Strays

There is a stray cat that lives in the front yard of my house, it's name is moo moo. A friend in passing dubbed it thus because of the kitty's striking resemblance to a cow. I buy it food and we all take turns feeding and watering moo moo. But s/he hasn't been granted house cat status. I really cannot afford to care for another cat, financially or emotionally. And neither of my room mates seem too interested in that idea, so she stays out front.

Last night, a little chihuahua came bounding up to our door. Yipping and bouncing, recently made a mother as was obvious by the swollen teats and protruding vaginal area, I was placed in a quandry. Call the pound? Go up & down the street looking for a parent? Adopt? Try to forget about her? She wasn't wearing a collar, and was very thirsty, but not hungry. I decided to just play outside with her for a while.

The main difference between a cat and a dog is that a dog needs much more care and attention. So where I feel somewhat comfortable with moo moo living on the front porch, this little yipper needed more immediate and conclusive questions and answers. Adoption is just out of the question for me at the moment. And the last time I went against my better judgement and let a dumpster cat win my heart, my sister ended up with a pet, (hence the illustrious Au Lait).

I'm of the opinion that it is generally better to adopt than to purchase, but there are certain obstacles that come with adoption. You really have no idea how traumatised the animal is, or how it will react to certain situations that it might have encountered before your time. Like with children, or large men in boots. And it takes a while for the essential nature of the creature to surface. Once it realizes that it is safe, and fed, and loved, it might begin to show it's true colors, and they may be somewhat violent, as in the case of Au Lait (And Mister, for that matter.)

It turned out that the little yipper ran over to a neighbor's house when they came out. "Is that your dog?" I called over. "No. Is it yours?" "No." Chichi didn't come back to me. I didn't really feel a connection with her, but had decided to take decisive action today if she was still hanging around.

As I was driving away this morning I saw little Chichi, trotting along at a fine clip with a young girl, and Chichi had a collar on. I breathed a sigh of relief.