A Cat From Last April

I got a call.

Isn't that how most of my stories begin.

The woman had to remind me who she was.  I didn't deal with her last April, you see.  I dealt then with someone else, who is now gone from the property in question.

But I thought I trapped this colony she was calling about long before last April.  But my records don't lie and that's when it was.  22 cats fixed there.    At that time, one of the boys had a really bad eye.  He was just a teen they called Willy.   I talked to Heartland Humane at that time, who said they'd take him in, if relinquished, along with a few others.  I talked to the property owner, who said he'd call and make an appointment, which he did.  But he never showed up at the appointment with the cats, including Willy.

This was Willy back in April, when he got fixed, just a teenager then.

I didn't hear from them again.   Until day before yesterday.

And by now, the woman in the trailer on the property, who I dealt with before, has left the property.  She had cats in that trailer too, who she wouldn't let me get fixed, said she'd get vouchers to get it done, didn't get it done, and left some of them at least, when she left the property.  So now there's two or three more needing fixed. 

The woman who called day before yesterday said Willy's eye needed help and could I help.  Before she hung up I was messaging Heartland about it.  They're the ones who help out.  Best shelter around these parts.  I told them the story, that they had offered before to help this very same cat, could they possibly help now?  Of course they would, they said, bring him tomorrow.

See yesterday was a surgery day and I'd planned to take Little Sally to be fixed.  She's the last unfixed kitten in my bathroom from that rural Lebanon colony.  Then a former homeless woman had a cat I was to pick up to be fixed Thursday morning.  Willy could come along, Heartland said.  So I went and picked up Willy.

At first, again, I was told they'd relinquish, but then the property owner, who likes cats and also pirates, said Willy was his favorite and could the eye just be helped.  Anyhow, that's what happened.  Willy had what the tech called a micro eye, damaged and shriveled from viral infections, likely herpes and it needed out.  So they took it out.

This is Willy last night, after his shriveled eye was removed.  Done for a very easy price too.  HCC paid.  

Since Heartland had offered to take in Willy but that wasn't going to come about because they want him back, I decided to stretch my luck a bit and ask if they could take in Little Sally.  She's very tame now and wonderful.  They said they would but I'd need to bring her home for the weekend and then next week they'd have space.

This is Little Sally.  She's about the sweetest kindest little girl.  A torbi.  She was spayed yesterday, even chipped to Heartland Humane, but she came home with me, until they have room.

 And I hadn't gotten that former homeless lady's cat.  I went over there, early yesterday morning, to get her, handed her a carrier through the door, had told her she'd need to back her in, slowly, had told her that three times.  But I could see her through the screen door, grab the cat and try to shove her head first into the carrier on the table, no finesse at all, and then I saw a flash of cat running and knew this wasn't going to happen.  She'd been scratched and was angry, wanted to blame me somehow, and I told her again cats don't like to be shoved head first into a strange dark hole.   I left the carrier there, told her to get the cat used to it, in the bathroom, close her in the bathroom next time, to get her in.  Well, anyhow.  Now she's scheduled to be fixed Monday.  We shall see.  And her neighbor has an unfixed cat too.

So I only had Willy and Little Sally to take to Heartland.  Willy will be here recuperating in the garage a few days.  Little Sally will be here until next week.  She's so lovely and sweet.  I hope she gets a great home.  And that will be one down, one of five moved on and out of the bathroom.

Property owner with all the cats out there is a nice guy, has lots of people he lets live there who can't afford anywhere else.  Tries to make a  living too.  Makeshift pirate ship out front of his place.  Now he'll have a one eyed cat to go along.