DONT try to handle a 20-pound cat you don't know!

My cat, a very distinctive looking and large one, ran into the woods
about three weeks ago. Ever since I've set live traps where I last saw
him, only to trap one unsuspecting raccoon after another.

Well today I get a response to one of my placards. A college co-ed in
an apartment complex a few blocks from here has been feeding him for a
few days. I'm pretty sure from her description that it's my cat, but
she has to go to work and can't get him to me till 10:00 that night.
Fine. Just call me when you get in, I say.

She calls me, insists on delivering the cat TO me. I guess that's
understandable what with me being male and all. She finally drives up
into my parking lot in a big SUV around 11:00 and GETS OUT WITH MY
20-POUND CAT IN HER ARMS WHILE THE DAMN ENGINE IS STILL GOING. And of
course my cat freaks out, runs around my building and disappears into
the woods exactly where he'd disappeared three weeks ago.

She's sooooo sorry. She's never handled a cat before, she said. First
off, you put him IN something, I tell her. Barring that, you grab the
scruff of his neck and you hold on for dear life. What you DON'T do is
get out of the SUV while it's still running with a 20-POUND CAT in your
arms. But thanks for trying, I said.

So now I'm back to square one. Back setting traps. Back having all the
rednecks around here confront me as a potential looter when they see me
walking around with a flashlight shining it into the woods. Yeah, you
neanderthal, I'm gonna loot your neighbor's pine trees and brush and snakes.

Life is great.

I hope you are able to get your cat back. What an awful thing to
happen. Please keep us updated.
Dolores

On Tue, 22 Nov 2005 04:36:44 -0600, Dr Smithpeters wrote:

After being missing for nearly a month, The General was trapped this
past Sunday and the family collected the reward due them on that day.
The General has been here since that afternoon and is pictured on my
page at smithpeters.livejournal.com

Is that The General on your shoulders? Pretty cat. And I'm VERY glad to
hear he got home. That must have been a huge worry for you!

Dan

After being missing for nearly a month, The General was trapped this
past Sunday and the family collected the reward due them on that day.
The General has been here since that afternoon and is pictured on my
page at smithpeters.livejournal.com

thaddy wrote:
I hope you are able to get your cat back. What an awful thing to
happen. Please keep us updated.
Dolores