A while back we took in a black and white cat as a stray, he was not altered. We had him for a few days and then a phone call came from a family asking us if we had him.
The cat was a therapy cat for one of their children. I told them yes that we had their cat and asked why he wasn’t neutered. The answer was quite simple, they couldn’t afford it. At this point we were worried about the child missing him, but asked if we could hold on to him for a few more days so that we could get him neutered and vaccinated. We told the family there would be no expense for them, as the Ark would take care of the expense.
In our minds it was the only thing to do. We did not want the cat reproducing. The expense for the neuter does not come easy for us. We have no guaranteed income, but when you believe in something you work hard to find a way. We gave the family the benefit of the doubt. We neutered and vaccinated the cat and called the family to come and take him home. We also asked for them to keep him inside and they agreed.
The next day we received a phone call saying that the cat was missing again which was very frustrating. The cat was located and went back home. From there on out we kept getting reports that the cat was outside most of the time, which broke our hearts. He legally belonged to them and there was nothing we could do but watch.
Months went by and I ran into the family while shopping. They told me they had moved and that they couldn’t catch the cat so they left him behind and that we could have him if we wanted him. I was both shocked and horrified. How do you move and just leave your child’s therapy cat behind? I walked away thinking I gave this family the benefit of the doubt and that was one of the biggest mistakes that I have ever made. I felt guilty for giving the cat back, but legally I had to.
The search began for the cat and it was determined he was living in an old abandoned trailer so we started leaving food for him. Sadly the trailer was hauled away which meant no more shelter for the cat. As the weather grew colder sightings of the cat grew less and less. This cat was once a happy, friendly cat and now he no longer trusts humans. He runs when he sees us and I can’t say that I blame him after what has happened to him. It is too cold to set traps so for now we wait and we watch, we leave food and hope he survives the winter. We have feral cat boxes and we hope he uses them to stay warm,
Sadly stories like this happen all too often. People move and just leave their pets behind. In my mind this is inexcusable.
Giving people the benefit of the doubt when it comes to the life of an animal is not something I take lightly. After this experience I will always give the animal the benefit. The benefit of proper vet care, food, shelter and love. The doubt is something that I will give the human. Show me you are trustworthy of doing the right thing when it comes to the life of an animal. Leave no room for doubt in my mind that you will do the right thing. Do not hand me a sob story in hopes you will gain my sympathy. I am a hard person to win over when it comes to entrusting you or anyone with the life of an animal.
We pray that this story will have a happy ending. This boy needs to come inside out of the cold and learn to trust humans again. Thank you for your continued support and as always, thank you for reading our column.
The Ark Animal Sanctuary is located on 101 Old Woodstock Road. To contact Lorraine Monfils call 207-532-7387 or check out the sanctuary’s Facebook page.
