Dodgy Cat Lady
I'm not sure if you've read enough to decide if I'm a monster yet, so let me tell you another story. This one is about the dodgy cat lady. It's not bad enough to be an urban legend yet but it sure feels like it.
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A few weeks ago a lady I know was looking to re-home a cat she has. She sends me a picture of a kitten she says is 8 months old. Apparently I don't have enough cats so I offered to take this one. I ask the questions people do like is it desexed, microchipped, vaccinated, boy or girl, blah blah blah? I'm assured this little boy is all of those things except probably not microchipped, she wasn't sure, a bit funny on the details. I ask why she's giving him away and she says he's not getting along with the other two cats in the house. Yeh ok, what the hey. I tell her I'll pick him up in five days. She pleads I pick him up now and I said I'm busy this weekend and I'd rather pick him up after so I can settle him in. She of course tries to convince me over the next few days to get him sooner and the reply is along the lines of it being ok if she gives him to someone else and that I'd understand.
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So the big day comes, possibly 5 days later and I get the cat. He's no kitten. Somewhere along the line while she's urging me to come get him sooner she's also mentioned that he's actually 1yo and claimed he is siamese. I don't know what to think by then but I'd already offered him to one of my kids (that's how you validate extra pets). I come to pick him up anyway and after knocking on the wrong persons door (as I'm accustomed to somehow) I head home with one at extra.
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I get home and the cat is immaculate, tidy and without temper. He is the wuss of the house and spends his days and nights curled on my bed. He loves his humans. I never suspected a thing. He was active, purred constantly and ate and pooped like it's the only thing to do when not sleeping on my bed. What a brilliant little buddy. He meows to come in and out. What above remarkable behaviour!
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Anyways, so then comes this discovery. I am shocked and mortified. I think someone has mutilated my cat and notice that someone has attempted to castrate him by binding his balls in a rubber band. I am shocked but I try to get it off. It's impossible. I even ask one of my children to hold him so I can try more carefully only to be told she's noticed it there before. The cat scratches me for the first time ever and I let him go. Shocked again, I asked her 'when?' and why she didn't tell me. She simply replies she thought that was a normal way to desex a cat. It appears that for the first time ever I have actually looked at his testicals and he actually came to me like that. Now you might be wondering how I can spend so much time with this cat and have never looked at his dick and balls but I have to admit that the thought never occurred to me and we just don't spend that kind of time doing that kind of stuff together. Maybe other pet owners do it regularly for health or whatever but the shiny happy cat already looked pretty good to me.
Shocked again I call the lady I got him from and we have a chat. She admits her sister in law did it a few weeks before she gave him to me. When asked why she didn't mention this to me she said because she thought it was normal. Extremely stressed I said we would be likely up for a very expensive vet bill and he needs to go to the vet or go home. I tell her I'll be seeing her tomorrow.
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I cool off a bit after that and then I regret the idea of sending him home to her. Would she just pass him on again? What would happen to him? Things still aren't quite right so I call the first smartest animal lady I can think of and we talk it through. She tells me she had heard of this cat before and how he was supposed to go to the vet because it had been brought to her attention before. We talk about the cat a bit more and I tell her where it's from and she tells me the the last owner lived in the same street as me. Then it clicks..... When was this? A week ago? I already had him then. Apparently a neighbour had accused ME of doing this to my own cat a week or so ago and had not discussed this with me. I could have known sooner but instead she had decided it was more important to tell everyone else in the neighbourhood. The sudden realisation makes me sick, especially when I realise which neighbour it is (it's the one who steals my other cat). As the story goes she claims this one is at her house constantly and it 'breaks in' all the time. I'm not sure what's going on there but the lady on the phone tells me that she told my neighbour to take him to the vet and not her pet shop but she ignored her advice and showed up at her shop anyway. Somewhere along the line the cat was released again and returned home and I'm none the wiser.
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So anyways, here I am waiting to book an appointment with the vet in the morning. The damage is done and it's too late. I've discussed this decision with smart animal lady. I've also called the lady who gave him to me back and made her promise to come with me tomorrow. The nasty urban legend that I am just doesn't feel like copping the brunt of the accusations. I just don't feel like it.
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Instead of talking about people maybe talk to them instead? I dunno, I suppose everyone does things differently. May the image of the balls of my cat burn in your memory forever.
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-crazy cat lady checking out after another post tonight.
Goodnight.