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The Wright Perspective℠
Social Commentary from the C-Suite to Main Street℠
A Blog by Gary Wright II
A Tale of Two Kitties
Friday, August 20th, 2012
A Tale of Two Kitties - It was the best of times, it was the worst of times on Brindlee Mountain, Alabama. My feral feline friend Morris(sey) has been captured and put to death by the dog catcher. I'm a sucker when it comes to suffering animals, so I had been leaving food and cool water on my porch for Morris(sey). The dog catcher didn't seem pleased with my acts of kindness, and thought Morris(sey) was my cat and came knocking on my door. He informed me that Morris(sey) had attacked a neighbor lady, and he was there to take the cat away. I explained to him that Morris(sey) was not my cat - but I'm not sure if he believed me. The cat was certainly wild, but I didn't think he was viscious. But because he had bitten someone, the rules had changed and I reluctanty agreed to catch him and turn him over.
Once the dog catcher went away, Morris(sey) came running right to me and I locked him in a pet taxi. A neighbor had shot him twice, but had only wounded him. I sat and waited next to him until the dog catcher came back, which was one of the longest hours of my life. I'll never forget his desperate cries and the look of terror in his eyes when he realized I had captured him. By the time the dog catcher arrived, there were tears streaming down my face. I felt like I was doing the right thing, but I also felt like I had somehow betrayed my little friend.
Two sides of the mountain: Not of my doing, but two approaches were being tested against the feral cats. Right after I moved here, a neighbor went cat hunting and shot dead every cat he could find. No more "cat problem" here, but I thought that was a cruel way to handle the situation. [Yes, I spoke with police and there was nothing I could do about it]. On the other side of the mountain, a friend is letting "nature take it's course" and is allowing the cat situation time to fix itself. I can count 30+ cats just from the road and they are all starving, have worms, and in poor health. Both methods seem cruel to me, and I'm not happy with the outcome of either approach. I wanted to try doing a catch, fix, and release, but the costs for that many cats is way beyond my means.
Is it wrong to offer food / water to wild animals? How have other communities handled similar situations?
Morris(sey) may have been a little wild child, but I still love and miss him.
Best regards,
-- Gary Wright II