Carl the Cat

The night was Feb. 15th 2k13.

I tried to see if we were doing a LTAN but I got no response, so I got bored and put my shoes on and left. I had to meet up with a girl I work with to get 160 dollars that she owed me for various illegal legal activities. Anyway, I went to meet her where we work, so while I was walking there I saw a buffet. I went in to try the food at the buffet, and it was terrible. So I left and hustled up to where we work to wait for her to get off so I could walk her home and collect said cash.

We were talking and walking and having generally good times when I saw a kitty. I was like "awww friendly kitty!" and I pet him on the head and kept walking... 3 blocks later I look down and I'm like "KITTY! YOU GOTTA STOP FOLLOWING US! GO BACK HOME!" and 2 more blocks later he's still walking with us. So we're like "ok, lets run down this street, flip a bitch and run back, then run across that busy street so he'll be tempted to not follow us"

So we run down, and back, and around, and across this busy street.. when we got to the other side we were winded cuz we're fatties and we don't run so great, so we are panting and tired and I turn around there's the kitty on the other side of the street... he booked it into the middle of the street!

Cars are honking and slamming on their breaks, the time is like 10:15pm and its dark as shit and people have hard times seeing this kitty and we're like "OH MY NOES PLZ KITTY BE OK" So, he does the smart thing and runs back to his side of the street and sits there meowing at us from a churchyard. I say a short prayer asking God to look after this kitty and help it get home.

Well... we were gonna go get him, but we decided it'd be a bad idea to drag him even further from home assuming he lived where we found him. Anyway, I walk her all the way home, she goes inside and gets me mah money and I take off down a side street. My goal now is to find a telephone pole to tag sidestreet that gets me home faster, because I wouldn't do anything illegal. :)

I'm about a mile from where we left the cat when I see a sign: "Lost Cat. Goes by the name Carl. $100 reward for bringing him home. No ID tag, just a green flea collar. Call blahblahblah with information, we really love our kitty and want him home bad" and I look at the picture... THATS THAT CAT. So the time is like 11pm by then and I'm like "fuuuuck duuuude. ive done walked 2 miles to work, plus 1 mile back...that's 3 miles, and that cat's about a mile away, so that'll be 4 miles of walking by the time I even get to the cat and that's hoping he's where we left him"

But. But. But.

But my heart. It has too many feels for this cat. This is happening. So I turn around and walk back to where the cat was last seen by me. I wander around for about 5 minutes and Carl comes running out from under this parked car and I'm like "oh my gosh kitty" and I pet him a few times and he climbs into my arms and perches on my shoulder. So now this kitty and I are on a mission. First step in the mission, call the family and tell them I have their cat and to come pick it up. Call. No answer. Leave message. Call. No answer. No leave message. Call. No answer. No leave message. Well now what? That was my grand plan, find the cat and call the family.

Well, the sign said "last seen at..." wait a sec, where the hell was this cat last seen by the fam? I need to go look at that sign again.... a mile away. So I walk that mile to cat sign, carrying with me said cat. Now Carl is nice and loves to go for a ride in my arms, but he prefers to walk cuz he's a pimpin tom cat. So I let him walk beside me, and he sticks close to me. All the way to the sign I see him sniffin around yards and cars trying to find some clue.

A few times I thought he found his way home and turned to leave, only to have him follow me. So I keep walking toward this sign, turns out he was seen at 69th and Woodstock. Wellll I don't know 69th so hot, so I'm walking to where I think is Woodstock.. turns out I went a quarter mile in the wrong direction.. Gotta turn around and backtrack again. My feet are frustrated by this point, and every time Carl finds a yard I think "Good, he's finally home...but then why dont I feel like he's home? And why is he following me like he's not home?"

At this point I consider bringing Carl to my home, and am weighing how my two cats will react to having a kitty stay the night.. I see images in my head of broken TV's, tufts of fur flying everywhere, lots of loud kitty screaming and the possibility that Carl has not had his shots and could infect my kitties with his street plagues(even though he looked very healthy to me, gotta play it safe).

So I lead Carl to 69th and Woodstock, his last seen location. I put him down and stop leading, I am now the follower. I tell Carl to find his home, and that I will be with him to keep him safe if he doesn't find his home. Then he takes off at full speed and I'm like "Carl, you've never behaved like that before Have you found a clue?!" He ran up on a porch and started pawing at an empty cat food dish and meowing. This house is dark though. I mean DARK. It's like 11:45 or midnight at that point and now I'm ringing this doorbell to find out if this cat lives here. Takes a few minutes for this lady to answer the door in a bathrobe, but the second the door's even cracked Carl runs inside.

I ask the wary weary lady "Are you by chance missing a Carl?" She says yes, Carl is missing. She asks me why I'm asking and I point at the kitty behind her. She turns around and sees the kitty and starts yelling excitedly and picks up the kitty. She asks where I found him, and I tell her, then I wish her a nice night and head on down the road.

Now, I already called and left a message so these people have my phone number... I get almost home and I get this message:
"THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BRINGING BACK OUR CAT :) it means a lot to us. Would you still like the 100 reward we put on the poster? I know my mom said you were just happy to bring him home, but I really appreciate all you did!"

So I write back:
"You are very welcome, I don't want the reward money.. I appreciate the offer but its not necessary :) Carl is a great kitty and I'm glad he's home.. Maybe put some of that reward money towards toys and treats for your friendly kitty :) have a great night :)"

Part of me, just a small part, wants to ask for the reward money so I can give it to level for his chobits GBA... but.. I'm sorry level... I prayed for God to get that cat home, and surely enough the actions I took after making that prayer lead me down a path to get Carl home. God aside, I've lost a few cats and never got them back, and..it just doesn't feel right to take the money. I would want someone to help my kitties get home without greed being an underlying motive.

Now I'm not sayin my hooligan activities are true, or justified, but if I hadn't gone out with the intention of committing multiple counts of mischief, this kitty would not have been returned home this evening.

I will really miss Carl. He looked, purred, acted, and smelled exactly like my cat.. they could be family for all I know. Hell, my cat was a stray from this area, so it makes sense that they could have some relation.

Spoiler:

All that walking and getting lost to get the cat home, and you didn't even take the money. You have my vote for most Heroic H-O member 2k13. ;_;

Spoiler:

I never wanted the money, except for that brief moment when I thought of Level's GBA.

Also, Sirpwn... you may end up with a brand new kitten to live in your home. I'm glad you guys did the right thing and saved the kitten :)

Play with it. Then try to say goodbye...it loves you so much. For some reason we humans fall in love with cute kitties and puppies so fast.

Rahv, you've done good m8

NO KITTENS LEFT BEHIND

Rahvin for noble prize 2013

I hit a dead cat with a stick once.
it was frozen because it was like zero degrees outside

One time when I was walking home from high school in like October last year there was a dead cat on the sidewalk and when I saw it was dead I screamed "OH FUCK THAT CAT'S DEAD. THAT CAT'S DEAD" and ran away from it

Chobits Gameboy wrote:Rahvin for noble prize 2013

Doth thou mean The Nobel Prize?
BECAUSE RAHVIN NEEDS A NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
for saving the kitty and allowing Portgothamland or where ever in Oregon he lives to once again be at peace.

Tateos wrote:

Chobits Gameboy wrote:Rahvin for noble prize 2013

Doth thou mean The Nobel Prize?
BECAUSE RAHVIN NEEDS A NOBEL PEACE PRIZE
for saving the kitty and allowing Portgothamland or where ever in Oregon he lives to once again be at peace.

+1

Spoiler: