the feral cat chronicles

there are many of us, especially in the cities, even more in hawaii. the lucky ones is what we call them. we live under cars and trash cans and shade ourselves in the shadows of city life. i've never seen a mirror, but i can tell by the way humans look at me that i am scraggly and skinny. my name is rockette. i live in the parking lot behind an apartment building in the city of los angeles. i share the lot and its surrounding areas--two trash cans, some vegetation, many cars--with my male counter part, grover. grover and I have two children, ginny and mustard. we used to have three but one of our children disappeared one night, maybe a car got him, or maybe greedy human hands picked him up. humans, they think we need their litter boxes, food, and comfy beds. grover and i are beyond what the humans called, "rescue". our remaining children though must be watched and protected from the do-gooders who want to give them a "better life".

the first meal the human lady every brought me was a big plate of tuna, juicy and flakey. i hadn't eaten in a while and i took big bites, practically choking on the pieces. grover wasn't around so he didn't get any. it was a treat, and while i was lying in the sun drenched lot digesting and unfamiliar cat wondered through. she looked feral, eyes alert, fur dirty and unlicked.

"do you eat all that tuna?" she purred.

"who wants to know?" I didn't get up, playing it cool but ready to get territorial.

"you better watch out for those humans. they only feed wild things like us for three reasons: to steal our babies," she nodded toward mustard and ginny who were playing in the nearby dirt patch,"or to trap us to take our insides out, or to simply feel better about themselves."

"so what if it makes her feel better."

"you won't be singing that tune when your babies are gone as well as your uterus, trust me, i know."

she showed me the top of her right hear. it had been cut. "thats human language for 'fixed sheba'. i fell for the tuna buffet just like you're going to and now i got nothing but concrete i sleep on."

"thanks for the tip." i said as she wandered over to the trash can. "there isn't anything in there worth eating. trust me."

i went over to rest where ginny and mustard where playing. both of them are black with white on their faces and feet, different from me and grover. we're both all black, with yellow eyes. i think we named mustard mustard because we both liked licking the mustard from hamburger and hotdog wrappers we found in the trash. i watched my kids playing and thought about the humans taking them. they know not to go near them, but they do offer such an amazing life of luxury.

"mom! look at this," ginny cried as she pounced on mustard's head. "maybe i could kill a pigeon someday."

i laughed and mustard ran after his sister. dr. britches, a big gray maine coon came over. mr. briches has lived in the alley/parking lot longer than anyone, and if anyone knew about the humans taking babies and "fixing" us it would be him.

"dr. britches! dr. britches!"

"oh, hello rockette. how are the little ones?"

"oh they are just fine dr. britches." i said. "did you see that old cat i was talking to? the one with the cut right ear?"

"i did indeed." dr. britches said. "she is an old one. i've seen her around before, years ago. thought she lived a few alley's south, must be pretty hungry. probably wanted some of that tuna you got today." he gave me a knowing look and for some reason i blushed. i was afraid i had been selfish.

"i'm sorry i didn't share---"

"don't you worry rocky. you are a nursing mother, you need the food. besides, i'm an old pro. i could pull a salmon steak out of that trash can right now if i really tried." he purred.

"dr. britches that old cat told me that i got that tuna because the human lady wants to take my kids and get me fixed."

dr. britches laughted. "i've heard stories like that, and humans do love baby animals, why'd they care for a porcupine if it were a baby."

i had no idea what a porcupine was, that is dr. britches for you though, he has seen a lot.

"just watch of for the babies and yourself. you'll be fine."




stay tuned for more FERAL CAT CHRONICLES