The Trouble With Stripes...

[nightfall8705]

My little brother and I recently moved from a cramped and miserable apartment into a trailer beside some close, longtime friends of ours, now also our neighbors. We love our new place, and finally after 7 years of sleeping in the living room, I now have my own bedroom, and we no longer have to keep our pets (two cats, Sydney and Sherbert, and now a puppy named Athena) a secret for fear of being kicked out.

 

Between our neighbors and I, we practically have a farm. There's my 3 pets, their three dogs, their chicken, and their five cats. Two of the dogs are small and indoors, but all the other pets are outside of their house. Three of these five cats are blood related to my Sydney, and one of these cats is called Stripes.

 

He is very tiny despite being almost a year old. He used to be... slow. You know? And originally, he was set to be adopted as my friends didn't exactly want to have so many cats around. Long story short, little Stripes is a brave little trooper. The "home" he went to eventually came to realize that they didn't like that Stripes was a little underdeveloped and hit him in the head with a baseball bat, as a means of "mercy" killing.

 

Not only did little Stripes survive that blow to the head, he is actually more developed now than ever. I say this because we stormed to this "home" and took Stripes back immediately. Bad, bad things has since happened to the person who hurt Stripes.

 

Stripes took a shine to the outside and has a talent for hunting mice, so he was allowed to be an outdoor cat. He was one of the first to greet me at my new place when we moved in, and he truly is the sweetest, most loving cat I have ever met. Even moreso than Sydney! And all you have to say to Stripes is his name and he purrs like he won't see tomorrow. He's soft and cuddly and just a very, very amazing little kitty. If something were to happen to him, I would just die inside. He takes a lot after his mama and of his aunty Sydney, and all he ever wants is a nibble of food or attention.

 

I've been asked not to feed him and his brother when they come to my house because my neighbors set out food for them to eat, but every once in a while, I feed him some kibble. If I have it to spare, I give him something to eat, bless him. It's the least I could do to thank him for always being so loving and kind to me.

 

Every time I go outside, he's on my porch and he will literally follow me everywhere I walk, generally getting under my feet. He especially does this at night as I live on a hill where there is quite a bit of mud and quite a bit of dips in the path. Stripes will walk a few steps in front of me, then turn back, actually wait for me, and then keep going when I catch up. When he finds a dip in the path or a hole I could fall into, he lays on the ground as if to fill it so I would have to step over him and avoid falling down.

 

This cat will follow me on the long walk to my mailbox and back to the house. I never feel alone cause he goes with me. He's usually out on the porch as a watchcat. He's the first to let us know if company is coming. He's protective of those he loves.

 

Right now, he is out on the porch eating some food I left out for him. I want so badly to bring him in the house because it is cold and raining, and he is wet, dirty, and muddy. He also has some fleas and not only that, Athena is in the house, and Sherbert isn't fixed yet, and we certainly can't have more kittens around the house.

 

I cleaned off his little fuzzy face with a warm rag and got some of the mud off of his paws before I made little Stripes a warm bed in a cushioned swirly chair on my porch with some blankets and told him to spend the night there to stay warm and out of the rain. I've done that before, and he's slept in that little chair with his tail wrapped around him.

 

Edit: I decided to go out and get him off the porch and bring him in anyway for a little while. I held him the entire time and wrapped him up in a thick blanket and sat with him by the heater until his now clean fur dried. His poor little ears were so cold. He seems to be happy now that he has been fed and is warm. He is laying on the bed I made him on the porch now.

 

I love that little kitty so much. I really do. It's evident that he loves me too. (He loves everybody unless they're mean to him.)

 

What boils my blood is how someone could hurt a creature so innocent and sweet...

 

Stripes is really brave to be so little, but I tell you, I've not met many with a heart bigger than his. I feel heartbroken because I can't do a lot for him, and it makes me think of other animals who are like him in other places. I wish people had more compassion for animals.

 

Sorry to ramble on... I guess I just wanted to share Stripes' story because it warms my heart how much he grew up, and how brave he is, and how loving he is no matter what's happened to him in the past. If only I could be so strong myself... Stripes really is an inspiration of perseverance to me, and I love him very much. I'm grateful to be loved by him in return as well.

 

Here's a picture of dear little Stripes and his brother Junior. Stripes is on the right. :)

 

 

 

<3 <3 <3 <3 <3

[fishstick013]

This makes me really sad.

 

You can definitely do something to help Stripes, though. If he has to be an outdoor cat while it's cold, you can make a shelter for him.

