About five weeks ago, it was brought to my attention that our sweet kitten - Bella - had been visiting one of our neighbours and using their ridiculously huge sandpit as a litter box. Said neighbour came a door knocking to ask if I had a little black cat with a blue tag (council tag)? Ummm, yes, I said. He proceeded to tell me that he had trapped her in his back yard and I should come and get her.
WTF?
I walked with this imbecile to his home, about five houses away, all the time asking him incredulously that when he said "trapped her" did he actually trap her? Yep. I was greeted at his home by his ever so delightful cranky and mouthy wife, telling me how disgusting it was that my cat was shitting in her kid's sandpit. I agreed, with a pleasant but confused smile on my face. As I rounded the corner in to their back yard I was horrified to see our little Bella in a metal trap, freakin out. My Chelsea (Bella's human mummy) was equally if not more horrified and quickly ran to get her out. It was a very warm day - we're talking 27 degrees - and Bella had been in this trap for who knows how long, without any water or food. Cranky pants wifey was talking and I wasn't really listening, as I watched Chelsea take Bella home. I kept asking cranky and her dickhead husband what exactly it was that they expected me to do? She's a cat.......
They suggested I needed to keep Bella from entering their property. Ahuh....right. I repeated that she was a cat, and perhaps they could look at getting a cover for their sandpit - LIKE MOST PEOPLE WITH COMMON SENSE WOULD DO. Nope. Nope, not something they would consider. So after a few more minutes of banter, and me telling them I would do my best, and perhaps they could think of some natural deterrents to keep cat/s away from their sandpit, I wandered off - bewildered.
I mean, is it me, or is going to the trouble of hiring a trap from the council to willingly trap a beautiful little kitten - who just happens to be registered with the council and is not some random stray - just bizarre?
For the following week, I kept Bella inside the house because I was basically too scared to let her out, for fear they would either trap her again, or do something worse.....
Fast forward to last week. I was sitting upstairs and saw a council van pull in to the driveway. Didn't take me long to figure out why they were here....... Ever so lovely ranger tells me that he has my cat in his van. It had been trapped by someone in the neighbourhood. I asked him by who, and when he said he couldn't tell me - I told him. With some very choice words. I was not a lady.....
I asked HIM what the f*ck I was expected to do? Well, his suggestions were nothing short of amusing. Apparently "people" cut slits in pvc pipes, and put them over their fences so cats can't jump over them. Mmmmmmm, that's fabulous! Cos I want my home to look like some kind of DYI disaster? I'm thinking razor wire would be equally as effective? Give it that "detention centre" shine?
Orrrr, we could build/buy a cat run? Oh yeh, cos that's why you have a pet cat. So it can be trapped in a f*cking wire enclosed building. Sure.
Orrrrrr, we could just keep the cat inside - like - forever.
I very politely sarcastically, with a touch of f*ck you, told the ranger that the use of common sense was lacking in some people's brains, and that the council's willingness to go along with those lacking common sense made me very cranky. Collected Bella from the TRAP in his van and gave him a generous wave and smile and sent him on his way.
A few days later, he returned with the official letter of complaint and warning, that if Bella steps paw on their property again, we will incur a fine and Bella would be impounded. Nice.
Now - the husband and I have had a few interesting conversations about the predicament we have found ourselves in. He suggested we could go and shovel some of our dog shit on to their front yard, but hey, that wouldn't be very neighbourly would it? I had a friend on Facebook offer us some chicken shit to share with them, but I thought that was too kind, because at least you can use chicken poop to fertilise your garden? All I've managed to do is give the a*sehole a good case of staring as I drove past their home this afternoon. Time will tell.......
In the meantime, I am trying not to lose my proverbial mind over the fact that I now have a kitty-cat trying not to lose HER mind at the fact that she can no longer go out and enjoy the great outdoors. Long gone are her days of climbing the trees in our front yard, or wrestling with our two puppy dogs in the backyard. Now her days are spent staring longingly out the windows, meowing incessantly and clawing any or all the furniture she can possibly manage without copping an earful from me.
Not to mention the fact that every time I hear the front or back door open everyone yells "DON'T LET BELLA OUT'!!!!!!! Followed by the sound of running as the closest person to the door chases after her if she's managed to escape.
Soooooo, friends. I ask you this - what would you do? I understand, I really do, that there are cat haters out there. In fact, I used to be one myself. Before I was a cat owner, I had to go and buy sandpit covers begrudgingly to keep the neighbourhood cats from deficating in said sandpit. It's common sense yes? And even now, as a cat lover liker I have had to throw things at random cats who've come a knocking at our door to pester our own cats. Once again, common sense?
I'm seriously at a loss. Help.
*** Cat haters and non-constructive comments will not be appreciated. Although if they're highly amusing comments I may laugh.
**** We are responsible cat owners who bring their cat inside at night and register her too.
