Do Better

 The one place that I have found some peace is the neighborhoods near Lake Michigan during the pandemic.  And well now that we're sort of out of the pandemic? I never know from one day to the next.  It just kind of seemed like my place to be and always such a relief when the weekend hits and I get a chance to walk the big hill and up the hill near Lake Michigan. For the most part, the people that I see hae been friendly and say hello.  Occasionally I get someone annoyed that their dog was curious by me and wanted to get closer.  It's not my fault furry humans like me better than their owners.

Today was one of those days.  I had a furry little orange kitty come running down a driveway to greet me.  It looked like her name was Coco when I read the tag.  She purred and rubbed up against my legs.  Even the guy I see from time to time with his three dogs was amused when he saw Coco look sternly at his three dogs.

I wondered if this cat was lost.  Thirty one degrees for me means heaven after 5 degrees.  For a cat in this weather, I didn't think this was a good idea and I wondered if she escaped her home. I wondered if the home I stood in front of was her home. I wasn't sure and I tried to get her to come up the driveway to see if she would come up that way and she did.  I didn't see a door I could knock on and I thought maybe this isn't my place.  Maybe she's a stray and I should let it be.  There's a mailbox on the corner and as I walked down the driveway, Coco followed and when I turned around, she had stopped to cross the street.  I could see some cars a couple of blocks away and I coaxed her back over to me. I thought I got to find out if she has a home. Even if I had to knock on every door.  This isn't right.

When I carried her up the driveway, I could hear like some type of security alerts and I figured I tripped something and a man's voice came over a security camera over by the garage.  He told me he could see me.  Good.  Maybe he can help me.  I wasn't doing anything wrong.  He told me I could put down the cat, she's fine and likes to wander. I said she was going to wander in the middle of the street but ok.  I said I was sorry to bother, I thought she was lost and wanted to help.  I could hear him mutter something as I turned around and headed down the driveway.  I said you shouldn't have a cat as I walked away.  It was a shady comment, but it was well deserved.

I made sure not to walk by the expensive home with its Ukraine flag flying to show that they're compassionate when I got done with my walk.  No, you're not compassionate.  You could have came outside and had a conversation with me.  My intentions were good and I didn't need to be treated like a criminal. I think his home sucks but his cat is adorable.  I don't care if he's a rich man with a nice home.  He left his cat wandering outside.  She has a big home.  Let her wander inside in the warmth with another cat, maybe. 

It made me cry on my walk and I felt stupid.  This is the place that helps me de-stress.  I actually kind of enjoy talking to people and I got made to feel like an intruder because I worried about a cat.  The cat didn't have any front claws which worried me more.  Cats without claws are a little more vulnerable without that protection. I'm not an anti declawing person, I had cats that had only their back claws when I got them from the Humane Society and mine has both and I got the marks to prove it.  I did a lot of reading when I wondered if it was a good idea to declaw Precious.  

There was one thing I would have liked to have added when I walked down the driveway.  Do better.  Just be a better human.  How hard is that?  

Coco deserves a better human.