I asked Dahlia if I could guest post on her blog to help me get the word out about National Feral Cat Day. Although, it has come and gone, October 16th was, and is, the official date for National Feral Cat Day, I’m celebrating all month long by trying to bring about awareness and donating my book royalties for the month (more about that later).
This is the story of Burt, a grey tabby that is a relative new member of the feral/outdoor “community” of cats that I help care for. His story is also a plea to everyone not to do this to any cat, or any animal, ever. It’s just plain cruel.
Burt is a really sweet guy. He follows us around when we’re out feeding the gang and likes to take time to sit in our laps before he starts to eat. Burt wasn’t originally an outdoor cat. Burt was dumped. Someone no longer wanted him. Or maybe, his elderly owner died, or went into nursing care, and the family didn’t want him. Instead of taking him to a shelter, which I understand to a small degree, they drove out to the country, saw a barn and other cats, and decided Burt would be safe there. Nothing could be further from the truth.
Dumping a cat, especially a housecat, like that is cruel. They’re unfamiliar with the surroundings; they don’t have instincts that “just take over”. That’s false. You’re opening them up to starvation, predators, cruelty from other people, the elements, not to mention the fighting that will occur with the other cats. Those cats you see by the farm are a “community”. They know who belongs and who doesn’t. They will fight viciously with any strange cat that comes into their territory.
There’s a whole host of reasons not to do this, but I’m here to tell Burt’s story.
Burt used to be a housecat and what makes his story particularly cruel in my opinion is he’s an older cat, bordering on elderly. He wasn’t neutered either when he was dumped, so he would’ve added to the cat population that everyone complains about. But the worst thing, Burt is completely deaf. He can’t hear the car coming down the road behind him, so he doesn’t know to get out of the way. He can’t hear a predator, such as a coyote, coming. He doesn’t know how to hunt and even if he did, how would he hear the prey in order to hunt it?
Lucky for Burt he found his way to my mum’s. He lives outside and doesn’t wander from her property because he knows she loves him and cares for him. She has a huge shelter for him, feeds him twice a day with yummy food, and sits with him every day. He sleeps most of the time, but seems to know when to wake up and wait for her to come home.
He was neutered this past spring so he’s not making any baby Burts. It also means that he’s now ear-tipped and tattooed.
Like I mentioned, Burt is a sweet guy and follows us when we’re out. He always tries to “help” or “supervise” with whatever it is we’re doing. He’s a very gentle soul and is excepting of everyone. I don’t understand how or why someone wouldn’t want him.
Burt’s story has a happy ending, but there are many cats that aren’t so lucky. I encourage you to learn about feral cats, outdoor cats, how to care for them, and all the many ways you can help by visiting Alley Cat Allies website http://www.alleycat.org
As part of my month long celebration of National Feral Cat Day, when you purchase ANY of my books during October I’m donating all my book royalties for the month to Alley Cat Allies to help feral and other outdoor kitties. So why not buy a book and let’s help kitties’ live happy, healthy lives. You can find my books at http://bit.ly/AmznProfile
Thanks for stopping by to read my post and learn about Burt. And thank you, Dahlia, for letting me takeover your blog today.
xoxo,
Casey
Bio
Like most authors, Casey Sheridan began writing when she was very young. It was later in life when she read her first piece of erotica and it was on a dare that she wrote her first erotic story.
Casey enjoys writing erotic, fun, and romantic fiction.
An introvert and lover of chocolate, Casey is happiest when writing. She enjoys reading, watching movies, and listening to music. She loves animals and volunteers to care for local feral/outdoor kitty pals.
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Author Dahlia Donovan 
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