Of earthquakes & stray cats...

First on the stray cat business. Probably 6 or even 8 weeks ago I spotted my cat Allie chasing another cat in my yard. I saw it jump onto the fence, and I assumed it returned to its own home. This process repeated a couple of times over another few days. Still- I assumed it was being a persistent annoying neighbour- like Charlie the Burmese cat from across the road. I have a water glass out on the deck for my cats and wondered why it was disappearing at a rapid pace. I often saw my cats peering into the bushes in the evening. Finally connecting the dots one evening- I found Straw the stray cat sleeping in the bushes in my yard. I got a wee bit of my cats food to see if she seemed hungry. She was ravenous. It seemed clear she had been sleeping in the bushes for days. I still wondered if she had an owner (although I would have been unimpressed by how little they were feeding her- she was skinny). I put a collar on her with a note looking for her owner and started feeding her regularly. Within a week she was looking much better and I had not heard from anyone. She was getting more comfortable in my yard, even sneaking in the house when the door was open. I took her to the vet about 2 or 3 weeks ago to get her checked out. It turned out she had an abscess which I had treated. Part of the treatment involved me squeezing the yucky stuff out- a painful process. She was forgiving and would return for a pet shortly after. She began to display her extreme affection for people. She would follow me out to the street or mailbox if I went there. If I sat on the couch she would try and sneak in to sit on my lap. When I let my cats out, she would sneak in to sleep on my bed. I started to really enjoy her and her personality- but as she got more comfortable my cats got more jealous. Originally they stopped chasing her in the yard, but as she invaded the house they would be very jealous. Allie would sometimes not eat and I wondered if it was related. Jasper would swat and chase her- even though the glass deck doors. I had them away for a weekend in the Marlborough Sounds and they were very happy. It became clear upon their return and non normal behaviour they weren't adapting well. It became time to find a home for Straw the stray (so called because she would drain the glass with water so low it looked like she had used a straw). Last weekend a work mate came to see her, but today told me she had decided against a long haired cat. But thanks to my friend Jill- she told me about a fellow who was looking for a cat. Him and his daughter came and visited Straw tonight & took her to her new home. I'm delighted she has found a home where she can be the centre of attention and where she'll be loved. I do feel a little sad to say goodbye to such a wonderful, friendly cat and hope she settles in well at her new home.

In other news, Tuesday was a dark day in New Zealand. I was to attend the More FM Winery Tour that evening (Midnight Youth, Opshop & Brooke Fraser), and at work in the morning we looked at the paper and saw raindrops covering almost the whole of the South Island in the papers weather map. Just after 1 a colleague had been reading the stuff news and announced about the earthquake. As the info started to roll in, the mood dropped. A few of my workmates were also due to the concert in the evening. We all went, but the crowd was rather subdued, the rain suited the mood of the day. A big one, a shallow one, with a big impact on the old CBD- at mid day with many people at work in tall buildings. Not good. It is interesting how such an event brings out the best and the worst in people. There are the people who help random strangers doing whatever they can. There are the search and rescue teams from NZ and many from abroad. There are the doctors, engineers, courier companies and others doing their bit. There is a resolute mayor standing firm in a difficult situation and displaying his leadership skills. And then there are the looters, the rioters, those who try to take advantage of the disadvantaged when the order that is maintained in a normal society is interrupted. Like many, my heart and thoughts are with the people of Canterbury.

Here are a few websites where people can get information:
http://canterburyearthquake.org.nz/
http://police.govt.nz/christchurch-earthquake
To donate to the NZ Red Cross: http://www.redcross.org.nz/donate