A Cat Owner

a cat that is not my new cat

I have a cat. She's a gray kitty who has apparently been hanging around a couple of the buildings at my school, though I saw her for the first time today. She's quite friendly, and students have reportedly been feeding her bits of their lunches, but she still has an underfed look about her.

One of my professors was petting her. He felt her stomach and said that she was pregnant. I called a vet and made a late afternoon appointment, then put her in a cat carrier that I purchased when I first arrived here in anticipation of finding a kitty. (I also had cat food, kitty litter, a litter box, and a few toys stored away in my condo for the inevitable cat adoption.)

The veterinarian checked her for a microchip and but didn't find one. I really don't want to steal someone else's cat. I checked Craig's List  and other sources. I'll probably even post a picture of her on Craig's List and on the message board for medical students, but I highly doubt anyone will claim her. She has apparently been around for a couple of weeks. I don't know how I missed seeing her before. Even my brother says he's seen her. My brother likes her, by the way, even though he says he hates cats.

Tomorrow she's going to be spayed, which means, obviously, that she will not be allowed to give birth to her litter of kittens. The veterinarian says she's pretty far along in her pregnancy, but he has no issue with spaying her aand terminating her pregnancy in one fell swoop. He says she's so thin that she probably hasn't had enough to eat, and that poor nutrition, combined with her being very young (the vet thinks she's maybe ten months or so, and it's presumably her first litter) probably would have given her unhealthy babies. Even if they were healthy and I found homes for them, I would essentially be depriving existing cats of those new homes. There are too many unwanted cats around, anyway. I hope my kitty doesn't know what's going on in terms of being pregnant and isn't saddened by the loss of her babies, but regardless, it's something that needs to happen.

I have no clue what my parents will say when I show up for vacation with a cat, but I don't really care all that much. They'll probably be less than thrilled that I'm keeping a cat in the condo, but they never said specifically that we couldn't have any pets in here. They like animals, and I'm sure they'll eventually like her. They're out of the country now, and are in occasional email contact, but I don't feel like spoiling their vacation by bothering them with the cat dilemma. That's my story, anyway, and I'm sticking with it.  My dog, who lives with my parents when they're not traveling, has no major issue with cats.

I would post an actual picture of her, but I'm trying to maintain some degree of anonymity here, and little things like posting a picture of the actual cat right after I adopt her would chip away at my anonymity. It would be a fluke for one of my fellow students or one of the professors to happen upon the site, but it could happen. Were my cover to be blown, it wouldn't be the end of the world as I know it, since I'm not using the blog to tell the world about a life of crime or even promiscuity that I'm leading or a cheating ring off of which I' profiting. It's simply a matter of having the luxury of using this space as a place to vent or rant on occasion. I know I'm taking my chances, but I try to exercise moderate caution in what I say so it won't likely pop up in google searches that  professors or other school officials run.

My cat's a little hungry because she wasn't allowed to eat after 7:00 p.m. tonight. I'll take her to the vet early tomorrow morning before class, and the vet has agreed to keep someone in the office a bit later than usual so that I may pick her up after class. He seems appreciative both for the business and that I'm helping to keep the stray cat population down.

The kitty does not yet have a name. I'm in no rush to name her. When I think of the perfect name, I'll give it to her. Matthew wants  to name her Antarctica Meringue after our cousin, but unlike my free-spirited aunt and uncle, I'm reluctant to saddle even a cat with such a ridiculous name.  If her owners respond to any adds I post, I'll hand her over, but it's unlikely. I don't really care if they're upset about her being spayed. It's something whoever owned her in the first place should have done, and the original owner would be lucky that I had undertaken it at my own expense. I really don't think, however, that anyone will claim her. I hope no one does. She's a sweet cat.

another cat that is not my cat