I'm sure that Dwight and Tan can identify with this.
For all of last winter, through today, my 85 year-old aunt has had a friendly but straggly looking cat visiting her each day on his rounds throughout her neighborhood. On extreme cold or hot days, she would put out water for him, and sometimes a little dog food.
He had a tag with three phone numbers. One time, in about the last 9 months, my daughter-in-law actually got in touch with somebody from the tag. Most of the time we just got an answering machine. Somebody came and got the cat when my D-I-L talked to the human. Within 30 minutes, the cat was back on the streets.
My aunt's even-more-elderly next door neighbor was tired of having the overly friendly cat around her feet every time she went outside of her house. Yesterday, she told my aunt and my D-I-L that she called Animal Control to come get the stray cat.
Today, my grand daughter, my D-I-L, my wife, and I "catnapped" the critter and brought him to our house. When I let him loose in the basement, he nearly ripped open a Purina Cat Chow bag before I could get any into a food dish. He must have drunk at least a pint of water. He filled a litter box shortly there after.
He is a long-hair. He's now been brushed four times to get most of the knots out of his fur. His loose fur filled up a kitchen trash can. He is neutered and de-clawed. He is very well mannered, tolerant, and polite. He was somebody's very special friend.
It is sad that people can do this to such a defenseless and friendly animal. I'm guessing he is at least 10 years old. As you can see from the photo below, he doesn't seem to be very stressed as he accompanies me while I make this posting.
Having known him for several months before bringing him into our home, I figure he will make a good fishing and gardening partner -- and somebody who will tolerate my 8-year-old grand daughter, and her friends, dressing him in baby clothes.
