WillThink4Wine

Tis the night before Christmas and all through the town,
every shelter is full - we are lost, but not found,
Our numbers are hung on our kennels so bare,
we hope every minute that someone will care,

They’ll come to adopt us and give us the call,
“Come here, Max and Sparkie - come fetch your new ball!!
But now we sit here and think of the days…
we were treated so fondly - we had cute, baby ways,

Once we were little, then we grew and we grew
now we’re no longer young and we’re no longer new.
So out the back door we were thrown like the trash,
they reacted so quickly - why were they so rash?

We “jump on the children:, “don’t come when they call”,
we “bark when they leave us”, climb over the wall.
We should have been neutered, we should have been spayed,
now we suffer the consequence of the errors THEY made.

If only they’d trained us, if only we knew…
we’d have done what they asked us and worshiped them, too.
We were left in the backyard, or worse -let to roam-
now we’re tired and lonely and out of a home.

They dropped us off here and they kissed us good-bye…
“Maybe someone else will give you a try.”
So now here we are, all confused and alone…
in a shelter with others who long for a home.

The kind workers come through with a meal and a pat,
with so many to care for, they can’t stay to chat ,
They move to the next kennel, giving each of us cheer…
we know that they wonder how long we’ll be here.

We lay down to sleep and sweet dreams fill our heads…
of a home filled with love and our own cozy beds.
Then we wake to see sad eyes, brimming with tears -
our friends filled with emptiness, worry, and fear.

If you can’t adopt us and there’s no room at the Inn -
could you help with the bills and fill our food bin?
We count on your kindness each day of the year -
can you give more than hope to everyone here?

Please make a donation to pay for the heat…
and help get us something special to eat.
The shelter that cares for us wants us to live,
and more of us will, if more people will give.

–Author Unknown

Last night Menace Cat scared the heck out of Motherdear again, not to mention my cats. Menace Cat came up to the back door cat flap and almost got in again. Motherdear closed and locked it just in time. Of course Menace Cat was howling and growling and my cats answered him with their own howling and growling.

For extra fun, he came back this morning and did it all over again. We are all very weary of this-it’s high time to find out who he belongs to, or call Animal Control if we can’t determine an owner.

The only good thing I can say is that my cats escaped without injury this time.

Menace Cat SO needs to be neutered.

I will never understand why pet owners do not neuter their pets. Please, don’t say they can’t afford it. While I realize that deciding to have a pet is not the same as deciding to have children, I do think that you have to make a serious commitment for their safety, well being and happiness. If you can’t afford to meet all of their needs and a few of their wants, please, don’t take the animal home. If you don’t have the time to spend with the animal, much as you would any member of the family, please, leave them at the shelter for someone who can and will.

I have 2 cats; both male, both neutered. About a year and a half ago I moved from a large city to a much smaller city in another state. One of the prerequisites I gave to my Realtor was that I very much wanted a nice, quiet “tree-sy” neighborhood with a yard with at least half an acre so that I could let my cats out once in a while to enjoy the fresh air.

My cats just love the yard, but having been indoor cats for so long they are now ”scaredy-cats”, sticking to the perimeter of the house, venturing out only far enough to see if a squirrel may miraculously fall from the trees and land in front of them. They will lay under that tree, literally for hours, just waiting. However, all it takes is a single noise and they are through that cat flap before you have figured out what spooked them.

In the last week one of my cats has been attacked twice. Both instances happened in my yard. The attacker is an older, larger un-neutered male. My cat now has 2 puncture wounds, one of which my vet tells me may yet abscess. A visit to the vet, a shot of steroids and amoxicillan = $100. This is my third visit to the vet this year directly because of this “menace” cat. Let me be clear about this, while I call him “menace” cat I do not blame the cat. We do not know where this “menace” cat lives, but someone feeds him and he is wearing a red collar.

As of yesterday’s attack my cats are again indoor cats. Despite the fact that I have a lovely fenced yard for them, I will have to build them a screen porch. I have an obligation to keep them safe.

A neighbor has obtained a trap from Animal Control, but so far he has only been able to trap a sweet old kitty from next door (sweet old kitty is neutered). I have already told my vet - if we do ever catch that “menace” cat - I will pay to have him neutered. Neutering him will help to reduce his desire to be dominant-aggressive, but it will not “fix” him. He has learned behaviors that the surgery will not change.

Spaying or Neutering is good for you, good for your pet and good for your community.