally wants to eat and sleep indoors and receive chin scratches from us.
(8) MUTT and JEFF. These two boys were 8-week old orange and white tabbies picked up walking along the side of the road. My friend and I were afraid they'd get hit, so we scooped them up and brought them home. She took them to the Animal Rescue League in Pittsburgh, where they were adopted immediately because they were young and cute.
(9) MILLIE. Miss Millie-Millennium was found crying on our front porch a week after Halloween in 2000. She was maybe 6 weeks old. She was an adorable tortie, and I badly wanted to adopt her. Binks was very gentle with her, but Trina had issues, and I wasn't sure I wanted to be a 3-cat household. Millie was adopted almost immediately by someone from Pittsburgh (as she was young and cute). I regretted giving her up when Trina died two years later from cancer. Ah, well, hindsight...
(10) JENNY is a black and white "cow cat" adopted from the Washington Area Humane Society back when the Cat Castle was in operation. I used to go to WAHS and just sit in the cat rooms after Trina died, knowing I wanted another cat, but not knowing how to choose. Jenny was the "greeter" in her room at the Cat Castle and did everything but stand on her head for 2 months to get me to notice her. I finally got a clue, and Jenny came home with me three months after I lost Trina. She makes me laugh almost every day, which is exactly what I needed. Jenny is a "special needs" cat with an ongoing case of feline herpes; when she has a bad outbreak, I need to give her eyedrops and L-lysine by mouth. She was about one when I got her, and is coming up on 7 this year--how time flies!
(11) MERLIN. Mr. Merlin Marmelade was about a year old when he turned up on our front porch. He was an orange and white kitty with a great personality. We wanted to keep him, but we were fairly sure Binks would not put up with another male (even a neutered one) in his territory. Merlin ended up with a friend of a friend who had just lost his cat and was looking for a new companion. From what we've heard, Merlin loves his new home.
(12) SCAREDY CAT. This juvenile male turned up while we were running our annual haunted house. He was a beautiful orange and white long-haired cat with an extremely matted tail. He was cold and hungry and frightened of all the noise. One of our long-time customers said they would adopt him if we could hold him until she and and her husband went through the haunted house. So we incarcerated Scaredy Cat in the bathroom with some food until they went through. I offered a carrier/box, but the wife just zipped him up in her jacket, and they went off to his new home. They report later that he has blossomed into a beautiful and loving pet.
So, there you have it. 24 years, 12 lives saved, and more to come, I"m sure.
