Monday, October 18, 2010

Stray Cat Strut

In the Mediterranean, cats seem as numerous as people.  When my husband and I visited Malta last winter, we were overwhelmed by the number of fuzzy felines who craved our attention and our food.  Two friends of ours, an American expat couple who live in Turkey, often post pictures of the stray cats in their area who depend upon the kindness of the neighborhood's cat lovers for sustenance.  Here in Scandinavia, it's a different story.  Temperatures can dip below freezing for about six months of the year, making outdoor living difficult to impossible for a domesticated animal.  In most areas, residents neatly dispose of garbage - so there is not a ready supply of food for homeless animals.  Against this backdrop, my husband and I were very surprised to spot a lonely kitty standing outside of our local subway station tonight.  This slightly skittish fur ball tried to give us the impression that he was streetwise, but he betrayed himself when he was nearly run over by a bus.  We had no idea what to do.  In the US, we would call animal control.  Here, we don't have a clue.  The cat appeared clean and well fed.  Most likely, this is someone's pet.  At least I hope so.  He followed us for a while, but after a few minutes he appeared to have reached the edge of his comfort zone.  If he's still there tomorrow, we'll take him in and make sure he's fed.  

2 comments:

  1. Hi Karen-

    So nice to get a glimpse into your life in Sweden! I hope the kitty finds his way home, but I love knowing that he's got someone looking out for him if he doesn't.

    -Kathleen

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks Kathleen! I walked around the neighborhood yesterday morning and there was no sign of the cat. Hopefully, that means that he's home and napping comfortably. Thanks for checking out the blog. Hope all is well with you in Washington, DC.

    ReplyDelete