Wednesday, July 9, 2003

Irresponsible pet owners are causing problems for us citizens that do give a damn. In August 2002 my wife and I returned from a week out of town only to find a feline and her four kittens under my restored car.

Our neighbor was aware of cats first and started to feed the mother cat who was doing her best to feed her kittens. Both my wife and neighbor fed the cats until winter. We started to leave the garage door up for them to keep warm.

We already have a cat of our own so our plan was to find homes for these homeless pets. Based on the mother cat behavior we could tell this had been someone's pet; she was very friendly and very smart. So this pet has kittens and the owners discard her like throwing out used litter. Now she faced with having to make it on her own and her four kittens.

Unable to find them homes, we and the neighbor realize we need to have them spayed and neutered, at our own expense. Winter sets in and to make things easier on us we install a pet door onto the garage door, again our expense.

This presents another problem. Outdoor cats like to sleep under car hoods, so we now find ourselves having to check car motors and under carriage. In the spring time I start to see male cats hanging around for you know what, so I spend many a night chasing off would-be cat fathers until our garage cats are all inside.

One night as I check in on the garage cats, I discover a raccoon has also discovered the pet door. Well, somehow I manage to raise the garage door enough to where the raccoon runs out without the cats running after him.

Another night I find a possum in the garage. Unlike the raccoon, I can't seem to get him out. In the morning I still can't get him out, but I am able to trap him in a large box. We call Peachtree City animal control to have them catch the possum and take him far away.

Guess what, PTC animal control tells us we don't do wildlife, you'll have to get rid of the possum yourself. Thanks for nothing, PTC.

Let's recap: Your pet gets pregnant, throw it out. Male cats not fixed, let them roam the neighborhood to make more, not your problem. PTC wildlife in your garage, you're on your own. Local vets give you a break for doing the right thing, fat chance of that. Responsible pet owners know how expensive vet bills can be; doing the right thing is very expensive.

Our thanks to the Humane Society for their suggestions and a couple of discount coupons. Faced with a right or wrong decision, I'd rather do the right thing.

Ed and Janet Lopez

Peachtree City, Ga.