We are not a cat rescue
This is #17. He’s named #17 because over the last several years we have caught, neutered and rehomed or released more than 17 cats (sometimes we get kittens so we end up with 7a, 7b, 7c, 7d - I’m pretty sure we entertain the vet office very much). Thankfully our vet is absolutely amazing and gives us a deal when we fix strays. Because we live right off the freeway, are a bit out of Columbus, and because for some damn reason folks think barns are a great place to drop off cats without asking we end up with a lot of cats that get dropped off. Over the years we’ve begun to refer to ourselves as “Not a cat rescue”.
If you dear reader have ever considered dropping your cat off in the country because you couldn’t take care of them anymore, please consider a few things:
We already have barn cats and they are not going to get along with your drop off
Our barn cats are used to living outdoors and this is their territory. They are going to beat the ever-loving shit out of your kitty. We always know when a new cat shows up because we can hear the fights and even though our cats do sometimes need a trip to the vet the cat you dropped off is almost always going to have got it worse. Even better, because your kitty is scared and hurt it’s going to hide and be really hard to trap until it’s so weak that we might not be able to do much for them.
Unneutered cats make more cats and that’s a problem
FIX YOUR GODDAMN CATS. We’re tired of dealing with your bullshit. Intact males piss everywhere, they stink and they can be aggressive. If you can’t afford to fix your cats then you can’t afford a cat. Don’t get one.
It’s not fair to anyone to drop off an indoor cat outside
You wouldn’t believe the shit we’ve seen. The sweetest deaf kitty dropped off in front of our hay field right before winter. Who the hell does that? Stop making your cat someone else’s problem. Just because you can’t see the problem doesn’t mean it’s not there. Stop pretending that they went away - you didn’t make things better YOU MADE THEM WORSE.
If you drop off a declawed cat outside you are a monster
Not much to add there. You left a defenseless animal to get hurt or killed in the most horrific way. Don’t do that.
End Rant
Sorry about that. I’m trying to use this space more and that’s what was on my mind today. Give your kitties a scratch and remember how lucky we are to have such magical creatures in our lives.