I've always been a dog guy. You know, the whole loyalty thing and all that. A dog will give you all the affection you want and come back for more.
If a cat feels you have rubbed it the wrong way -- literally or otherwise -- it's gone over the fence in two seconds. Cats can disappear for hours, days or weeks. But when they show up again, you'd better have the food ready, or else.
Maybe I'm not being fair to the furry little creatures. It's just that cats and I have never hit it off, despite our many encounters.
I really should have more compassion for them, considering what I've seen some of them go through.
Years ago, the family cat had a litter of kittens. In the beginning, we kept them in a cardboard box. Our little nephew came over for a visit and wanted to see the kittens. When we weren't looking, he strangled one.
It was an accident, of course. Just like it was an accident when the kitten we were holding for a friend escaped from the front porch before she could get there to pick it up. Who knew it could squeeze through the narrow bars of the front gate?
We've tried over and over with cats through the years -- usually to appease the kids. My daughter had a cute kitten when she was in third grade. Then one day, a neighborhood dog broke through the back-yard hedge, chased down the kitten and murdered it, right in front of the kid.
Even though I'm not a big fan of theirs, cats seem to like me. Once, I was confined to bed following foot surgery when my wife asked me to keep an eye on our very pregnant cat. The cat was placed next to me on the bed in a cozy cardboard box with warm blanket and all.
No sooner had my wife left on an errand than the cat let out a blood-curdling scream, leaped out of the box onto my chest, and proceeded to deliver her litter all over me.
Yeah, I can do without cats.
Here's my problem. The rest of my family seems to like them. So here I am again, with two felines I'm not thrilled with, but about which I have a certain amount of compassion.
The dilemma: What to do with them?
For now, they are still at our previous home in the San Gabriel Valley. We're still there often enough, packing up the rest of our stuff, to keep them fed and watered. Neighbors keep an eye out for them. The cats don't really seem to care if we're there or not. In fact, they've pretty much taken over the place.
We have plenty of room for them in our new place here in Menifee, but we also have more family members living here now and cats don't really fit into the picture. Besides, we're renting and we only have approval for the family dog. So the challenge is to find other homes for Angel (a female about 10) and Cosmo (an 8-year-old male).
So far, we have no takers for these creatures in our old neighborhood. If we don't bring the cats with us, a visit to the local animal shelter might be our only option. That might not end well, if you know what I mean.
If we bring them out here, we need someone to take them or somewhere to place them. You all know the area better than I do. What are our options?
I know of the great work being done by the Sun City K9 Adoptions group, which is featured regularly on this site. It appears they take cats as well. I know there are also other animal rescue groups in the area.
I know cats are very territorial. What would you do? I feel sorry for the little critters and they are well-behaved. It's just time for them to move on -- either out here or somewhere else in the San Gabriel Valley.
At least if they end up somewhere out here, I will feel like we did more than simply walk out on them or take them to a cat death chamber back home. On the other hand, they may hate us for yanking them out of their familiar surroundings and take off somewhere out here, only to be eaten by a coyote.
Let me know if you have any ideas. I really want my next cat story to have a happy ending.
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