Grief

                Does a cat grieve over another cat’s passing?  I don’t know for certain.  I haven’t researched the experts’ findings.  I judge by what I see.  Perhaps in this case, experience is the best teacher.  When something happens to Mother cats, one hears the meows of the kittens.  This for certain is hunger.  But grieving when mother does not return, I feel is possible.

            No Name had four kittens.  They were Fred, Ricky, Lucy, and Ethel.  When No Name got ran over in the street, the meows came.  But having taught her young to eat solid food I put out, they were surviving.  But Lucy and Ethel came up missing.  Pieces left from a predator were found.  And now remaining were Ricky and Fred.  Out in the street, Fred became a victim of a car just like his mother.  But grieving did not seem to come from Ricky.  Instead it came from a cat named Sticks.  They were two male cats who played constantly together.  It was almost comical.  I think maybe getting along so good was that Sticks was neutered.  Fred was not.  But they played together.  Being a male though and perhaps not being neutered, Fred would wonder off.  Sticks stayed mostly in the yard.  The fact he had leukemia may have made a difference too.  Sticks had been hurt from being kicked by neighbor kids.  When deciding to bring him in the house, he got tested for it.  We were unable to bring him in since he would possible infect our indoor cats.  He was left outside.  I couldn’t see putting him down.  The fact that he could infect others has become no problem.  He’s outliving the healthy ones outside.  Fred was very healthy looking.  But his demise came from a speeding vehicle.  There is apparently no cure for cat leukemia.

            Sticks stopped playing and hardly moved from laying around in the yard.  It happened when Fred was gone.  We had buried Fred in the yard.  Sticks went and laid on the spot where Fred was put to rest.  How could he know?  He never watched us bury him.  But I already figured we would be burying Sticks.  I just knew he was dying.

            I constantly went to where sticks was laying and put out treats.  These were his favorite.  At first, he would not eat.  But finally he did.  I would rub him.  A cat just loves the stroke of his hair.  It took a few days until finally Sticks was back to his old self.  I can only pass this off as grief.  What else could it be?  Sticks is about to reach two years old.  Leukemia or not, he’s reaching the life expectancy of outdoor cats.  It would not surprise me if Sticks was around for some time now.  He’s called Sticks because of his long legs and skinny body.  He runs and hops like a rabbit.  His eyes are crossed as he had an eye disease that took him for his first vet visit.  If any cat had nine lives, Stick does.  He certainly had a longer life than Fred.  Fred was just one.  In humans, it is said we all have our way of going.   What’s to say that cat’s don’t either?  Leukemia may not be Sticks way to go.  As for now, he’s okay.  I show him the love of that rub as often as I can.  I look for him every time I go outside.  And like clockwork, he comes hoping with his long legs.  He’s not a pretty cat, but he sure is a loveable little fellow.

A Tribute

             You could never prove it to me that there are millions of cats out there. Until I started feeding cats in winter 2009, I never saw any. They apparently hide from humans. But it all began for me when my son came in the house saying there was a mother cat and her kittens in our hedge. What shelter she had found as it had been snowing. My son lay down a paper plate with food. We hoped the cats were the ones who ate it. The mother cat and her kittens disappeared as well as the food shortly after.

            Perhaps there is something to that, that cats tell other cats,” There’s food down there!” Slowly but surely; the number of cats increased. People say, “Don’t feed strays.” They are God’s creatures. They get hungry and need to eat. Once you start; then how can you justify stopping?

            In the four year span, I have seen many come and many go. I have seen them die. I look; and they discontinue coming. I figure they met their demise somewhere out there. It is said they have a life expectancy of two to five years. I think maybe that is true. So, why is it reported to be so many strays out there?

            A cat is an independent animal. He comes and goes as he wishes. And to feed them does not make them yours. If I could bring every cat indoors, I would. But I know my limit of how many I can feed and take care of with routine vet visit. I EVEN ASKED THE VET’S OPINION ON THIS. How many I can have and maintain sanitary conditions. I know how many keeps me from being a hoarder. To those cats that remain outside, I do give names. This way I ask myself, “Where’s such and such?” I give a tribute now to many I have seen go.

Skillet               Rags        Hope             Joyce              Neil

Illa                    Calico      Little Calico   Cotton Tail       No Name

Devil Eyes        Moe         Lucy              Ethel               Waco

Ugly                 Buddy      Tangerine      Moth Ball         R.J.

Midnight           Bushel     Scared           Fred

                The Seven Dwarfs were brought by their Mother so she could teach them to eat solid food. But bits and pieces in the yard showed they had become some predator's lunch. So many kittens have met their demise in the same way. They never reached the naming stage. I do see this. But the internet prepares one when feeding stray cats telling you that you will see this. It becomes obvious to me that it may well be what is called the “Circle of Life.” It still hurts though to see any abuse of animals whether predator, or whatever. Starvation could have them meeting their demise sooner. So, I continue feeding.