The Catman
It’s snowing this morning so I opened up the curtains in the front room. While sitting at the computer, I noticed the cat man walking by the house. Although there are bushes in front of the window, part of the window is still exposed. He stared right at me (or so it felt) the entire time he was walking past. He still has his cats. 
I talked to a lady yesterday for quite awhile about this. She is also involved in rescuing cats at risk. She told me about an ongoing situation where the group has been trying for three years to take custody of several cats under the care (for lack of a better word) of a women in a fractured mental state. Three years! She said the woman had over 20 cats, and now through everything, there are only four cats left alive. One three year old female cat when they finally did get her to a vet, had NO teeth because of malnutrition. Sue said that this county has no resources to help cats period. NONE! Meetings of the powers to be are just that meetings. Nothing is ever decided as a course of action to help the stray/feral cat problem and abused/neglected cat problem.
February 28th, 2007 at 5:10 pm
My heart goes out to those precious cats, and thank goodness for people like you. I hope something can be done to help those poor kitties.
March 2nd, 2007 at 11:36 am
I have found this to be a real problem. I can´t tell you how many places I´ve called over the years, never giving up, always trying vets and animal control people (try to butter up one of these folks… you´ll know the meaning of the word futility!) and regular folks (a lot of friends and family think I am part of the problem for trying to help cats and chance the situation for them… they almost never understand why I do it and are rarely supportive–the exceptions are few, but there are friends who go out of their way, even helping me foot some vet bills, so I have to give kudos to them), neigbors (I’ve had so many people go out of their way to make it impossible for me to continue caring for cats, even when I make sure to clean up after the cats), co-workers who rail about you becoming “the crazy cat lady”, even well-meaning organizations that are trying to do their part (like People for Animals) are so busy that they become pretty much useless (and that’s not their fault,,, it just means that there is a tremendous overflow of cats that need help).
In New York City, where I work, there has been a lot of good work in the last ten years. There are even mobile TNR clinics. I believe that momemtum is going to build, with places like NY setting the example. It HAS TO. Things have to chance. Treating cats like vermin is not the answer. The problem just perpetuates itself. At the same time, this kind of work is often lonely and very emotional and difficult. Let’s keep on doing as much as we can and let’s be there for each other. I think we can. I almost want to say I am proud of you for trying to help these cats, even though I don’t really know you. But I do feel a kind of kinship with you, so I want to make sure you know that there ARE other people who feel as you do, and that I have hope that things will get better.
On the good news front: Last night I was able to catch one of my feral kittens that I’ve been feeding for four months! He is in my bathroom as I type, and I keep praying that when I go back I won’t find anything catastrophic has happened. I am giving myself a month to get him dewormed, de-flea’d and spayed and hopefully to find him a home. I just don’t have any room to hang onto him for longer than that.
March 2nd, 2007 at 11:50 am
Thank you for your comments. They do help. What I am finding out is that the people who want to help, the animal people like me, are powerless to do so “legally.” I have been told to just snatch up the cats when the man is sleeping. That I WILL NOT do. It has to be either he gives up these cats willingly, or the authorities take them from him. I’m really tired right now, so if I am repeating myself forgive me. The man is on his way to Nebraska. (He is going the wrong way). He does not believe in spaying and neutering. The top cat is the queen, the one that rides alone. Below in the other carrier are the tom and the kittens! You know these cats are in bad shape, rail thin and in my opinion suffering from the equivalent of PTSD because of how they are forced to live.
I have widenend my efforts worldwide now. Searching out others in organizations overseas in an attempt to find someone who has an answer here. I am amazed that this county considers cat calls “nuisances” and does not respond with any authority. It’s maddening-
March 2nd, 2007 at 3:09 pm
Let me know if I can help somehow by maybe writing a letter of support. And take care of yourself, too. Can you write a letter to the newspaper? Sometimes it takes the “threat” of a scandal to get the authorities moving. You can do it in a dignified, civil tone. There are laws in many cities and towns–even where they are not enforced very diligently–that make it a crime to abuse animals. I think what this man is doing certainly falls under that category, even if he believes he is treating them well enough. (IT sounds like he needs help for himself, as well).