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The cat by the side of the road

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Contributed by: Karen Schultz on 10/1/2006

Every year in the Denver metro area, hundreds of animals die because they are left to fend for themselves. This story is about one of the lucky ones.

Two weeks ago, I was on my way home from work. It was near midnight when I turned into our neighborhood from Chambers Road. The nearest house was two blocks away. A black cat crossed the road in front of my car. As I glanced in the rear view mirror, I saw the same cat run back. I looked again, and there, by the side of the road was a large black and white longhaired cat.

I stopped and backed up to get a better look. I knew he didn't live in our neighborhood. I expected him to run, but he sat like a little statue. I put down the window on the passenger side and called "kitty". The cat replied "meow" and walked toward the car. You don't suppose, I thought as I reached over and opened the door. I called again "here kitty". "Meow" said the cat and jumped in the car. I looked around for the black cat, but never saw it again.

Home we went. I called my husband from the driveway and asked him to bring a cat carrier.

I made a place for the cat in the downstairs bathroom. It was a neutered male, around four years old, as near as I could tell. His coat was clean and not matted. I could tell from his paws and the worn claws that he had been an outside cat.

The next morning, I left him at my Veterinarians office to be checked out. The good news was that he was quite healthy. The bad news, he was FIV positive.That in itself would have been a death sentence had he been surrendered at most shelters.

FIV is the feline aids virus. The presence of antibodies in the cat's blood is not an immediate death sentence. It's like human HIV in that the patient can be positive, but healthy for years before their immune system breaks down. If an FIV positive cat is kept indoors and protected from opportunistic infection, he can easily live a normal lifespan.

There is a disadvantage. The FIV positive cat should not live with FIV negative cats. The virus is not transmitted through casual contact. It requires a penetrating bite wound most of the time. Even if the cats are not aggressive toward each other, it's wise not to take a chance.

I have a large family of cats, but one of them is FIV positive. Bart has lived alone for eight years. Now he will have a roommate.

I named the new cat Domino. Not all abandoned animals are so lucky. It's just extremely unusual for a cat to get into a car with a stranger. It's unusual for a cat to voluntarily get into a car, period. There's no doubt that Domino knew what side the bread was buttered on.

Don't abandon your pet. With appropriate time and effort, you should be able to find him a new home.

It's far more responsible to arrange for a dignified death at a veterinary clinic than to assume you are giving are giving your pet a chance by abandoning him outside and hoping for the best.

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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Karen Schultz

Aurora , CO

Karen Schultz has posted 115 stories and 7 comments since joining on 6/14/2006. Karen Schultz 's average story rating is 4.98.

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