Humane My Ass

Scott Hardie | June 23, 2002
So we got the new old cat today, formerly Sweetie, my grandmother's cat and then my mom's cat and now my cat, renamed Felicia. She has spent most of the day hiding in various places in the house. Right now she's under Kelly's futon. She will come out to purr and be petted, if you have treats.

That was the good part of the day. The bad part was dealing with the Humane Society of Tampa Bay. Since Felicia was mistreated by the dominant cat in my mom's house, we wanted to bring her and the new cat into this house the same afternoon, so that neither would be dominant. Once Felicia was in place, we went over to the H.S. to adopt a cat, thinking an hour and a half ought to be enough time.

The somewhat snooty secretary said that they were done taking "applications" for the day, but that we were free to look around. We stayed a while and poked our fingers into the kitten cages for a few minutes, then left disappointed. According to the flyer they provided, we could find a cat we liked, then apply to adopt it. They'd take one day to decide whether we were good enough to own a cat. Then if we were accepted, we still had to wait five days before we could get it. WTF? I've spent my whole life with cats, and the animal shelter in St. Charles (technically South Elgin) never pulled that shit. In and out, get your cat in less than two hours.

So tomorrow we're going to try the Sarasota H.S. with my mom's assistance. But first we're going to call them, to see if they have the same shit-ass policies that the Tampa one has. (And yeah, I get it, they're doing it in the best interests of the animals, but it's still inconvenient.)

Anna Gregoline | June 23, 2002
I got my cat within a day, really. I had to get her the next morning, because she had to be fixed, but they shaved her and she had already been done. But still, next day cat service is better than 5 days! Geez.

K. R. | June 23, 2002
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Scott Hardie | June 23, 2002
True dat. We got a cat today though, an 11-month old tabby named Loki. We went to a Petsmart and two animal shelters were offering pets, and it took about half an hour to get him. There was an interview, but it was a brief one.

Jackie Mason | June 24, 2002
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Scott Hardie | June 24, 2002
They're all right so far. Felicia is supposed to be my cat, but she spends 99% of her time in Kelly's room, coming out only to use the litter box or to eat something. Loki has been hiding since we brought him home, and is fucking terrified of everything that moves or makes a sound. I was really worried about him because he hadn't eaten anything, but finally today at 11am he ate a little bit. He'll adjust, very slowly.

Anna Gregoline | June 25, 2002
My cat was a freak too, but she is now a happy and well-adjusted kitty. You just have to remember how you'd feel in a similar situation.

Scott Hardie | June 26, 2002
True. As I type these words, Kelly is sitting in the hall outside my door petting Loki, and Felicia is sitting on the floor of my room, glaring at them.