Some of you may remember when I called the police on the guy with the yappy mutt that lives in the apartment building behind my house. Several weeks ago, several houses up in my dad’s neighborhood were broken into. The value of the things stolen was practically nothing. They caught 3 people a couple nights later when they tried to break into a former police chief’s house. When I heard the address of the one person and the name, I thought to myself “This is that idiot with the dog.” He saw me out in the yard once after the police incident for yappy and begged me not to call the cops again. He said he had had some problems with the cops and couldn’t afford to go to jail again. The landlord was out of town so I never got to speak to him about the incident. I have been watching for the landlord to come home to have a little chat with him. They came home in the last day or so.
To make a long story bearable, the guy hasn’t been back since he was arrested. His mother lived with him and she has since moved as well. I have been wondering who was caring for their cat. I knew it was still in the apartment because it would sit in the back window about the time I came home each night. A couple times, I’ve walked over and talked to it through the window. It would smooth the window like it wanted me to pay attention to it. This gave me another reason to watch for the landlord.
I came home from work this evening. As I pulled down the alley to park, I noticed a sign on the construction company’s wall. It notified whoever read it that they should deal with their dog’s crap in the proper manner. I parked my truck and went in to the house. A few minutes later I saw the landlord’s truck over there. I went out and talked to him. He was very flustered. I thought maybe it was because of the sign and my complaint about the dogs and their droppings. He told me he had to go because they were trying to save a fish. I let him go thinking that there was a water problem or something he had to get fixed to fill the aquarium. He came back a few minutes later. I saw him run around the building to his shop door. I know he has a very bad back and does not ever run. Something was wrong!
I threw on my boots and coat to head over. I saw he had gone into the apartment which I had suspected had been abandoned almost a month. I knocked on the door noting the doorknob had been pried off. They were frantically scrubbing an aquarium that looked as though someone had burnt coffee in it. They didn’t have anything to scrub with so I ran back to the house and got a couple Scrubbies that I had and a couple disposable type dish clothes. This wasn’t just a regular gold fish they were trying to save. It was a HUGE Gold Fish, bigger than my hand. The fish lay listless in a 5 quart canning pan while we quickly put the tank back together. I had to work on the pump because it was so filthy that it wouldn’t pump.
We got the tank full and put the fish back in with the hope that it would perk up over the evening and survive. I’ve had little gold fish in the past. I know you’re supposed to let the water settle for a couple days so the chemicals settle out and you should acclimate them to the water. I really don’t think that would make much difference in this case. The water that was in the tank was so dark you couldn’t see through it. When I left the fish was mostly upright and would occasionally swim slowly around the tank. I don’t really think the tank is big enough for this fish but its what was there. The gal that helps the landlord is going to get the proper food and new filters for the pump. I told them let me know what is going on and I will help however I can.
Jennifer, the landlord’s helper, took the cat to her house so that it’s at least cared for. Its a small female about the size of Tink. She has two males, one of which is a large Mainecoon. I told her if the cat becomes a problem, let me know. I’m going to be fairly busy for the next several weeks with a couple commitments of my own. Animals are like family to me, so if her cat’s won’t tolerate it I will take it in. I’ve been thinking about getting a buddy for Tink anyway. The first stop would have to be the vet’s office to get this little girl checked out. I don’t want to bring any nasties home to Tink. We’ll wait and see how things go. I scrubbed up very well before coming home and again after I got here to make sure I didn’t transfer anything to Tink.
I’m furious that a whole family would ignore a cat and a fish in an empty apartment. Granted they are only animals, but they need care. Cats are social creatures that require love and attention. The fish needs clean water and food. It’s really a good thing this guy is in jail for violating his probation or I’d likely put him there myself for animal cruelty. What’s even worse is that his sister came and got his mom and her yappy mutt but left the cat. I can kind of understand the fish because the tank and water make the fish hard to uproot and move, but still I think I would have offered it to someone tank and all before just abandoning it.
This blog in no way demonstrates how I feel inside. I have fought the whole way through it, trying not to let my anger spew out.
No animal should go through what I saw tonight. The cat is healthy because it had food but it was skittish because it had been alone. One way or the other this will have a happy ending for the cat. The fish may or may not make it through the night. We can only hope that the stress of the filthy water and moving it around to try to save it wasn’t too much. Fortunately, the heat was still on in the apartment or things may have been a lot worse.
Please!… If you have pets or are thinking of getting a pet. Think over the costs involved, the upkeep and the love they require. Easter is here. Don’t buy baby chicks for your kids unless you have a farm to raise them on. The same goes with bunnies. They are cute but they need a lot of attention and space.
~Cappy
Insert large growl sound effect here.
*Pictures are snags from google and are not of the actual animals involved.
kids have been after me to get another pet. I would like to but told them they have to show some responsibility. I don’t need something else to take care of.