I posted this ad on Craig's List yesterday for an outside dog house for the street babies:

Wanted: Outside Dog House

"Looking for a dog house that would be suitable to around a Lab or Golden size dog. It would be for the four street city cats we have in our back yard that we take care of for the yuck winter months ahead. Willing to pay a reasonable fee, but would prefer to have one donated from the kindness of you heart if anyone would like to as these were stray street cats that we started feeding, fixing and vaccinating and, of course fell in love with."



Then today I go on CL and see this post, this is what has me so pissed:



Regarding Outside Dog House:

"If YOU fell in LOVE with these cats, you WOULDN"T want them outside all year long, ESPECIALLY in the Winter months !!!! Yes, they are animals, and alot of people think that OH yes, they are FINE!! DO you really think they are HAPPY? And what is the point in you even having them,? What kind of enjoyment are you getting out of having those poor cats out in your yard? Give them GOOD HOMES!!!!!"

Well, I immediately sent an email reply back, as any of you know that have been to our place, these cats are very well taken care of and are very happy for outside street cats, oh the nerve of some uneducated people. Ugh!!!



Here is my email to this asshole:

"First off, what are YOU doing for the feral outside street/stray cats in your area? How many do you have in your home and how many are you feeding, getting fixed and vaccinated outside? I have two house cats in our one bedroom apt. that are our "kids". That is all I am allowed in my apt. with renting and I will NEVER be an animal hoarder either. That is never fair to any animal. However, our landlord is fine with us taking care of these street cats and them living quite happily in our yard and if we move we will be trapping these cats and taking them to a new place if that would happen.


I have gotten numerous barn cats and street cats fixed, vaccinated and have placed the friendly ones in good homes or have homed them with myself over the years.


These cats are VERY happy outside, they were feral when I started feeding them and over time they have become semi-feral. I still can not pet any of the four of them, but they do not run from me any more and wait and "talk" to me and two will sniff my finger when I feed them their wet food every evening but that is it and just an FYI they have access to dry food and fresh water 24/7.


I am a huge advocate of TNR (Trap/Neuter/Release) in case you are unaware of what that means.


I have given these cats a safe, happy and healthy home be it outside, if you were to see them you would see this for yourself. They play, clean each other, sleep soundly in the grass on warm and sunny days and are quite content. If my boyfriend and I hadn't started feeding them they would more than likely be scrounging for food and be skinny and diseased because no one else would have begun feeding and caring about them. With the care we have been and are giving them, they are all of a good and healthy weight and disease free.


Who are you to judge me and tell me I do not care about these animals? You just sound like an uneducated individual on the care of feral cats.


Please go to www.alleycat.org to learn more about feral cats and their caretakers.


Again, please tell me what you are doing for the all the homeless, starving and helpless cats in your area.


And, just this past Labor Day, I had two kittens about 5 weeks old (way too young to be taken from mommy yet) dumped on me that the neighbors tried to say they found these "wild, feral street kittens" when it was quite obvious they were raised in a house and someone was just too lazy to get mommy fixed or find good homes for these babies on a Sunday and you know what? I had found them both a great home by the next afternoon that Monday, so don't give me your spiel about giving these cats good homes. Again, you are very wrong about me.


I really do not appreciate your post at all when I am doing the best I can for these cats and with them living outside.


You are a fool! I am a very caring, loving and responsible pet owner, so do NOT judge me.

Sincerely,

Melody"


I am just floored by this, everyone KNOWS I am a "crazy cat lady" and take such good care of our fur babies....but on the positive I had several emails for free dog houses and one even just said "I don't have a dog house for you but thank you for doing this and taking care of these cats, may God continue to bless you"!

The pic is three of them in the throes of fresh cat nip, they look really unhappy, don't they?