"Just a Cat" - Jon from Attention Deficit Dad
Let me preface this by saying I hate cats.
I hate cats because they love me with a passion and want to cuddle with me but I'm highly allergic to cats.
I'm outside digging a hole for a cat that my family kind of adopted. I'm outside digging a hole because we found a dead cat in our yard on Sunday.
I'm sad because it’s a dead cat. I’m cold because the ground is frozen. I'm angry because I’m burying a dead cat that’s not mine, and it clearly is or was someone’s cat. I’m upset because I think it was the semi-stray cat roaming around our neighborhood for the past few months and it looks like it froze to death.
For the record, I never got close enough to catch the cat, (I tried) or we’d probably have a cat right now and what I’d have to say would be the same and different at the same time.
People can be such heartless stupid fucks.
This was clearly someone’s pet, at least at some point anyway. The cat was groomed, declawed and clearly well-fed. I also heard the cat was fed by people in our neighborhood. Therefore, someone could have and should have taken care of this pet or at least taken them to a shelter.
No matter what happened to this cat it's clearly a result of someone's lack of morals and reveals their true character. Either someone was irresponsible enough to have an “outside cat” in an inappropriate situation or someone didn’t bother to take the cat to one of the numerous local shelters. If someone did try to take the cat to a shelter but it was full and they turned it loose, someone didn’t have the morals or character to take it in.
Every damn scenario I think of leads back to someone somewhere failed this cat miserably.
At this point, you’re probably saying, “dude, it’s just a cat”.
Well, it was someone’s cat and someone loved it. What if it was Lennie, our family dog? Apparently, my neighbors can’t be bothered or don’t have the heart to take care of who we view as a special family member.
Not even that, why can’t people have the heart to take care of another living creature?
Jesus, it got down to 0 degrees F last week.
Someone probably fed it last week too. Seriously, how stupid are you? It’s freeze your balls off cold and you won’t let an indoor animal in? I’ve done it several times.
Even at a deeper level, I keep seeing this as an overall failure by many to do anything of substance for those worse off then themselves.
On top of all this, I feel that I saw it and I could have done something. But what? Put food out in the hope to catch it? Chase it around the neighborhood? It lends itself to what is moral responsibility? Why does this have to be so complicated?
At least I tried to do the right thing in my heart. I couldn’t get it cremated without paying for it. My vet offered to dispose of it if I couldn’t find a spot in the ground near our house.
I did what I had to do. I dug a hole, placed it comfortably and paid my respects.
If you’re from Dillsburg, PA and missing a gray cat, I hope you can take solace knowing that he or she is resting peacefully between my bushes and enjoying life in kitty heaven.
***
Jon is an equal opportunity offender. He's married with two kids, Short Stack and Mouse.Jon enjoys music, motorcycles, liberal politics and beer. You can find him on Facebook at facebook.com/attentiondeficitdad