Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Status, 11/16
Pepper is back out as of 8:30 this morning. Haven't heard anything of him so far today. Looks like it'll be a great night for cats though. Lows in thr upper 40s, no rain, and plenty of increasingly desperate rodents to stalk! Unless you find him hurt or away from Prospect Hill, just let him be!
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Oops... so much for no precip tonight! Don't know where I got that idea. Anyway, Pepper's back in. Amelia was kind enough to call and tell us that Pepper got into her apt building at Aldersey & Walnut. That was at 6pm but I went out to get him just now, at midnight, and he was still right in that area.
ReplyDeleteHi there. I'm Amelia's roommate; I found Pepper hanging around outside my apartment door yesterday (inside the building). While I really enjoyed meeting him - he's a friendly fellow, though he got a bit bitey once I started trying to read his tag - I am both (mildly, thankfully) allergic and unpracticed at handling animals. It was worth the evening of uncomfortable symptoms to get to play with such a sweet kitty, but on a different evening, or for a different person, it could have been a lot more problematic.
ReplyDelete"Outdoor" cats are one thing, but given Pepper's noted tendency to follow people into their homes, I think it's a little unfair of you to expect strangers to know how to deal with your cat, or to feel comfortable doing so. I imagine it might not be the safest thing for him, either. I don't have suggestions, because (as you might imagine), I've never been able to have a cat of my own--nor do I think it's my place to tell you how to handle your own pet--but I'd appreciate it if you considered what I'm saying. I don't wish to be unpleasant or preachy, but I'm honestly a little concerned.
My best to Pepper, who is delightful.
Thanks, Allie, for your thoughts and for playing with Pepper for a while despite your allergies. At this point, as we see it our options are 1) try to keep Pepper in, which would be tortuous for everyone, 2) give him up and let someone else deal with him, which we aren't ready to do either, though we have talked about how well suited he would be to life as a barn cat, or 3) use whatever resources we can think of to keep track of and manage him.
ReplyDeleteWith our without this website, strangers are having to deal with him because he gets out and doesn't come home. We certainly understand if people don't want to get involved or just want to put him out when they find him in the vestibule of their apartment building. This blog solves the problem of connecting someone wondering about Pepper to information about him, without our having to get phone calls in the middle of the night.
I also see this blog as a temporary tool. Winter is coming and I anticipate periods of weeks at a time when he is kept in. My hope is that on the other side of that, he will know where he lives and consistently return. (Our late cat Sadie, who moved here with us, was indoor-outdoor, and would come in every night before bed when we called her.) If Pepper does continue to be as high-maintenance a pet as he has been, we probably will find a more suitable (read more rural) home for him.
Thanks Again!