A brief history:
many years ago a mean self absorbed man living in a high priced gated community got angry at a hungry stray cat. That cat was getting into his garbage can to get some food. Yes, she made a mess. Yes, it would probably make me angry too. Yes, if you feed a cat it stays forever. I know, I know. There are such things as animal shelters and humane safe traps that can be placed for free by our fair city. But no, a phone call to the shelter was too much trouble. The angry man decided the cat was a good excuse to use his .22 rifle in a neighborhood with children and cars and other pets. So not only is he putting others in danger, breaking the law, but he has terrible aim! He shoots the cats back left leg. Mean Angry Man has a Neighbor who has bee trying to catch Cat for a week to take Cat to Humane Society. Cat is very pretty and Neighbor thinks cat has a good chance of getting adopted. Well, Mean Angry Man shoots Cat before Neighbor can catch Cat. Neighbor sees shooting and let’s Mean Angry Man have a few choice words. Neighbor borrows traps from city and finally catches Cat. Cat has been injured for eight days and Cat’s leg is no severely infected and gangrenous. Neighbor takes Cat to her veterinarian to be put to sleep. See, Neighbor is also a doctor and can tell that Cat is sick with fever, has a gangrenous leg being dragged behind and getting worse. The bullet severed the nerve and Cat could not even use the leg to limp. Enter SmocknMama (before SmocknMama was a smocknmama):
I worked for the veterinarian in this story. Neighbor brings Cat into the clinic and as we proceed to protect our hands with heavy gloves to handle sick, injured, stray Cat we realize that Cat is purring. No, cats do not purr when they are in pain or distressed! That is a myth. And Poinsettias aren’t poisonous either!! That’s another story for another time. OK where were we? Oh, yes, Cat purring… We reach in to take Cat out of the crate and she begins to lick us and look at us with great hope. Did Cat know that Neighbor brought Cat in to be put to sleep. Cat belonged to no one and Cat sure seemed to want to belong to some one. Cat weighed only six and a half pounds, had a nasty, smelly, rotten leg, and kittens had probably left her just weeks before. Soft-hearted Veterinarian decides Cat deserves a chance. We removed her leg, spayed her and cleaned her up good. She was beautiful, but her coat of fur lacked luster and density. Cat stayed on antibiotics for three weeks before her fever finally broke and the infection cleared up totally. Cat got lots of attention from the employees who worked in the back of the clinic and lots of high priced Science Diet Kitty Food and she perked up real good. Her coat thickened and shined and her eyes glistened and Cat was in hog heaven. She fattened up. Cat was a big cat so at eleven pounds didn’t look the least bit overweight. Cat needed exercise and was given run of the back of the clinic at night when we closed down for the day. Cat would hide when we came in each morning and would only come out for me. Cat only came out for me when I sang “Bicycle Built for Two”. Cat got tired of being called Cat and would only come out of the closet when I sang the line “Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do, I’m half crazy all for the love of you.” Well, Cat quickly became, Daisy. She picked it, it fit.
