Dear Editor,
I live in the MD, where residents are apparently competing for the title of Stray Cat Capital of Alberta.
We have four female cats in our home, all of them spayed. Two of them were barn cats when we met them, and they had had two litters each before we ended their careers as kitten-making machines.
Because we live on an acreage, and because we love cats, strays love to drop by for some kibble and a hug. Just a few weeks ago we were able to deliver one of those strays, an intact male, to the caring arms of the Bonnyville and District SPCA. I complied with their $40 donation request.
It turns out that Buddy was a bit of an alpha. He’d been keeping other males away from his territory. Now that he’s gone, we have a new squatter that we call Blondie. He’s an orange and white lonely heart who purrs the second you pick him up. I’ve added my name to the SPCA list again and I’m ready to donate another $40 to help Blondie find the home he deserves.
In the meantime, Blondie has found a girlfriend. Judging from the noise we heard coming out of the bush last weekend, he managed to get past first AND second base.
On my way to work this morning I saw Blondie and his little honey on the roadway. I got out of my truck to say hello and get a closer look at Mommy-To-Be. She’s not even a year old – I could have mistaken her for a kitten – and she’s wearing a homemade beaded collar. She’s adorable, she’s still in heat, and she’s somebody pet. I could just scream.
I know it costs a lot to spay a female cat around here. I’ve paid to have it done three times. That’s how I know there’s no excuse.
In the meantime, people like me will keep delivering the abandoned results of all that preventable animal sex to the always-full Bonnyville shelter.
Lillian White
MD Resident
