My instincts were right when I rescued a cat living outside a hotel several weeks ago. I was going to an evening meeting at a Dallas hotel. Before entering, I spotted a beautiful gray & white tabby. He was mewing rather sadly, so I wheeled over to check him out. A bit dirty, he came over and immediately began rubbing on my chair, mewing to be petted. I cautiously reached down where he began persistently rubbing against my hand, seeking affection. It was a typical HOT August night, and I was worried. There was no food or water to be seen. After prying myself away from him, I went inside and asked the clerk if someone had called the Humane Society, SPCA or Animal Control to pick him up. With the heat, it's animal abuse. I also asked her to set out a dish of water for him.
After the meeting (during which I thought of him alot), I went out again to check on him. He came right up, begging to be petted. I tried to figure out a way I could bring him home, then take him to our local Animal Shelter. Physically, I couldn't do it on my own and knew Foo would have thought I was loony. Before I left, I did let him sneak into the hotel, figuring I would call tomorrow and check on him.
The next day, I called the SPCA and Dallas Animal Control of which neither would do anything. I was furious and frustrated. At 2 am that night, I called the hotel to find out the cat was STILL there. I told the Night Manager, I'd come the next day to get him myself.
The next morning, I went to get him, but he wasn't in his usual spot. I told the staff at the desk about the cat who actually thanked me -- rather than calling me a crazy old lady. I found him in the back of the hotel, laying between smelly trash cans. After some cajoling and luring with food and water, I got him into the carrier I'd brought. He wasn't too happy about that, but I think he knew I was there to help. He mewed a lot at first, but calmed down after I petted him several times during the trip.
My first stop was the Allen Animal Shelter, where I was rudely turned away by a woman who had no sense of who do deal with a soft-hearted individual trying to do a good deed. She was, quite frankly, the epitome of the word bea-atch. Broken hearted, I put the cat (now named Oliver) back into the car where we traveled to the Collin County Animal Services. They took Oliver out of the carrier and remarked what a beautiful cat he was. His picture was taken and posted online as being lost. He had no microchip, so he was definitely a lost soul.
For the next week, I kept track of him online then it disappeared. I called the shelter, who told me he'd been taken to the SPCA of McKinney. I hoped he'd be put up for adoption. Finally, after 2 weeks, his photo popped up on their web site. It was there for about a week. I looked today and noticed it's gone! I can only guess that someone adopted him. He was a sweet, loving cat who I would have kept had I not already had 2 sweet loving cats already. Oliver, I hope you found a loving home. You will be missed.
Labels: adoption, Allen Animal Control, animal rescue, Collin County Animal Control
