"Fire is motion / Work is repetition / This is my document / We are all all we've done / We are all all we've done / We are all all we've done / We are all all defenses."

- Cap'N Jazz, "Oh Messy Life," Analphabetapolothology

Thursday, August 17, 2006

jannik





[yahn-ick]

that's what i dubbed the cat i found waiting for me when i returned home last night. he's my newest neighbor as i said hello to him when i passed him on the street the other day on my way to the pool. he's also my new secret pet because my parents will not let me keep him, since i am leaving for school in a few days and they don't have the time for another child and my school will not allow jannik to stay with me.

i can't decide though if it is better to lead little jannik on and treat him as a pet or if i should say "shoo!" so as not to get attached, or if i should trap him for the time being and take pictures of him and post them all over town and try to find his owner, or to find him a home.

do cats feel pain when they discover they've been led on? do cats miss their owners? or is it possible that little jannik ran away and is looking for a new friend to take him home? is it better to give him a home for now and break his heart later, or to have him be homeless a little longer but without hurting his feelings? did he recognize me without my swimsuit and towel on?

too many things to think about. so i went with my initial inclination: i played with him in the moonlight and the soft glow of my garage, on the sweet soft summer silk driveway of my childhood home. we tickled each other and became fast friends. he sang like a bird and i coo'd back at him like a dove.

we understand each other.

i was looking up at the moon and stars in the sky and thinking how different night looks when you're back home from a long absence. i wondered if it had changed much since i last looked up at it in this same location many months ago.

little jannik purred and curled up in my lap.

i felt bad, because i think he likes me but i'm not sure i can give him the love he needs. so i fed him some milk in a mickey mouse bowl and said good night.

his eyes were glowing in the night when i turned the lights off and looked back.

...

if you live in lexington, ky and want a sweet little friend, and have lots of love and milk for jannik, please let me know (in the comments). jannik needs a good home.

-stephanie

2 comments:

stephanie lee said...

haven't done the bike ride yet. i've been busy working on school stuff but i plan to ride once before i leave.

i will post pictures when it occurs (if i can find a camera person!)

-stephanie

Anonymous said...

here, i tried to field those questions...

cats do feel pain when being led on by becoming that much more ferile. they do miss their owners - cats are domesticated animals, we are supposed to be their masters. it is possible he left a bad home, but would want a home either way. it could be cruel to give him a home just to put him back into the wild and being homeless, again, poses more threat of becoming horribly infected with fleas, mites, lice, and disease like aids and luekemia. he will begin to recognize you over time, particularly by your own scent.

i am certainly not one to give advice, though, because it takes your time, and there are likely thousands of strays in your area. your idea for finding its owner is honourable - pictures and the internet are invaluable! (I am addicted to searching "kittens" on youtube) you can also call shelters and vets. but realize that they have their own policies regarding strays, which you may not like. if it is approachable, that is good, for a start at least. but if he is not neutered, he will reproduce many wild kittens born with broken hearts.