Animal Follies

Since I know you've all been wondering, here's what's going on in My Backyard…

As you may recall, we had families of raccoons showing up out there, plus possums and a couple of cats. The most beloved and territorial cat was Jackie, who sadly passed away last April. Her position has recently been assumed by a new feline that has been showing up out there since just before Christmas. Here's a picture of the new cat…

The new cat does not have a name yet but we think she was an "indoors" cat. She certainly seems to want to be one. Her every waking moment is devoted to trying to get into my house and at times, she will stand up right outside the glass patio door and pound on it with her front paws as if she's yelling, "Let me in, let me in!" Unfortunately, due to allergies and other problems, it will not work to have a cat in this abode, so we're actively looking for either her previous owner or someone else who wants an amazingly-affectionate pussycat. (If you're in the Los Angeles area and that's you, drop me a note.)

I'd like to get her indoors somewhere on a permanent basis soon because she wants it so, and also because raccoons have started coming around during daylight hours. Yeah, I didn't think they did that either, but here's a pic I took at 4:00 in the afternoon today. It's not a great photo but that's definitely a raccoon who either likes to eat between meals or doesn't know how to stick to a schedule.

I'm a little worried about the traffic out there. In any case, we need to find a home for the cat. Yesterday, my friend Carolyn and I put flyers in every mailbox for a block or two around, asking if anyone was missing a cat or wanted to adopt one. I'm thinking how great it would be if neighborhoods had their own little Internet discussion boards. You could log in and just chat with your neighbors about lost pets, road construction, where to find a decent gardener and other vital topics. There probably aren't enough folks on my block who are actually on the 'net but wouldn't that be a great idea? Almost as good as adopting a little homeless cat, eh?