IF THIS IS YOUR CAT I HOPE YOU'RE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF.

And this photo doesn't show the worst of it.

I got a call late yesterday afternoon asking if I could come and look at an ill cat which was just hanging around a side road not far from me, just off Stratford Avenue at Grangetown. You, dear regular readers, know my situation but I replied that I'd come and have a look at it. No promises, mind.

So I came, looked, and put it immediately in the cat carrier. 

It was sitting on the grass verge by the side of the road, completely vulnerable to a passing dog, just letting anyone come up and stroke it. Some kind person or people had been feeding it. No-one knew who it belonged to. I rang the vets and naturally they just told me to bring it in.

It was seen by Wendy and only when it was on the table in front of me could I fully see what a state he (a neutered male aged about 14-15) was in. Hardly any teeth, great clumps of matted fur hanging off, bald patches where the matted fur had come out, very underweight; all in all, a really dilapidated and sad state.

Wendy and I talked about what to do with it. We agreed on basic blood tests and then, if there was anything clearly and seriously wrong such as kidney failure (a distinct possibility) he'd be put to sleep. If there was nothing wrong other than being in a generally poor condition, she'd treat that until he was well enough to go elsewhere. I wasn't sure where elsewhere would be but I'd take him anyway. I'm being disingenuous, I knew damn well it would be my house because there isn't anywhere else and I wasn't going to put him back on the streets.

We left it at that. Later in the evening I discovered I'd missed a call from Wendy at 6.30 and pretty much convinced myself that he'd given up and died. I thought that he'd picked the spot on the grass verge just to die. Anyway, I rang the vets a couple of hours ago this morning to learn that he had survived the night. He'd been on a drip and had eaten a little food. He'd be observed during the day and I'd be notified on how he was doing. 

Does anyone recognise this cat or know who he belongs to? Is he yours and would you like to claim him? 

He may be in this state because he got lost rather than through neglect -in which case I apologise in advance to the concerned owner. I don't know and I probably never will. I'll let you know how he gets on. But don't be optimistic. I'm not.

This photo makes him look a lot better than he is but maybe more recognisable to someone who knows him.