Well, got my good deed for the year done, and it’s only February! There was a stray cat in the hallway–very friendly, subadult grey and white female. Obviously underfed, nasty case of earmites, injury behind one ear. I knocked on a few doors, couldn’t find an owner and resolved to keep an eye on her. Went out again a few hours later, found that she’d gotten wedged between a banister and a sheer drop down the stairs and was in danger of plummeting to discomfort/possible injury and decided that she was in danger of getting hurt in our decidedly cat-unfriendly building, so I bundled her into the cat carrier and took her to the Humane Society.
I have two cats already, and there’s no way I could fit a third in here, particularly since Loki weighs enough for any three other cats. (Literally–he’s 24 lbs.) The woman at the Humane Society, however, assured me that if the little female was judged adoptable–no major health or behavior problems–that she’d be kept there indefinitely until adopted, unlike the old “Death Row” style pounds. They’d treat her for the ear mites and the scuff, and since she was very pleasant, as long as she didn’t turn out to be extremely sick with something else, she’d probably be just fine. So, I wished her well, and went home and scrubbed my cat carrier out with bleach just in case she had something contaigous. One of the neighbors rapped on the door about an hour later–they’d actually picked the cat up on the street and brought her inside the day before, but since they hadn’t been able to find a friend to take her, and they couldn’t themselves, they’d been planning on taking her in to the Humane Society tomorrow anyway, so it all worked out for the best.
I’m very glad that it did not come down to between me taking her and her being put to sleep–I do NOT need another cat, but that would’ve tested my resolve sorely. Doing things like this always makes me a bit sad–I mean, I’m doing the only possible thing that I can do, and it gives her a much better chance than being on the street, and I hope she’ll be okay, but I still got choked up when I said goodbye (and I’d known her for what? Four hours?) I think it’s the vibes, or knowing how many cats don’t make it, or whatever. Possibly I’m just a mope. But there’s no reason to think that she won’t find a nice person who wants a friendly little cat, and all will be right with the world.
Other than that, which took up a sizeable chunk of the day, not much goin’ on. I did some roughs for a commission featuring Cerberus, and put a little watercolor on a long overdue commission for a friend. And that was my day.
