Herding Cats

We finally got some sunshine today, so Maddie and I headed out to hit the pavement this morning. I decided to walk to our local shopping plaza about 30 mins away to get in some exercise and shopping - a perfect combination!

I really enjoyed the walk there. I had my ipod on and a smiling baby to look at while I walked -  great motivation to get moving. As I approached the shopping plaza, I noticed a tiny little cat under a big landscaping truck. This was a very busy intersection and there's no way this little kitty belonged here. I detoured to go see if it had a collar - it did! The collar had a great tag that said that this was an indoor cat, and if found, call the phone number listed. Perfect!

I managed to get the cat to sit still as I called the number and the owner seemed a little shocked when I told him where the cat was. Apparantly, it was about 3kms from home. The owner was at work about 30 mins away, so I waited with the cat. Not as simple as it sounds given that I had Maddie with me in the stroller and we were in the Wal-Mart parking lot... The cat was looking really skinny, so I offered it some water, but it didn't take it. I then decided to give it some of the ready made formula that I had in the diaper bag. It lapped it up real quick! Good thing too because the landscapers came back to move the truck and I think that if I hadn't offered milk, the cat may have made an escape from the scary truck.

Half an hour after I called, the owner, a young man, showed up and was very glad to have found his kitty. He said the cat had gotten out a couple times before, but never strayed farther than 3 houses down. I told him that I was glad his number was on the collar because it would have been much more difficult for me if I had to find a way to take him to the vet a few blocks away to check for a microchip. Thinking about the logistics of walking a baby and a cat I don't know without a leash through the busy streets of our suburb just seems too complicated. Add to that the fact that my allergies have started up... not a pretty picture! I should also mention that I am not a cat person... My parents have the world's most evil cat and it was the last straw to turn me off felines forever.

The owner was kind enough to offer to take me out to lunch, but given that it was cleanse day and all (hehe), I politely declined. I was just happy that I was able to help. Honestly - It made my day to know that this little family was been reunited.

I am very glad that we have a similar collar for our dog, Panda. She escapes from our backyard fairly often due to an unresolved fencing issue... (hint, hint, hubby) but she runs straight to the park across the street and scurries home with her tail between her legs the second we find her.

Now to decide whether I have enough energy to walk to pick up Cate from daycare...