A Cat's Tale

Everything was going according to schedule — I got up early, worked out, took a shower, woke up the kids, made them breakfast and, after feeding the dog and cat, we were out the door.

I dropped my daughters off at their respective schools. While driving away from my younger daughter's preschool, I saw an orange tabby cat in the parking lot, lying on its side. It looked as though it had been hit by a car and had died of its obvious injuries.

The sight was really upsetting and I didn’t want any children at the school to see this poor cat.

I turned around and went back into the school. I told the receptionist what had occurred and she immediately called the facility manager for help. Someone had reported a sick cat in the area the day before, but the cat had eluded help.

I got back into my car and drove back down the parking lot. I was feeling really sad about the cat and said a little prayer as I drove closer to where it lay. Then I noticed the cat was lying down on its other side.

The cat was alive.

I immediately parked my car and got out. I couldn’t see the cat breathing, but I knew that somehow the cat had turned over.

Just then, the school receptionist came over to tell me someone was on the way.

But then the cat began to move and tried to get up, only to lie down again and close its eyes. It was very hurt. I pleaded with the cat not to move. I must have looked crazy, but I really didn’t care.

I thought about taking the cat to my vet, but that would be a 30-minute drive from the school, maybe more with morning traffic. The trip would have been too long for the cat to endure.

A car pulled up and a man rolled down the window. I explained to him what had happened.

The man spoke to a woman in the car, got out and opened his hatch. He pulled out a blue baby blanket. He laid it gently on the ground. The cat once again tried to move and once again rolled over, this time rolling softly onto the blanket.

The man said their vet was just five minutes away. I half-breathed a sigh of relief, thanked the couple and watched them drive away.

I found out the next morning that the cat had barely made it to the vet’s office before dying.

I love all animals, whether in the sea or on land, and my heart breaks seeing an innocent animal become a victim.

I have the same emotions when I visit the Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro and I see a sea lion from our Beach Cities that has been injured by the propeller of a boat.

Like the cat, some of the sea lions don’t make it. 

The kind couple that took the cat to the vet, similar to the good people at the Marine Mammal Care Center, are angels for the animals.