Mysterious Lady

One of the caregivers in Sunnybrae has been trying for several weeks to trap the cats she has been feeding.  She got two of them and there was one more to go, so when she called Friday morning to say she had the cat, I was ecstatic.   We're so close to the end of the season it is very important to get the last few cats done if possible.  

David went with me. We took a transfer cage because it is much easier to carry a cat in it than in a trap.  The trap was on the side lawn at the caregiver's home and she came right out to help us. It was a crisp dawn and the grass was cold and dewy.  The trap had been wrapped in a blanket and then in plastic to protect the cats from the weather if they were caught at night, as all of them were.  We lined up the transfer cage, raised the doors and the cat shot into the cage immediately.   It's a handsome dark tabby with beautiful markings. We put a cover over it and David loaded it into the van. I brought along the empty trap; this little colony is done.   

At Maritime, David brought the cat inside and we took off the cover to look at her while the paperwork was being done. 

"There's something metal on her side." David noticed.  He lifted the cage onto the counter and we all looked closely.   The cat was wearing a black harness with silver colored metal fittings; tightly fitted it was almost invisible against her dark coat.  

The clinic staffer who was helping us was very nice.   She said they would check to see if the cat was altered and would not notch the ear if they had to spay/neuter because the cat was likely owned.  

The vets don't like us to bring in owned cats and we never do it on purpose.  They have every right to be concerned. People who own pets should pay the cost of spay/neutering themselves; it's important and part of being a responsible owner.  The vets give us a discounted rate for the surgeries they do and they should not have to alter pets at that rate.  I know that sometime people lie to us, telling us a cat is homeless when it is actually their own. We can ask questions but we can't confront them and finally pretty much have to take their word.  We would not want to refuse to alter a homeless cat just because it's friendly: people dump and abandon their friendly pets every day.  I was actually surprised the staff member at Maritime did not just tell us to take the cat back where it came from.  Thank goodness she didn't.

As it turns out the cat was not only already spayed but was de-clawed on all four paws. If we had taken her back and turned her loose it is unlikely she would have survived much longer. Unable to defend herself or even climb a tree she would be easy prey for a coyote or hawk.  The home where she is fed backs on a large open field surrounded by woods.

Thus began the mystery of the missing lady cat.  They took the harness off at Maritime and we examined it carefully, hoping there might be contact information on it somewhere. There was none.   My foster home is full and there is no point in asking Kim if anyone else can foster, so I took the cat home and put her into our shed for the night.   Frantically I posted the above photos on kijiji and lost and found pets and also emailed them to the SPCA hoping someone had reported her missing. David and I managed to open the front of the cage a bit and slip in some water and a little canned food, which the kitty happily devoured.  She was very friendly and rubbed against fingers poked through the cage.  We had to be careful: if she were to get out she might run away and in our unfamiliar neighborhood she would be lost forever.  We could not keep her in the cage for long, however, and we worried over what to do if no owner came forward immediately.

Where did she come from? I wondered. Does she belong to a neighbor of the caregiver? If so, if we turn her loose she should be able to find her way home......but no responsible owner would let their de-clawed  cat out, especially at night, and this one had been coming for food for several weeks.   Is she lost? If so somebody must be looking for her at the SPCA and through other venues where missing animals are posted.  We didn't dare risk letting her go, but she had nowhere to go when she left our shed. 

Next morning I talked to the caregiver and thankfully she and her husband agreed to care for the cat until we could find the owner or place her for adoption.    We took her right over and released her in their basement.   She looked around for a minute then ran into a corner.  In an few seconds she came back toward us and made a beeline for the litter box which she desperately needed.  Hopping out, she came to the caregiver, rubbed around her and as soon as she was petted began to purr.  Then she hurried over to me to get more pets.  Her tail was high and her purr going strong.  She seemed so happy and grateful to be an environment where she felt safe with people who cared about her.

And so the search goes on for the owner. My internet posts have yielded several comments and I have received two emails. One was from some yo-yo who said I should "set the cat free" and the other was from a nice person who offered to adopt her if we don't find the owner.    We put up flyers today in her neighborhood and at the SPCA.  

I am a bit obsessed with this mystery.   Somebody loved this cat.   She is so sweet and friendly it is obvious she was handled gently and well cared for. The owner invested in her: the cost of spaying and de-clawing is not cheap.   She may have been taught to walk on a leash which means they spent time with her and probably tried to make her happy and enjoyed her company a great deal.

Where is that person?

Stay tuned for the rest of the story. I'm hoping there's a happy ending.