Quote Originally Posted by redrhodie View Post
I was thinking about this thread 2 nights ago when I found a small kitten. I took it in the house (which I never do because of fear of exposing my indoor cats to something) but it had a collar and tags, so I brought it in, and kept it in the bathroom. I and my neighbors called the phone number a few times, and eventually the owner came and got him. I was very proud of myself for helping, because unlike you, I usually try not to get involved. I am really impressed with your ability to deal with this so often. You have a big heart. I hope things work out.
That's good of you to help the cat, but I don't want to imply that somebody isn't a good person if they decide to stay uninvolved. It's a very personal decision and justifiably influenced one way or another by a number of factors. One of the reasons we have intervened is that we seemingly had little choice. This year's stray would not leave our yard once we returned from vacation (she showed up while we were gone). Yes, we could have taken her to animal control, but I know that guarantees almost certain death. Our only other choice--or at least the best one--was to get her spayed.

Like you, I've had serious concerns about the effect these cats may have on our existing indoor cats. That's why we chose to care for last year's strays as outside cats until we were able to relocate them. We decided to give this year's stray a home because, well, we fell in love with her. But she remained segregated until we had an absolutely clean bill of health and we were able to observe her for signs of illness.

So, yes. Becoming the proverbial crazy cat lady isn't everyone's mission in life. I guess it's become mine. I've never had a strong desire to be a mother and, at age 42 and 11 months, I'm really not hoping to become one now. But I've always been an animal person, even when the animals in question where stuffed. When I was little, I was totally fixated on stuffed tigers and koala bears. I even had an escape plan in place in case the house ever caught on fire; they were THAT important to me. I finally got my wish with two real dogs when I was 11. My homelife was so dysfunctional by that point, but the dogs--a Scottie and a Westie--were my lifeline. I think they saved me from a sad fate in a lot of ways. Pets and animals in general continue to play such a big role in my mental health and wellness. As much stress as they sometimes cause, I just love them to pieces.