Last night, I came home after a big trivia win at Rivers Casino – I was the only one who knew the answer to the final question regarding the year the last episode of the Oprah Winfrey Show aired – 2011 – and my Rivers gift card collection is now $100 fatter.
It’s pouring rain outside, but I can still drive safely home. And as I pull up to my home in the Town and Village, and park in my usual on-street parking place…
My headlights picked up something under the truck parked in front of me.
There he is. The soggy, drenched cat that I took pity upon last Saturday, now hiding under a parked truck and trying to stay dry.
I know what this means.
The cat cried and mewed, looking scared and hungry.
I know what this means.
I went into the house, opened up another can of tunafish, and placed it on my porch.
So this is actually the third can of tunafish that I’ve provided to this little cat.
And it brings up a very interesting quandary.
After I told a few people about my act of charity Saturday morning, feeding the cat when he showed up soggy and meowing on my front porch, most of my friends said, “Well, did he show up on Sunday?”
“”Yeah, he did.”
“Yep, that cat’s going to work you like a softie, he’s going to play up the sympathy card and you’re going to feed him, and he’ll probably bring five of his friends to your porch because you’re feeding him.”
Well …
The thing is, this cat doesn’t have any collar or tags. There’s no one claiming this cat. For all I know, this is a local feral cat that has no home.
And for that matter … what’s so bad about feeding a stray cat?
Besides, this is the closest I can get right now to having my own pet … without having to purchase cat litter or innoculations or the like. If it means a can of tunafish every now and again to make a cat happy, then so be it.
Now someone’s going to say to me, “Hold on, Miller, I’ve seen you write blog posts about being pestered by panhandlers, and you won’t give to panhandlers. You are aware that this cat is doing the same thing, right?”
No it’s not. Because I’m not giving the cat my spare change. I’m giving him food.
And unless he’s pocketing this tuna in his jowls and scampering over to his local dealer to swap the tunafish for catnip…
Anyways, I just want to hear from you on this. Am I doing the right thing by feeding this stray cat? Or should I just chase him away from my porch and let him go back to his owner, wherever it may be? Am I causing problems by feeding him, or am I doing a kindness?
Let me know in the comments below.
In the best of all possible worlds, you’d get the cat fixed. But yeah.
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Ditto to Roger, and have fun on Perseid shoot this week end, you decide where yet?
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Right now the weather forecast looks good for Essex County on Saturday night..
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Yes, please. Keep enabling.
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I don’t think it’s necessarily a bad thing — you are helping an animal in need. And so what if he brings his friends over? Maybe this little cat will change your life. Anyway, just follow your heart.
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Face it, you’re an Oprah fanboy and a cat owner.
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I agree with Roger, get the cat fixed. And why not pick up a few cans of cat food? It’s cheaper than tuna and probably has more of what a cat needs.
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Just help the cat dad. It’s not too much. It really is pocket change.
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i come from another side of the fence having several outdoor cats (some are calico beauties!) that can’t keep a collar around their necks to save their nine little lives. i even had well meaning neighbors take two of my cats to the shelter (bail out price $80 and the cats went RIGHT back outside), thinking they were strays. neighbors on both sides of me have food and water out so now my cats don’t come home to partake. i lost a cat to another neighbor and a can of tuna. she emerged months later from “hiding”….but she’s HIS now. be careful about assuming all outdoor cats are strays. as i like to say…”all who wander are not lost” and ANY cat will be yours for the price of a can of cat food….or tuna.
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You can guess how I feel about this.. thank you for feeding him, and please continue to do so. I would suggest picking up some cans of cat food, as it’s cheaper, and a diet of canned tuna isn’t especially good for the cat. I agree with Roger about getting him/her fixed… there are less expensive vouchers for spaying and neutering. Also, veterinary hospitals have devices to scan for a chip. Some folks put a paper collar with info on it..in case the cat DOES have a home, the owner can be advised that their cat is mouching food in the neighborhood. I think he’s homeless, or far from home. Check Steve Capparizzo’s pet connection page, and check FB for any lost pet pages in your area, where someone may have placed a lost pet post.
Someone you know must have a carrier you can borrow, if you go that far with cat.
Thank you for caring about the cat, though I wouldn’t expect any less from you, my friend.
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Put out a bowl of water too
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Contact SCRUFF in Guilderland. They can help you figure out what is the best way to deal with this. Unfortunately, Gov Cuomo vetoed a bill that would coordinated rescue groups with the ASPCA and Animal Control to help in situations like this, but there are still groups like Scruffs that do good work with cats and can help you with this issue. http://scruffcats.org/our-services/
contact@scruffcats.org
518-526-3372
PO Box 200
Guilderland, NY 12084
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