superdumb supervillain: Pet Cemetary
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Monday, June 25, 2007

Pet Cemetary

We lost another cat this weekend to our neighbors' dogs. This is messed up in many ways, starting with the fact that our neighbors are very cool and animal lovers like we are, who rescued the dogs from being euthanized at a shelter but haven't been able to find new homes for them. Possibly because they kill cats. In any case, we have no legal recourse because our cats have all been killed in their yard. We put up a giant, expensive fence but that doesn't keep them in. And staying inside all the time makes them miserable. They like to sleep indoors and wander outside during the daytime. Unfortunately, they also like to court danger by going into the yard of killer dogs. I should also say that our neighbors have four other dogs whom I would classify as pets who would not harm any creature. They also have a couple of cats. But the rescue dogs have to be kenneled to keep them from fighting and killing. Great.

The latest casualty was Claws, one of the semi-feral cats that we'd rescued and neutered last summer and hoped we could provide a long, happy life for. I am embarrassed to say that I don't even have a picture to post of Claws even though he lived with us for almost a year. He had really come around recently and was sleeping inside at night and not making me pretend not to see him when he'd go in or out the patio door. He actually looked a lot like Ming, who was about the same age (a little over a year) as Claws when he died. Here is a picture of Ming, I think taken the day before he was mauled by the dogs.



Ming was killed shortly after our beloved Lum. She was Bob's sweetheart, an 8 year old cat whose loss predicated the whole trapping-strays-to-get-'em-fixed scenario. She was a really great cat, even though she was very bossy. When she died, we had an 8-foot high wooden fence put around our entire property. Bob's spent the last couple of days trying to attach chicken wire to the tops and bottoms of the fence to try and keep our cats in our yard. I have no idea why they keep going into killer dog land. I wish I knew. Here are a couple of pics of Lum Lum mommying Ming when he was a kitten.




Holly looked like a cross between Lum and Piewackett, my oldest cat (and first pet– 14 this year and perched on my desk as I type this). She was feisty and beautiful. I suppose the fact that all of the cats who have succumbed to the neighbor dogs were the ballsiest probably had something to do with their demise.



This last photo has Ming in the center, throttling Dora. I include it because you can understand what a void he leaves for his brothers. We found the three of them in my mom's generator and they have always thought of me and Bob as their parents. They are typical brothers, always wrestling and arguing and sleeping in a gigantic orange pile of cat. Fluffy and Rex are still with us but Ming's absence is so sad for them. They definitely miss him still. They had taken to Claws as a surrogate brother but now they've lost him, too.



RIP little kitties, buried in our yard under a holly tree. We will miss you.

And for those of you keeping track, we still have seven cats. Yes, we are those crazy cat people.

4 comments:

  1. Oh, I am just so sad for this situation and your loss. Those kitties are precious.

    Steph

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  2. Oh... that is horrible. Sending your family hugs... please know we're thinking of you!
    - Audrey
    Pinks & Blues Girls

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  3. So sorry to hear about your cats. That is awful! Maybe if those are the ballsy cats the others will be content to stay closer to home. I don't know if there is a cat proof fence. Let me know if you develop one. So the two dogs that are cat killers are like foster dogs? Or what? I would think if they are dangerous to other pets and are spending their lives in a kennel because they fight each other, that they are very good candidates for euthenasia. I don't like the thought of that either, but these dogs can't be too happy in their current situation. If they are trying to find these two dogs homes, ask if they are registered with the local humane society or on petfinders. I hope no others fall victim to them. It hurts to lose the pets you love especially like that. My sympathy to you.

    BTW, are you a paid advertiser?

    Take care, Aunt Lois

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