These shelters should be pretty cheap to create, too, and maybe you could get your friends/neighbors to pitch in a little bit if the insulation or straw are harder to come by.

[nightfall8705]

This makes me really sad.

 

You can definitely do something to help Stripes, though. If he has to be an outdoor cat while it's cold, you can make a shelter for him.

These shelters should be pretty cheap to create, too, and maybe you could get your friends/neighbors to pitch in a little bit if the insulation or straw are harder to come by.

 

 

Thanks. I have made him a warm bed and also gave him a warm cubby hole on my porch where he has shelter from the rain. The blankets on the bed I made him will keep him warm when it gets cold at night. Bless him. I don't know where the other cats are, but Stripes is usually the only one on my porch at night. He's still asleep on the bed I made him, so he is alright. I wish I could do more for him...

[chelperk]

Awe, that lil Stripes is tooooooooo precious. I'm glad you've got a new place, too!

[Shane for Wax]

I will never understand how people can hurt animals. I know why (thanks, forensics training) but I just can't fathom having the idea in your head to hurt an animal like that. Discipline (light swats on the rear and such) is one thing.

 

Stripes is definitely cute, tho. Unfotunately sometimes you just can't do all the things you want to in order to help an animal. But the next best thing is doing all you can, which you are. I'm sure Stripes appreciates it, even if it can't be verbalized like a human.

[nightfall8705]

Thanks everyone! We do like our new place. It's definitely more quiet and peaceful around here.

 

Little Stripes looks out for us, so we do the same for him. And I admit, Stripes, when he was a baby was a very special case, but we took good care of him until he was ready to be adopted. As soon as we found out what happened to Stripes, as I said, we forcefully took him back and nursed him back to health, and he has since acted like a "normal" functioning cat. But the ones who had him at the time later said they didn't want a quote "retarded" cat, and thought that hitting him with a bat to "put him out of his misery" would be appropriate.

 

Uh, excuse me? His misery or yours? Poor Stripes was hit hard right on his head, and they call that "mercy"?

 

As I said, very, very bad things has happened to the people responsible for that monstrous act. That's all I can really say on that. Not much makes me madder than people who hurt innocent animals.

 

Now, Stripes has grown, and he is healthy for the most part, and still somewhat underweight (I don't see how, he eats like a piggie!) but he is happy. He really is precious, and I know he is appreciative of what I do and what we all do for him.

 

But on days when I'm upset and depressed and all of that... I mean I get really low. Sometimes how I feel scares me, and I feel like giving up, and when I feel like that, I go outside and see Stripes there to greet me, and seeing him there purring, and happy as he could be to see me, and know what he's been through and survived... it really is an inspiration to me.

 

Btw, I just checked on Stripes again. He's still sleeping in his little bed. I wonder what he is dreaming about.

[Delshnya]

Your new place sounds nice, especially with such a good company. I usually like the post written by you that I read, and sometimes I think of answering, but I never do, I'm not sure of what to say. But today I will, you should relate this to those people who said that animals are stupid and cannot understand anything that you said. You're lucky to have him (and he is lucky to have you, for what you say, he likes you back), I think eventually you'll end up adopting him.

[pulpfreeoj]

This is such a heartwarming story (well, the end and outcome are, and they're all the more bright for the scariness in the beginning and climax).

 

I hope you and Stripes continue to care for one another, and that his owners treasure him as well.

 

I have always liked animals, and have been closer to more animals than I have people. One of my cats is around 15 years old (we got him in December of '99 and he was born around October of that year), and I don't know what I'll do when he eventually passes on. He's mostly just a mouthy needy brat but he's so charming about it that I can't deny him the pleasure of snoozing on my bed all day and a scratch or two when I look at him and find he's looking at me (honestly, I swear cats have hypnotic powers, he can get me petting him for ten minutes at a time or more with just a plaintive meow and a glance!). I understand what it's like to care for a cat so strongly and they seem to love you back; it's truly a privilege.

[nightfall8705]

Thanks everyone. I appreciate all of your comments and kind words. Right now, it is not as cold as it was last night, and the rain seems to have stopped. Dear Stripes was his usual happy self today when I went outside on the porch. He knows he is loved by all of us. In a way, I sort of have adopted him... it's the least I could do because of all he does to me. The best part of this story is that Stripes is with us, me and my neighbors, where he belongs, and that he is happy and he doesn't have to worry about those hateful monsters out there who don't deserve a pet's love anymore.

 

I completely agree, it IS a privilege to be loved by such innocent creatures. I'm humbled to be loved by them. <3