Editor, Manteca Bulletin,
During the later part of 2007 my wife and I were looking for our first home together. One of the priorities on our list was to find a place where our pets would most likely be safe from busy streets. Sticking to our plans we found a nice neighborhood that had very little traffic and was quiet, so we settled on a nice house on the Laurelwood Circle.

Behind us is the Olivewood Apartments. My wife and I have four cats and this home seemed like the ideal place to settle down. Our first year was just like we envisioned with nice neighbors who waved hello or stopped and chat to introduce themselves. There was one ongoing problem that we all noticed: there were many stray cats roaming the area. There was a story of a lady down the street that had passed away and her 30 cats scattered throughout the neighborhood looking for food any place available. Because of the nuisance of ferals, my wife would trap as many as she could and have them spayed and neutered to reduce the cat population.

Over 15 as of today have been taken to the clinic. We also knew some neighbors were trapping as well. We made sure collars and tags were on each one so we could feel secure that no one would harm or trap them. But what we didn’t expect was our own cats to disappear.

One of our little females who my wife found was five weeks old, so deciding against taking her to the pound we kept her. Henni was shy, loveable and timid and stole my heart. Henni learned slowly how to live at home and navigate the premises. By the time she was four months old she was a joy, then vanished one day in November 2009. I made 300 flyers and delivered them throughout the area, speaking with people and explaining who we are and what we do for the neighborhood. Hoping to hear a phone call or doorbell, that day never came. Shortly after, another one of our cats, Fluffy, who was five years old disappeared. Then another and another of the strays that came to eat in the backyard that my wife had fixed were gone.

We spoke with people and explained that we trap too and get them fixed, but if you have one of ours “please let them go!” One day our older females carried home a four-week-old male and dropped him off at the back door. Looking up at us as though she was saying, “here I found this little guy in the gutter and told him I knew of a safe place to take you.” He was spunky and active and we ended up calling him Georgie. With the fear of him being trapped or snatched we kept him inside. By the time he was two months old we put a collar and tag and introduced him to the backyard. He disappeared last week after having him for almost five months. For three nights we couldn’t sleep waiting for him to return home. Each day became gloomier because we knew what to expect. It just hits the pits in your stomach knowing there isn’t anything you can do to save him or find him.

So that is our story and now I would like to address this so hopefully pet haters might have a little more sympathy toward their neighbors. We understand sometimes cats roam but that is their trait. But they are also territorial which means they stay around their own yards. Many of us love and treat or pets as members of our family. We do our hardest to make sure that they are not trouble makers and that we can feel safe and secure that no one will harm or take them away when they are outside. So please, people, and you know who I am speaking to, next time you find your neighbor’s cat in a trap with a collar and even a tag let her go as you would want us to do the same. Please don’t drop them off in the country to let them go because most end up getting hit by a car, starve or get killed by wildlife. If you take them to the pound make sure you have checked for collars. Think for a minute when you look at them, they are beautiful creatures that become defenseless and their fate is in your hands at the moment. All they want to do is run home back to our arms where they feel safe and loved. For those who snatch our kitties because you want something you can’t have, think twice for a second of the guilt you’ll live with every time you look in their eyes. If they could talk they would say, “Please take me back home, I really miss my family!”

So with that being said, hopefully this article will hit home for many out there who have gone through the same situation. We try our best to help the cat population for the community but it is unsettling why this has happened solely to us. I still rush home everyday hoping to see Henni or Georgie at the back door meowing “hey, what’s for dinner tonight!”