Dead Cat
The pizza-girl knocked on my door last night. I didn’t order a pizza, and she wasn’t knocking to deliver one. She had already made her delivery to a neighbor, but she wanted to let me know that there was a dead cat outside my door. What? Yup, the orange and white cat was sprawled out in the grass about ten feet from my door. Although I see that cat hanging-out just about everyday with two other cats alongside the building, I have never seen anyone claim the cats as their own. Whenever I have seen the three cats they are always sleeping or trying to, yet they do manage a friendly “meow” when the mood strikes them. There will be no more meows from this cat; it was certainly dead, but it didn’t appear to have any injuries.
Although the cat had been dead for less than an hour, I was not interested in disposing of it myself. If at all possible I wanted to find out who the cat belonged to so they would know about their pet, but also to get it removed before a scent arrived. After finding out which neighbor claims the cat as their own, I went over to inform them that the cat was dead. The Samoan woman and her two kids came to have a look. As soon as the woman saw the cat, she screamed its name, “Angel”. She picked the cat up and hugged it tightly in her arms; all the while screaming and crying uncontrollably. The kids started to cry as well, only not as loud as their mother.
By this time, neighbors are coming outside of their homes to see what has happened. As the woman carried the cat towards her home, the husband is standing outside and looking on. Once he sees the dead cat, he picks up a wooden bench in his garage and literally destroys it; pounding it to pieces against the concrete ground. He yells out some profanities to anyone and everyone. He obviously believes that someone has poisoned their cat. Another neighbor informs me that this is the second cat to die this week.
This morning I couldn’t help but notice the grave site in the neighbors front-yard. A huge mound of dirt is surrounded by a circle of white painted rocks. Outside of the circle there is a white cross that easily stands at four feet in height. A very impressive grave site that many humans would surely appreciate for themselves. I’m truly sorry that their cat died, but why not keep it in the house if it is such a beloved family pet, especially if they know that someone in the neighborhood is killing cats.