"Fat Chance!"
By ElicBxn
@ElicBxn (63638)
United States
July 24, 2012 10:13pm CST
As you guys should know, I take in strays.
Now, it turned out that one of these "strays" was a woman with a serious mental problem (no, not the recently moved out roommate.)
She only stayed with us a few months and then left, leaving all her stuff AND her cat at our house.
It was almost a year (okay, maybe 10 months) before we got the family to come and move her junk out of the house.
As they were doing the last load of the day, the woman called up and told me to put her cat into a carrier and send her over.
I could NOT believe my ears!
Here this... PERSON... who had just casually abandoned her cat almost a year before was asking us to send her this poor cat.
When she moved in this cat was a neurotic mess! I was only just being able to pet her without having to yank my hand back when she took swings at me or tried to bite me. She was beginning to accept that nobody was going to hit her for no reason she could figure out. I was NOT sending this cat back to the person who made her that way!
I yelled into the phone "FAT CHANCE!" and hung up!
I NEVER spoke to her again, and THAT was fine with me.
I understand that she had a massive stroke that seemed to have taken the crazy part out of her brain - along with her meanness and ability to take care of herself, but I wasn't prepared to have to deal with her again.
What do you think?
10 people like this
14 responses
@ElicBxn (63638)
• United States
25 Jul 12
I'm glad to hear that you folks agree.
Mind you, but the lady and her cat have gone now - in fact, the whole of that generation in that family have gone...
Oh, and she only had 2 names for cats, because she'd only get calicoes (tortoiseshell with white for those in other parts of the world) or yellow males and name them "Patches" and "Tigre" respectively.
2 people like this
@dorannmwin (36392)
• United States
25 Jul 12
It is important for a pet to have regular people that are around them all the time and it is also important that they trust the people that are taking care of them. If you would have sent this woman the cat back in a carrier, the cat would have experienced many problems because of the fact that its routine and the people around it would have been disrupted. I would have done the exact same thing that you did if I was in a similar situation.
3 people like this
@GardenGerty (160879)
• United States
25 Jul 12
The cat was better off with you. I must have missed something. . . a roommate left? Was it D? I gotta look at your recent discussions.
1 person likes this
@GardenGerty (160879)
• United States
26 Jul 12
I went searching and found your J discussion, how interesting. I guess the cat lady did not pursue the cat thing.
1 person likes this
@dragon54u (31634)
• United States
25 Jul 12
Good for you!! 
That cat deserves a home where she can be secure, loved and cared for without any threat of violence, either physical or verbal. Every animal--and human--deserves that.
That cat deserves a home where she can be secure, loved and cared for without any threat of violence, either physical or verbal. Every animal--and human--deserves that. 2 people like this
@bunnybon7 (50973)
• Holiday, Florida
25 Jul 12
good for you girl. Just like children, some people dont deserve to have either one. pets are like children. cant take care of them selves . so we need to be kind to them. 
its wonderful you understand that. my son the young one, had a puppy and kept staying out partying etc. and leaving her alone sometimes day and night. 
then he got himself in jail for a few days. I went and got her the day he got in jail. when he got out i told him i was keeping her cause he had no business with a pet. that is coco nut. lol been 8yrs ago. as you know we spoil her rotten. 
@blue65packer (11826)
• United States
25 Jul 12
You did the right thing! That woman doesn't deserve to have her cat back! This cat has a better life living with you! If this woamn was not able to take care of herself,there is no way she can take care of a cat! Nice going ElicBxn!
3 people like this
@winterose (39887)
• Canada
25 Jul 12
You did the right thing. I would have done the same thing. I can't stand to hear of animals being abused.
1 person likes this
@scarlet_woman (23463)
• United States
19 Aug 12
i wouldn't have chose that nice of words,but yea,i wouldn't give the cat back either.
lord knows what you'd be condemning it to if you did.
if she pushes the matter later on,i'd remind her of caretaking for a year debt.that'll usually shut them up.
@applefreak (3130)
• Singapore
8 Aug 12
from what i read, you are doing a great job! taking care of those who may not be able to do so themselves.
coming to THIS 'stray', it's scary to have someone like that to live with. ten months is a long long time and i don't think you can claim ownership over anything you did not take. more so when we are talking about animals! imagine what animal can survive ten months without food?!?!?!
on hindsight (it's always perfect), i would have told her this 'cat? what cat? you don't have a cat!!!' anyone who has abused an animal DO NOT deserve getting it back! you've made a great decision to not let her take the cat back. the cat will be so much happier staying with you.
coming to THIS 'stray', it's scary to have someone like that to live with. ten months is a long long time and i don't think you can claim ownership over anything you did not take. more so when we are talking about animals! imagine what animal can survive ten months without food?!?!?!
on hindsight (it's always perfect), i would have told her this 'cat? what cat? you don't have a cat!!!' anyone who has abused an animal DO NOT deserve getting it back! you've made a great decision to not let her take the cat back. the cat will be so much happier staying with you.1 person likes this
@ElicBxn (63638)
• United States
8 Aug 12
I had discovered that reasoning with her was useless, I waited to see what she said and then gave my answer.
As for happy - well, I think poor Patches was actually seldom happy, but she did stop trying to swipe us every time we walked by and actually purred sometimes when we pet her.
1 person likes this
@applefreak (3130)
• Singapore
8 Aug 12
not having anyone 'hit her for no reason she could figure out'. this is the reason why i think Patches is happy.
i mean, why would anyone not be happy having escaped from hell??? i guess cats are not very expressive animals, when it comes to happiness. i seldom see my cats grin, but i'm guessing they are happy. afterall, their tails do swish slowly side to side. to me, that's their way of saying 'I"M HAPPY!'
i mean, why would anyone not be happy having escaped from hell??? i guess cats are not very expressive animals, when it comes to happiness. i seldom see my cats grin, but i'm guessing they are happy. afterall, their tails do swish slowly side to side. to me, that's their way of saying 'I"M HAPPY!'
@ANTIQUELADY (36440)
• United States
25 Jul 12
I wouldn't want anything to do w/her. Sounds like she might get dangerous. If u have call id i wouldn't answer the phone if it was her. Guess she can't help being the way she is but----
@bellis716 (4799)
• United States
25 Jul 12
I understand your reasoning. Don't know what I'd have done. I know how my husband would have handled it, but he's a different kind of animal.
1 person likes this
@alaskanray (4636)
• United States
25 Jul 12
You go, Girlfriend! You were right on!
1 person likes this
