On behalf of our four-legged friends

Meet Maxwell Purrington III

aka Stray Cat Max

 

 

Max is a sweet-faced stray cat that lives outside of my apartment building.  After observing him hanging out for a couple of weeks, looking all pathetic, I started to talk to him when I came home at night.  Then I started to leave him a bowl of water (and some little jerk in this complex keeps stealing the bowl. We are currently on bowl 4), then food.  And the ultimate of sap moves - I named him.

The saddest thing of all is Max is just one of MANY stray cats in my complex.  One night I count 14 (yes, that is FOURTEEN) cats hanging out by the dumpster by my building. I'm fairly certain Max's momma is the big black cat that lives two apartments down from me.  She is an outdoor cat and just had another litter of kittens, which the owners are trying to get rid of.

And this is where I get uptight about people and their pets. And yes, I'm about to get on my soapbox.  IF you are going to adopt/buy a pet, be prepared to take care of them for their entire life.  There are so many dogs in the shelters that are not ever given the chance of having a forever home. Instead they are left to being abused on the streets, put in a cage to see if someone will adopt them, and as a last resort, put down to make room for another round of dogs that someone didn't want anymore.  

Pets are a big commitment.  They cost a lot of money.  If you aren't prepared to deal with that responsibility, don't get a pet.  No matter how cute puppies and kittens are, they grow up.  And in the course of growing up, they learn to be proper members of your family. I get so upset seeing the cats in this complex that have just been thrown away because they are too much work.  It is not that cat that is the problem, it is ignorance in pet owning.

And if you are not going to have that cat as an indoor cat (which would be preferable) then spay/neuter!  It is the kind thing to do.  Poor Max is going to be visiting the vet as soon as I can gain enough trust to get him in a cat carrier and take him in. While I doubt he will ever be an indoor cat as he is all too happy roaming, he is not going to have the opportunity to father a bunch of kittens that no one wants.