Cats in the Ductwork

From behind the fiery red leaves of the retreating azaleas, a face I’d never seen before stared at me impassively.  A tortoiseshell, barely half grown, I judged, sitting calmly in my driveway and watching me.  Another neighborhood stray taking up residence under my house, I thought, just what I need.

Well, hello there, I said, Who might you be?

She blinked her yellow eyes and didn’t answer but when I took a step toward her, she immediately turned, darted through the latticework and disappeared into the darkness.  For the hundredth time I thought about having the latticework replaced but it’s become a sort of stray sanctuary and while I stubbornly refuse to feed any of them, winter is on its inevitable way and I can’t bring myself to take away their shelter, inadequate as it may be.  Later that afternoon, the first real cold front arrives, bringing with it three days of cold, steady rain.  Against my better judgement, I make up several small protected areas in the garage with cardboard boxes and straw, old blankets and discarded towels.  It’s not much of an offering but it provides a place out of the wind and rain and that plus constant prayers for a mild winter are as far as I’m willing to go.  Homeless, hungry,  neglected, abused animals and the way we treat them break my heart a little more each year.  We are more cruel than the seasons could ever dream of being.

Despite the weather, the hunger, the lack of shelter and the dangers, the neighborhood cats still seem to make it through year after year.  Their will to survive is close to indomitable.  I still see the old tabby who used to live in the garage and last spring’s mama cat still prowls along the fence line and torments the dogs.  The big orange tom and the bad tempered Siamese come and go often, patrolling their territories and making their voices heard.  The gray striped tiger who likes to sleep on the front steps still visits.  I don’t know whether this new tortoiseshell will survive but I do know she’ll give it her best shot.

A day or so later I realize I can see daylight from one of the heating/air conditioning vents and have to call the trusty mechanical people again.  They arrive promptly and cheerfully make the repairs, re-attaching a length of ductwork and putting things to right.  They understand about cats and gave up scolding me months ago.