I do not at all trust Halle, who has literally tried to kill other smaller cats that have stayed with us. For evidence thereof, please check out this little video, of Halle and 'her friend'. He lives around here, but gets to stay outside also, so they have a 'relationship'. The other cat in the video is a male, and Halle is actually larger than he is, and she is half the size she used to be, as she used to weigh a shocking 21.5 pounds. But she is a big girl, and tough to boot.
Since I did not trust Halle, I put the little one in the bathroom with food, water and a toitty. She didn't seem hungry or thirsty, but just scared to death. So after a while I let her out again, because she seemed more afraid inside than out. She did also appear to be declawed in front, which led me to believe that she had lost her people.
When I took her back out, I put her down and she would walk in front of me meowing as if to lead me somewhere. So I followed, hoping that she would take me to an apartment and I could find out if it seemed to be occupied, and she was just 'out', or if it was empty, and she'd been abandoned. Along the way I saw several other apartment dwellers who said they'd seen her, but didn't know where she belonged.
Unlike many places that I've lived, there has been only one other 'stray' cat here, and he was a tough looking tom (see picture below), just passing through. So the fact that she's out, and it's cold really bothers me.
Today I went to the office and asked if they knew her, and of course, the answer is no. They said she'd been around for about 2 weeks. We are supposed to 'register' pets when we move in, but I figure not too many do that, and probably lots of people acquire pets and don't let the office know (as the pet deposit is steep, and the probability of being kicked out over not registering a pet is small).
I had decided that if she was still wandering around today, I was taking her to the shelter. Yes, they may euthanize her. But in my experience, they do try to adopt out adoptable animals, and she is already declawed. At least there she would be not exposed to the elements, cars, dogs, etc, (Halle), and could be fed, and warm.
I also posted her on FB, and asked a friend about taking her. I went so far as 'catching' her and putting her in the cat carrier, which prompted great caterwauling.......and I felt awful. So I let her out. Off she went again, walking in the same direction as the other times, looking over her shoulder at me and meowing. So I followed. The first time we did this she went through the fence by the pool gate, which is locked and I couldn't follow her. It was dark and cold, and I didn't wait to see if or where she came out. Today she stopped short of the pool and office and just hung out in some bushes occasionally meowing at me.
So I came home again to review my options. In the past I've called every rescue I could find, and am always told the same thing; they are full, except for the City Shelter. Today I called the SPCA, and was told again, no room in the inn (because they have puppy mill puppies, ummmm, this is a CAT, and stays in the Cat area, but oh well)......and the kind person suggested call all the other rescues in town, well as I said, I've been down that road before.
I could just continue to hope that she finds her way home, or finds a home. She is not hanging around my apartment begging to come in after all.
So what is the best thing for unwanted, or apparently unwanted pets? In my last apartment residence, I would feed them, and received an eviction notice for my efforts, which is why I now live where I do.
It is also why on the Pepsi Refresh Grant challenge, I almost always vote for the "Spay Neuter Program" grant applications.
I have also had two three cats in the past adopted from rescues, all abandoned, all declawed. Why go to the expense, and put the cat through the discomfort that is the process of declawing, if you're just going to abandon the cat. One of my best cats, that I had for 15 years before she died, had been abandoned at the vet's office 3 (THREE) times before Animal Aid took her, and I adopted her.
One more time I'm reminded of a song lyric, "God is great, beer is good, and people are crazy".
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