Editor:
Re: Don't feed that stray, be kind & take it to shelter, letter to the editor, Aug. 8 In response to a letter recommending stray cats be taken to the animal shelter, the following story seems more than a coincidence.
My orange cat went missing earlier this month while I was on vacation and my neighbour was looking after it. The cat is an indoor/outdoor cat, never strays further than a two or three property radius from home and has easy access through a cat flap.
When he did not return home at his normal time (late afternoon) to sit on the driveway awaiting food this raised the alarm for my neighbour. She asked everyone in the immediate vicinity if they had seen the cat as they know him well and nobody knew where he was.
The following day my neighbour called the animal shelter and Tigger was there after having been brought in by someone who was looking for their missing orange cat. My cat does not wear a collar but also does not look like a stray, is well groomed and in good physical condition.
The animal shelter said the cat had been picked up at 10 p.m. in a location only 100 metres from my home.
He has a microchip and the animal shelter called my house, leaving a message on Tuesday, but I was on vacation so the message was only received after my return.
Tigger spent two days at the shelter before he was retrieved and is extremely traumatized by the whole experience. He is still not eating properly and is very nervous around people.
So as a result of an "animal lover" effectively kidnapping my pet and taking it to the animal shelter, the cat is not happy and I'm out of pocket $120 because of the costs incurred to recover him.
Peter Main
