The Tale of Midnight
 

As Banana Lady and I were taking a walk around the neighborhood this afternoon, we saw a wriggly black puppy being taken for a walk on the other side of the street. By a young girl trailing a few feet behind her mom. A very small, very wriggly, puppy. Slinky, almost.

"I think that's a cat", said I
"I wouldn't have thought so" said she
"It's definitely a cat", said I, "poor thing" as we watch the child drag it along the grass when it refused to walk (watched by impatient mom) .....thank goodness the poor mog wasn't on the concrete sidewalk when it refused to move.

We were debating interfering when she let up and let it wander off on the extendible leash into the undergrowth. Ha ha, thought I, that tangled leash will take them a while to get back, poor cat can have some fun.

Then

"Miiiiiiiidniiiiiight! It wasn't me, he just went" on the end of the leash dangled just what looked like a pink headband that had been used to secure the poor beast. We both admitted to hoping he didn't come back. poor cat would probably be punished for escaping.

They were still looking for it when we rounded the block. I hope it's found by some loving family who can't afford the ridiculous adoption fees charged around here but who needed a cat to be complete, and who won't tie it up and drag it around the street.

It wasn't a tiny kitten and there are plenty of healthy-looking feral cats around, it's fledgling season and it's not too cold right now, so it should be alright. But still, I'm torm as to whether it's better off in the scrub overnight, or if they had found it. And there is a freeway nearby :( I hope Midnight is OK.

I bet Midnight is on a train to Georgia. He's going back to find a simpler place and time. Like where they don't try to leash a kitteh!

Maybe you'll see him again.

Order Chinese.

Midnight is too clever to end up stir-fried.

Midnight's at the Oasis.

I hope he's not driving.

Chances are, the people were not as bad as you think. They cared enough about the cat to put it on a leash in a city/town. Cats HATE leashes, but in time, some get used to them. The mother should have been holding the leash, and should have trained the cat from day one.... but perhaps they just got said kitty? It should have had a proper harness, collars are bad with cats and leashes I have found.

My cats looked like I was killing them if I even *thought* about putting a harness on them, not to mention the leash. They would lay down, pretend thier legs no longer worked, and howl as loud as they could. Sometimes I would have to push/pull them a bit to get them used to the idea of the leash. I would sit ouside for hours, with them wailing on the grass, with lots of leash around them and read a book! But honestly, an indoor cat outside is much much more dangerous than a leash. We gave up with the fresh air idea, and they got a window to sniff at and look out.
Perhaps they should have just left the poor thing inside? Or erected a kennel in the back yard. Either way, here is hoping the kitty is safe.

Fax, remember him? he was leash trained. didn't mind it at all. in fact, he also liked baths too. not your ordinary cat. we miss him. a lot.

The two basic items necessary to sustain life, are sunshine and coconut milk... didya know that?

Jay, the kid dragged it -curled up on its' side- a good distance and the mother did not intervene. That is not OK. If you want to train a cat to a wear a harness and walk on a leash, fine. But you don't do that by tying it up in a hairband and dragging it along the sidewalk. :mad:

Pleased to report that Midnight was not dead on the side of the freeway when I drove by.

I understand that, thats why I said the mother should have been holding the leash, and that better training should have been in place. I agree that a proper harness and leash should have been used.
I am seriously an animal lover, hell, I respect animals more than most humans I meet! I guess I was just saying, that even my spoiled cats (when I had them) would look and sound like you were hurting them, when in fact they were just drama queens, and not really injured at all, other than thier prides, when on a leash and/or harness. I was hoping that in this case, thats all that was going on with Midnight too.