NEIGHBORHOOD UPDATE

Things are still in an uproar here in my neighborhood and may be for a long time to come. Yesterday, some of us were outside talking with each other about this terrible situation of animal poisonings. During one conversation, we noticed two young men walking out of the woods with cameras and tripods. I asked if they'd seen any dead animals back there and they asked, "Like what?". One neighbor, who knows the young men, told them about the cat and wildlife poisonings and they turned and went back into the woods. My neighbor said if anyone can find something, they can - and they did.

Within five minutes, one of the young men shouted, "We have one!". My spouse and I gathered our gloves and bags and went to retrieve the poor cat. It was resting not 30 feet from the door of the man who poisoned him. We don't know how we missed him during our searches, but I'm glad he was found. The neighbor who lives across from the animal abuser came out and identified it as a neighbor's pet. Why the cat had been roaming, I don't know. Maybe he'd simply slipped out the door, but he paid a high price for that one impulsive act.

Please forgive me if I'm coming across as morbid in my latest ramblings. I feel this is an extremely important issue and it has hit very close to home. I can't bury my head in the sand. I know these types of awful things happen in many areas and when I read about them, I often shed tears and feel heartsick for days. This time, it's even more personal. I knew many of these cats well and fed them for months. I nurtured them as much as they would allow, and now they're gone, due to one person's inhumane and torturous actions. It's almost too much for me to comprehend. Writing about it helps.

Since I can't have the man arrested yet, and I can't change the cats' fates, I'm doing what I know how to do, which is communicating and sharing information so this will not happen again in our neighborhood. I'm watching the man's house closely, as are many others. The neighbors to whom I've spoken are outraged, as they should be.

Today I will deliver more fliers to the neighborhood and share the latest findings. I'll also inform my neighbors about the symptoms of antifreeze poisoning, along with listing the addresses and phone numbers of the closest emergency vet clinics. It may not be much, and it's certainly too late for my little stray friends, but if the information saves one animal's life, it will have been worth the time and effort.