Stray Cat Strut

Strays are a fact of life in the city and I've gotten to know many of the dogs quite well as I've traveled through their territories over the years. On the most part they are kind, shy little things that are wary of being kicked, but quick to share bright eyes and happy wagging tails when given a kind word or attention.

One of my favorites is a black lab with a white neck who I like to call "Pepe." He was the sweetest ever and loved to play, but he's moved to another neighborhood so I don't see him as much anymore. BTW, no comments about me nick-naming a dog after a skunk. ;) There is another dog that I refer to as "Butch" that leaves everyone alone except this one homeless man who collects plastic bags in our neighborhood. Yap yap yap! Butch will not leave the gentleman alone! The guy finally got fed up with it and "adopted" another stray and walked with him on a leash. Butch leaves him alone now.

One of the funniest things I've seen has been a stray waiting at a crosswalk, looking left and right, before negotiating the busy street. Now the first time I saw this I thought it was just that particular dog and a fluke. But over the years I've seen this many times. On the way home on Monday I saw it again. This little guy ("Whitey") got separated from his buddy, who'd nonchalantly crossed at the crosswalk just moments before, and now was stuck. He looked right, left, walked down the street a little farther, looked longingly at the other side, looked right and left again, and finally gave up.

There used to be several stray dogs in my neighborhood and in the time I've been there I've seen several come, puppies born and, sadly, also seen many go from a harsh winter, disease or from catching the car they were chasing. One of those who has gone (disappeared, really) was the alpha male. He was a big fluffy brown mix of a dog that exuded power over his minions and had too much to do to pay any mind to passersby who were willing to give a kind word. He's gone now, though, and it seems no dog has stepped up to replace him. And those left seem perfectly happy to tolerate the growing numbers of cats.

Ah, yes. Cats. I did title this sad silly little blog "Stray Cat Strut" after all. You see, for the last couple of years an organization has come from Switzerland (?) to help with the problem of strays. They gather them up, vaccinate, "fix" and tag them before returning to their neighborhoods. I think it was easier for them to catch the dogs than it was the cats because I've noticed a decreased population of dogs and liters (literally) of cats. This has been expecially noticable on my walks as I've encountered dozens of kittens learning the art and street-life skills of dumpster diving and scraping from the now numerous older population. It's going to be interesting to see what happens when they take over the neighborhoods.

Life for the stay is hard, but several animal-loving locals do feed them and give them water, taking care of them. Occasionally, though, a stray gets a break and someone takes them into their home. On my block a little stray puppy, the only survivor of his litter, was gathered up by a young women in her 20's. "I will take him home and care for him," I heard her say to her friend as I walked by. Then there is Dandylion, a little fluff of a kitten that my colleagues found on a street corner curled up next to a piece of bread. Well, he (yes, he) batted those baby-blues and captured the kids' hearts who in turn gave eager/hopeful looks to their parents who gave in and brought the kitty home. This little fluff-ball now has a loving family and is thriving. :)

Thanks for joining me on this walk through the city, discovering the furry little critters and their quirks. (And no comments about it being just a little bit pathetic that I pay so much attention to the strays... I'm an animal-lover... I can't help it.) ;)

Day 11: $35.56 and counting.