Opinion: I wasn’t going to talk about this yet because it’s small in the scheme of things right now but I’ve talked so much about her that I wanted to update you and also ask your advice.
Poli is the stray cat who had been living under my house for months, at first we thought she was just chilling under there but when I came back home after the summer break it was clear she had been abandoned and was starving.
I started feeding her, de-flead, de-wormed her, posted about her on our community social media pages, took her to the vet, contacted the owner on her microchip, brushed her, built up trust with her, cared for her during the storms and as a result fell in love with her.
Then on Thursday last week, a man dropped a missing cat leaflet in my letterboxes - and all the others - on my street.
I was bereft. The day before neighbours had reported that the house we thought she was from had appeared occupied again after being empty for ages. The dog that used to live there was back.
The leaflet read: Missing Cat. Whisky. No collar but microchipped. Last seen late January. She’s been known to wander off for days at a time but we are extremely worried given the recent weather events. Any info - text this number.
I text the number. "Hi, I’ve just seen your missing cat notice. I’ve been taking care of her. She is safe and well. When was the last time you saw her, please?"
“Thank you so much, we’ve been so worried,” he replied.
“She’s been coming home less often over the last couple of months but she’s always been a wanderer so never thought too much of it. I’ve been leaving food and water out every day/night and noticed she hasn’t eaten any over the last few weeks”.
Now here let me remind you, Poli was starving when I started feeding her. She was bone thin, distressed and meowing constantly. It defies logic that she would choose to starve under my house rather than eat at home if food had been left out.
She’s also never wandered from under my house. She is always there when I get home waiting for me. If this cat’s a wanderer, it’s only from them.
I asked him if he’d been at the property the whole time.
“Yes, we’ve always been here”.
I told him I had contacted the number and email on the microchip - his mum - he said she’d changed numbers and must have forgotten to update.
He said, “Whisky’s been part of our family for 15 years through thick and thin... we would love to have her back, we’ve missed her a lot”.
I replied that there was nothing I want more for her than to be in a loving home. That I was just concerned because she’d been under our house a long time, starving. I also mentioned I’m not keeping her inside, only feeding her, so she’s had every opportunity to return home - it’s literally over the fence from mine.
I told him I’d talk to the vet and would be in touch.
On Friday, I received a text saying he had learnt where she was and had picked her up and was keeping her inside. He said “she looks so much healthier than the last time I saw her, it shows how much we’ve taken her for granted and that breaks my heart. I’m sorry to just take her back like this, it’s clear how well you’ve treated her. I promise we will do better for Whisky’s sake.”
So I don’t know what to do here. He’s saying all the right things and all I want for Poli is to be loved and cared for.
But I also don’t believe him. I’m told by neighbours their house was abandoned, the cat was definitely abandoned - and starving.
I’m meeting with the vet to discuss any options. Maybe just alert the SPCA to keep an eye on her or, I don’t know, add a red flag to her microchip to watch for signs of neglect?
His last text to me after I questioned why he only looked for her now three weeks after the floods was this:
“Mate we’ve been looking, I have no excuse for what’s happened but don’t question what I have or haven’t done for her.”
“Do as you think best but at the end of the day Whisky’s our cat”
And he’s right about that. He’s wrong about one thing though - I am absolutely not his ‘mate’.
If you have any advice, please comment on our Facebook post below.
