JK> I'd rather have my cat *living* a full, long life
 JK> than pick another small cold body off the road.
 
Outdoors ended for our cats when:  
(If you've got a weak stomach, key on.)
Lonnie and I came home from a Saturday night out,
Angel was a typical American in/outdoor streetwise cat,
and she was waiting for us where we parked the car
across the street (not a *busy* street, but a street
none the less).  We got out of the car, she joyously
greeted us then strolled to the edge of the street and
sat down to wait for us and for a car to pass.  We got
within a few feet of her...and I guess she didn't see
the second car. We watched in helpless horror. The car
didn't actually hit her, she went under the car and got
tumbled around underneath.  The car continued on it's
way, the driver (hopefully) unaware that they had just
passed over a cat.  Angel had an obvious concussion
and possible internal injuries.  We rushed her to the
vet (at midnight) and in her fog and confusion, while
going in and out of consiousness, she bit Lonnie.  The
vet received her, and unknown to us, put her in a cage
and went back home to bed.  Angel was dead in the
morning, but the horror wasn't over. The vet lopped her
head off and handed it to us in a bag with instructions
to deliver it to New Orleans Monday morning to be
tested for rabies. In shock we placed our dear
departed's head in our freezer (it was Sunday morning).
Enough of reliving that, she didn't have rabies, but our
sense of solemn responsibility to our companion animals
was kicked up about 1000%.  We don't care if cats are
natural roamers or nocturnal or any of the other
rationalizations people use for allowing cats out in an
unnatural and dangerous world, MINE are remaining inside.
... .                                               0-m
___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20
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