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<\/a>The first time I spotted Callie on my morning walk, she was at this driveway.<\/p><\/div>\n
Early on, less than a block away from my house, I met Callie. The name came to me for obvious reasons \u2013 she was a cat, calico, and female, and the feminine name just suited her pretty and petite frame. She was in the driveway of a neighbor\u2019s house I was not acquainted with, and true to my nature, rather than walk by her as someone else might have, I crouched down and gently lowered my hand to the ground in friendship, softly calling her in a psss…psss noise that I used with my own cats to see if she\u2019d come to me.<\/p>\n
She looked at me for a second with her sea-foam colored eyes, licked her paw to casually wash her face, and meandered over to me. I slowly reached out, letting her familiarize herself with me, and she decided to let me pat her. It was a quick pat and then she plunked down to roll herself in the warm Florida heat of the black driveway pavement, happy for the morning hello. I continued my walk, careful that she was not following me and soon discovered in the days to come that our meeting wasn\u2019t random and that she\u2019d become part of my routine.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Callie heading my way to introduce herself.<\/p><\/div>\n
Naturally, I began walking with treats tucked in my pocket so I could spoil my new friend and I looked forward to our special time which always included me petting her, followed by her rolling on the pavement, signaling she enjoyed my company. I didn\u2019t know her history yet, but she appeared healthy and fed, evidenced by the two stainless steel bowls in front of the garage of the driveway she greeted me from and her soft, clean fur, so I assumed someone was taking care of her.<\/p>\n
<\/a>Callie was a very pretty girl, with soft, clean fur.<\/p><\/div>\n
One morning while I was giving Callie her treats, a woman came out of the front door, startled to see me, a stranger, in her driveway, feeding what was probably her pet cat. I was apologetic, letting her know my intentions were friendly and that Callie had become part of my morning walk and she said she understood and was fine with it, informing me Callie was a stray neighborhood cat that she had taken under her care and been feeding for years.<\/p>\n
I would have preferred her answer was that Callie was her cat \u2013 a primarily indoor pet – but I was grateful the cat was being cared for and I thanked her for her kindness. I found employment in March of 2016 and my days of morning walks ended. I\u2019d occasionally walk on weekends, but I didn\u2019t always see her. The bowls were still in front of the garage, so I surmised she was still around.<\/p>\n
Last Christmas I was home and decided to take a walk before my family was to arrive to open gifts and celebrate the holiday. Instinctively, I grabbed some treats just incase my feline friend was around, and sure enough, there she was in the driveway. I called her like I always did, and she came to me, but this time something was different. Her walk was wobbly and when I saw her, my heart sank. Her fur, once so clean and bright was coated in dirt and matted and she had lost significant weight.<\/p>\n
This was not the Callie I remembered, and I sadly knew her days were numbered. All I could think was, I need to help her, so I went home and armed myself with everything I could think of to provide her some comfort \u2013 fresh drinking water, cat food, and a bucket of warm water, along with a washcloth treated with a pet antiseptic to clean her fur. I knew when I was gently washing her face, it was risky. I did not know if she had contracted any contagious diseases on the streets and she could have very easily lashed out at me and a cut from her claws could be dangerous.<\/p>\n
But she seemed grateful, letting me clean her up as best I could, and I rewarded her patience with some food. My neighbor came out of the house and I explained what I was doing, and I also explained my concern that Callie was not doing well. I was not trying to be judgmental or accusatory, a very fine line, because it was so painfully obvious Callie was in decline.<\/p>\n
We chatted longer than normal, finally fully introducing ourselves after all this time. Her name was Mary and she and her husband, Bob, were on a limited income. Bob was unemployed, with serious health issues to boot. She was doing the best she could with Callie and being so close to the situation, I honestly don\u2019t think she realized how much weight Callie had lost or the severity of her situation.<\/p>\n
I knew Callie needed to see a vet, but it was a delicate situation \u2013 Mary\u2019s income was limited, as was mine. I also knew that Callie\u2019s age, coupled with her years of outdoor living was not in her favor for a good prognosis. But nobody wanted to see Callie suffer, and during our conversation, Mary\u2019s neighbor came by who saw us chatting. She too had been feeding Callie over the years and was fond of her. It was decided we would all chip in so Callie could get checked out and I left feeling relieved that we had created a plan together for Callie’s care.<\/p>\n
Mary made an appointment for the vet, which would be on Thursday, two days after Christmas, and by now she had my phone number and she was practically giving me minute-by-minute updates on Callie. I also made a habit of coming in the morning before work to wash Callie as well as after I got home from work to bring her extra food and to check out her eating habits. One night Callie even followed me back to my house, which was astounding to me. Dan and I put a box out for her in our garage, with a towel for padding in case she wanted to nap, but true to her nature, she was not a cat that wanted indoor confines of any sort and she hobbled herself back to what she considered her true home with Mary.<\/p>\n