#540: My Furry Friends

It is almost 9:30 p.m. and I am back from feeding the colony cats down the street. After a rain such as we had tonight their food was soggy and their bowls needed cleaning and filled with fresh food. During storms, some of the cats find cover in the carports of the houses near where they are fed, but some get wet. My heart breaks for them as I wish they had a shelter for themselves and their food.

But I can only do so much for them. At least they do have food and fresh water every day and lots of attention.

Two years ago when my friend and neighbor went into a nursing home and I took over care of the colony she had fed at her house for years, I never expected it would become such a long-term and expensive endeavor.

Yet, when I park and get out of the car and they run to me to get their heads and backs scratched and I then watch them run to their food bowls and afterward eat their treats as we socialize more, the time and costs are forgotten.

At that time two years ago, I took four of them into my home and recently added an abandoned one that had been feeding outside for a year from a condemned house next door . A few days ago she, Bobbi, let me hold her in my lap and pet her as she fell asleep, finally feeling secure.

Plus, there is another fixed stray, Blackie, that has stayed outside my house for more than a year. There were two outside fixed cats, Blackie and Gray, for the past year, but Gray has been missing for two weeks. I worry every day what happened to her.

Pet lovers, especially cat lovers, will understand my feelings and the tears I often cry over these furry creatures as I wish so much I could do more for them.

Lou