Cats have a mind of their own and no two are alike. About 6 years ago a cat showed up at our house sort of trying to grab some food. I caught her and petted her, and sent her on her way. We had two other cats at the time and would associate with them. She kept coming back every once in a while. I put a collar on it with our phone # on it. A few days some woman called me asking why her cat came home with a collar with my phone number on it. I explained that we had other cats and she was showing up eating their food and I didn't know if she was a stray or not and wanted to know if she had rabies shot. She said yes she had been spayed and shots. I said well ok, I'll stop by and get the collar. She lived about a mile away. The cat was at her house and recognized me. The woman had the cats mother there and two of her siblings. Said she didn't like the other cats very well. (she didn't like our cats either). The cat continued to show up every few days but would not associate with our cats. I did not encourage nor did I throw rocks at it. I was going to work one morning and she hoped in my truck so I just took her about 10 miles to work and let her out at the shop. She hung around all day and I put her back in the truck to go home. She would show up every few days and ride to work with me. So I begin to call her Fiesty. This went on for a few years. I drive a septic pumper truck so she begin to want to ride with me in it. One day a contractor called me to come pump out a tank they were working on. I showed up and this crew fellow see the can and I told him the story. He said that was his wifes cat. I said well ok take her, she really don't belong to me. He said no, good ridance, because she wont stay home and fights with the other cats. Said they hadn't seen her for a couple of years. I said well I am not going to confine her because she is not really my cat but I am not going to mistreat her. Fiesty begin to show up every day around 7:30 when I go to work and stays around the shop and sometimes goes off mouse hunting. There is a church near by and it rings the bells at 5.00 and she will show up to ride home, then off she goes. One morning she didn't show up and at noon I came home with my dump truck for lunch. I had a load of gravel on it and after lunch I drove about 25 miles to dump it. When I was backing up I heard a awful scream. I thought oh no, I run over some ones cat. Got out, looked, nothing, I could hear a cat screaming, I opened the hood and there was Fiesty on top back by the rear engine. She loved me so much I couldn't hardly drive the truck, slicking around me. I could write a book about her, the time I thought coyotes got her, time she got hit by a car, time her lungs clopsed by getting a hit by flying debree in a hurricane, time she got lost at the junk yard. We now have 4 other cats dropped off by city folks. We have had them spayed and nutered. Fiesty will not associate with them. It is 9 degrees this morning and all the other cats are in the garage in a warm box. Not Fiesty. I will go out side and honk the horn or call her and she will come out of the woods or from the field near us, with icecycles hanging on her sometime. If you are a city person PLEASE don't drop any more cats off in the country. You think it is smart bring your cat that you wont spay or nuter and dumping them in the country. I have founds cats frozen, stiff as a board near me, I seen one that got trapped in a recycleing bin that died, coyotes get them, they get killed on the road, dogs kill them, and some neighbors are shooting them. I know its a big problem in our area, humane society will not take them, dog pound will not take them. And I take no joy in having to kill a animal.
