Cats and Coworkers

Posted on by
Reply

It was another hectic morning at work when my computer mouse suddenly stopped working. After a battery change resulted in still no connection, I rebooted. The computer began an update that continued for several minutes. Something didn’t seem right. I called Tai, one of our IT specialists. He came to the rescue, informing me that this particular update may take a while.

Tai wanted to be sure the computer got back on track without any issues. As we waited for the update to finish, Tai launched into a story (knowing I love cats) about an unexpected kitten rescue.

In September 2025, Tai was heading out on his early morning walk with his German shepherd/husky mix, Kira. As he passed by his car in the driveway, Tai heard frantic meows coming from what seemed to be under the car. Kira made a beeline for the motor where Tai saw the face of a meowing kitten. He attempted to retrieve the kitten, but couldn’t get to the place in the motor where the kitten was located. Tai needed to continue walking Kira, but consumed with worry about the kitten, he texted his wife an urgent message: DO NOT DRIVE THE CAR WHATEVER YOU DO and explained why.

As Tai told the story, he emphatically affirmed that he is not a cat person. He’s a dog person—his entire family are dog people. They love all animals, but—they’re dog people. Because of his love for animals, he wanted to get the kitten out of a dangerous situation. When Tai returned from his walk about 45 minutes later, the kitten was no longer in the motor, but two kittens were in his back yard; one was the kitten from the motor

His wife had first found them, cold, trembling and crying as Tai describes. It was unknown how the kittens ended up in the back yard, but they appeared to be siblings. Tai explained that he lives in a neighborhood with many stray cats that are fed by folks in the neighborhood, and believes a stray cat that frequently came into their yard (and still does) is the mother of these kittens.

He thought about calling animal control and ran the idea by his son, Tyler, who advised do not, they’ll be euthanized. Tyler was at work, but rushed home to take the kittens to the vet. After the exam, the vet reported their estimated age at 3 to 4 weeks. They were treated for fleas, a viral infection as one had very runny eyes, but were overall in good health.

With a little encouragement from Tyler, the kittens found a home with Tai and his family. They named the female tortoiseshell Mimi and the male kitten Momo, who’ve become an integral part of the family. Kira’s the dotting mama to the kittens, always watching over and snuggling with them. As Tai passionately shared the story, it was clear that he and his family had become completely smitten with these kittens.

You don’t always know who in your circle of coworkers loves cats. It could be that savvy IT guy who was once only a dog person.

Tai believes these cats who frequently vist are Mimi and Momo’s parents.

That Darn Cat – Part II

Posted on by
3

Sergio’s stalking has continued. Recently, I was heading to the office when he appeared at the front door crying and pawing on the glass. I couldn’t open the door for fear of him getting into the house or Samantha getting out. I called John who was able to come over and chase him away by squirting him with the hose. These episodes have become routine.

I called Animal Control and the officer explained there was nothing they could do unless the cat hurt me, Samantha or did damage to the property. After another morning of his persistent pursuit of trying to get into the cottage, I called Animal Control again, asking what else was possible in the situation of a negligent owner letting an unneutered cat wander the neighborhood at all hours, trespassing and terrorizing. John installed motion-sensor cameras, which detected him on the roof at 1:00 am; another night, he woke me at 11:00 pm, yowling at the side door, then noisily prowled the yard for an hour.

Sergio at the side door during the day, which happens frequently. I’ve learned to block the French door so he can’t see inside.

The officer said the owner could be cited at this point, only the owner is unknown to me. Not helpful. He said the next time Sergio appears, rather than chasing him off, draw all drapes to prevent him from being able to see inside and Samantha from seeing out. He explained that the cat seems to need attention and negative attention is better than no attention. If we don’t offer interaction and ignore him, eventually he should stop stalking us. That was two weeks ago.

He was here in the rain a couple of days ago.

Yet, he’s not been abandoned. When his collar had a tag a couple months back, a neighbor found him in her courtyard late one night and managed to get the number off the tag (mentioned in Part I). I reached out to her for the number. I sent a text to the number from the tag explaining the situation and suggesting Sergio get neutered and be kept inside. A person named Margarita responded to my text with a voicemail, apologizing for what I was dealing with and understood my frustration, and said she would provide me with Sergio’s mom’s contact information so that we could discuss the matter. She explained that “we” just got Sergio neutered. I never received the contact information for Sergio’s so-called mom, and when I called back after another stressful episode, it seems my number has been blocked. I also texted, and never got a response.

I feel sorry for Sergio, yet I’m furious and frustrated with the situation; mostly at these irresponsible “owners.” My heart hurts when Samantha gets anxious and I worry for her health. I wish someone would just take him in. But I can’t rely on wishes.

 

Over the weekend I learned he’s been terrorizing a gal next door and her two cats. He’s ripped her screen—twice. I told her to call Animal Control about Cujo the cat.

To be continued…

That Darn Cat – Part I

Posted on by
14

A feline intruder has been appearing on the roof of the cottage over the past couple of months. The first time I saw the cat, it was looking down at Samantha who was in the “catio,” a small fenced-in patio on the side of the cottage. I whisked her inside and shooed the trespasser away with a few squirts from a water bottle. Samantha paced from room to room, expressing fear with a guttural growl. I learned from posts on Nextdoor that the cat was visiting other neighbors who were concerned the cat was lost. One neighbor had a visit from the cat who lingered in her courtyard into the early morning hours, yowling at her indoor cats. She was able to get the phone number off its collar tag and texted the number. The person who responded stated that “Sergio” was an indoor/outdoor cat. This cat’s owner seemed to be okay with him being outdoors. Excuse me, this neighborhood is within blocks of Laguna Canyon where coyotes reside and come down from the hills in search of their next meal. It really was not okay that this cat was roaming the neighborhood from dawn to beyond dusk. And it was not okay that he was rattling the nerves of my sensitive Samantha Jo.

John figured out that Sergio was getting onto the roof from the side of the cottage facing an above-grade walkway from which he could spring onto the roof. He installed bamboo fencing around the edge of that part of the roof. For a couple weeks we had no Sergio sightings. The relief we felt was palpable.

Then last Tuesday, I heard familiar cat cries coming from the roof. Sergio was back. I was baffled at how he found another point of access to the roof from which he pawed his way to the top of the lattice fence enclosing the catio. Samantha jumped onto my desk facing the windows of the catio and watched as Sergio leapt into the catio and sauntered over the pavers. She hissed and wailed, triggering a blood-curdling caterwaul from Serigo. I rushed out to the catio and squirted him with a water bottle. He scaled the fence landing in the front walkway. I ran into the front yard and opened the entry gate. He bolted through the open gate and ran up the street. Inside, Samantha was nervously darting from window to window. I sprayed a flower-essence based calming tincture throughout the cottage (Drama-Trauma by BlackWing Farms) and played ambient music. Soon enough, she became relaxed.

I wondered how this darn cat was once again able to get onto the roof. Then I recalled that Sergio’s collar no longer had a tag, and I wondered if he still had a home to return to.

I have stories of rescues that I will share as mentioned in my previous blog entry. This story needed to be told first. It’s been a journey. Stay tuned for the next chapter of That Darn Cat.