Arabella's last post

Arabella, mid joyous roll


Friday morning, Arabella decided to bask in the sun and did not run from me as she usually does. And, she does not know she is leaving around noon. This is the first time she has ever been lying on the door mat, close to the door, of course. It is the first time she has not run from me and peeked around from where she hid and then come back near me.  She finally adjusts and has to leave!

I did not mention his getting any help (I forgot) for her shots and being fixed. So, he must be okay with his absorbing the cost and all responsibilities.  

Tony and Arabella

 Tony, my neighbor, said over and over that he had never had a kitten so small.  He seemed thrilled and a bit enamored with her tinyness. Arabella is looking at the chickens. She rubbed all over Tony, mewed sweetly, looked him in the face lots, crawled around his shoulders from one side to another, and seemed like a happy kitty. Tony took the bag of  Meow Mix (not Friskies like I thought I had), saying that is what he fed his cats. Arabella, Tony, and I are all happy.  

The End 

Arabella is gone, sort of

I called a friend around the block who always has cats, took in a dog that wandered by as a puppy, let a stray hen live with his dog, and has cats. Not only that, but he has church people over all the time, a youngish crowd, it appears. I called just now and explained my weakness when I fell for the cat and my dilemma with  my back, needing to care for chickens, and how he might help me by taking the cat or helping me find it a home amongst his friends.

Tony readily agreed. Yay! One of his three cats disappeared last week, so he said he could handle another cat. Plus, he said that someone had dropped off the last cat he got, right on his porch with a bowl of food.

This is such a relief. I could see the future with the cat: raccoons eat it, I spend energy I don't have to care for it, I trip over it and further hurt myself, someone would have to care for it while I have back surgery, plus the worry I expend over my hen animals.  I am not an animal person, but I really do want to do right by them and not cause them any problems by neglecting them or not doing the right thing. LOL...I do rescue them for someone else to care for!

It was already my desire to feed to my cat food I cooked. That would be another burden I don't need right now. There was a bag of Friskies here that I bought at the suggestion of someone when I was going to catch the raccoons. Everyone said that raccoons eat cat food,so put cat food out for cats. Well, all I ever caught were cats, pets I had to release in the morning.

Animal Control officers said to open sardines and toss the can to the back of the trap, beyond the trigger. That was way too expensive. So, I just dumped the sardines and tuna and left the oily, fish-smelling can. Raccoons are not going to look and assess the situation, "Hmmm, she did not leave food, just a food smelling can. So, I will skip this attempt at a meal." Yes, cats like emptied tuna and sardine cans, too. sigh....sigh

I used a single strawberry or strawberry scraps or a chunk of mango to catch every raccoon I ever caught. Not one cat fell for a strawberry. So, I still have the almost full bag of Friskies that I told Tony I would give to him.

Another thing--my last cat (1983) died because I could not afford to take her to the vet. She survived my running over her with the car while she was nursing kittens. No, I did not hit her in the act of nursing! But, two years later when she was with kits again, she was doing poorly and disappeared when  she was due to give birth. I feel she died giving birth.  I vowed never to have a cat until I could care for it properly. I loved that sweet cat.

I digress........................

My back seems to feel a bit better after that good news. My mind and heart is relieved of a heaviness and sadness about what I had done when I got the kitten. Now, I resume canning.

Thanks for your concern and the offer of help. I know she will be cared for and not abused. Plus, I am sure I will see her about the neighborhood.

Your turn
How about this development? You can all stop worrying about Arabella.

My new kitten

Molly Arabella

Okay, friends think I have lost my mind. So do I. From a parsimonious or frugal or thrifty point of view, I was off that day. Tiny kittens seduced me from a pickup truck in Walmart parking lot on Sunday.  I cannot afford shots or the fix she will need, even though as a senior citizen, I can get a break on the costs. Physically, I can barely care for the hens with help from exbf. Someone save me from myself.

In my defense, let me say that I was still exhausted and in a fog from the Oktoberfest on Saturday. It was the last day. I had missed all but the first day of eight days of activities. So, on Sunday I believed all the people said or implied. The cat was picked up around its middle by the guy. As the cat became all claws, the guy said, "It's just afraid." and laughed nervously. He never put his hands under the feet to calm the kitten. I did when he handed it in the window. 

I asked if it were eating. They both assured me it was. Maybe it was. But, I feel I got a cat that had never been handled by humans. This is not the first time I have had a kitten.

When I left Walmart, I was going to give it back, but the truck was gone. The kitten had not been gentled. It hissed at me for the last 48 hours when I went out. It cries when I am inside.

When I put the kitten on the porch to open the door or do something, it fled behind porch things I cannot move. So, for over 48 hours, it has cried incessantly. I forgot that a raccoon would eat kittens.

No, it cannot be a house cat. I am allergic to cats. I don't clean enough as it is. I refuse to deal with a litter box odor. Yes, they all stink to me. No, I do not want to have to let it out when it needs to go. I cannot stand cats in the house.

I put out a box and a bowl of milk and cat food. It did not want anything. Tonight is the first time it would approach me. It rubbed against me. Finally, I caught it, but it would have none of my loving. sigh

Who wants a kitten?

Exbf was horrified and puzzled that I got another animal, and a cat. Another friend told me to toss it where it would be someone else's problem. He received a tongue thrashing. Shame on him.

No matter what, I could not get a good picture. So, this is what you get. The kitten had actually come from behind things on the porch and was sitting on the box I put out for shelter. I took some of the chicken casserole and gave it to her. She ate eagerly.

She is terrified of the hens. Hens are terrified of her. Okay, just this minute I decided her name and will post it under the picture.

Your turn

Please tell me you have made a horrible mistake like this, bringing an animal home that you did not need, could not care for, and have no desire to cuddle.