Pet Abandonment Is Unacceptable

I recently had another personal encounter with an abandoned pet, and every single time it happens my blood pressure raises just a bit higher. This time it was a young female tabby cat, approximately one year old. I would frequently see this young cat sitting in a window of an Upstate apartment in a relatively upscale apartment complex which is home to a family member. One day, going on three months ago, the tenants of that apartment moved away, which was quite obvious with the presence of the moving trucks. People come and go in communities like this so there was no indication that it was anything more than the typical move. Two weeks later I found out differently.

The young cat, who called her apartment home, likely the only home she had ever known, was seen wandering about the grounds. She was crying to me when I walked up the sidewalk to visit our family member. But she was scared, too scared to do anything but run and hide when I tried to approach her. I recognized her immediately as the cat that used to watch life go by from the comfort and safety of her window. One day, after a couple of weeks, the young cat appeared at the sliding door near the patio of our relative and she was meowing and looked rather distraught. When I went slowing to the sliding glass door to check her out she put her paws up on the glass door and gave a very big stretch. It was at that moment that I realized just how dire her situation really was. She had been declawed. She was totally defenseless in the outside world. She had some missing fur, likely from being on the losing side of a few fights, and an obvious patch of missing fur on her chin. This young cat needed some help.

She was scared, and while she wanted attention, she would run at the slightest move towards her. Food and water is what might gain her trust. So, since my family member no longer had any cats, it was off to the grocery store for a quick stock-up on cat food, both wet and kibble. She was starved. She was likely living on bugs since her declawed status made it nearly impossible to actually catch any prey. We put out food and water but she would only come close to eat once we were safely out of range. And eat she did. After several weeks of regular feeding she finally began to trust us to the point where she was permitting a little petting. But with the temperatures hovering around the 100 degree mark her breathing was becoming more labored and the time to help her simply could not wait any longer.

Last week, after what had become a regularly scheduled feeding session, we were able to scoop her up, get her in a carrier, and get her some much needed medical attention from a local veterinarian. Yes, she had been declawed. Yes, she had been spayed. She also had a severe flea infestation which is why she was missing the fur from her chin and she probably had developed an allergic reaction to fleas. After receiving some medication and a flea treatment plus an overnight stay at the vet's office, I am happy that she is on the mend and is currently in a safe and air conditioned foster home. Let me tell you, she is one sweet cat.

None of this needed to happen. None of this should have happened. In my opinion, abandoning a pet that you are responsible for is nothing short of animal cruelty. Last week in my blog here on the Mauldin Patch, I pointed out that there are close to 100 animal shelters within easy driving distance in the upstate. When you adopt a pet you also get all the responsibilities that come along with them. You simply cannot throw away a family member who is depending on you. And if you have pets, you know that they really do, for most of us, become family members. While this cat will be okay, many pets are not so fortunate. As a community we need to work harder to raise awareness of unnecessary situations like this and make it clear that this type of behavior is not what we expect or accept.