As I noted in a previous post, 
I am not a cat lady. But after the events of this week, I have a whole new respect for the generosity of animal lovers.
My 3.5 week roommate, Anto, is adopting a cat. She was kind enough to arrange for lodging for the cat until I have left, because while I love a good cat, I am deathly allergic to them. No matter how much I drug up, the formula seems to be 1 hour with cat = 1 day of being sick. Five hours for Thanksgiving dinner at my two-cat-having stepgrandmother's place? Five days of being sick. For years, I attributed my singleness not to my own personal fucked-up-edness, but rather to my unsuccessful lesbianism; being allergic to cats and hating camping.
Anyway, the cat in question (working title: Bandit) was rescued after being abandoned on a subway platform and Anto, who'd been thinking about getting a cat, offered to take him. Once rescued, however, it became clear that Bandit was paying for his criminal ways (or for having ass-tastic owners) and had suffered a broken leg. Poor little cat.
So the cat needed surgery, which isn't cheap. Anto wanted to help the cat, but totally couldn't cover the $1500 to $1800 veterinary costs alone; so her 13-cat-having friend suggested that Anto put out a call to friends and co-workers asking if they would consider donating money to her "Heal My Poor Abandoned Broken Legged Cat" fund.
I thought this was an hilarious idea. Mainly because if I got an e-mail like that, I'd be like "Uh, good luck with the cat, I give to the Food Bank". MAYBE, if it was a CLOSE friend and the cat had a cute name like Belinda (seen in the photo above) or Mr. Puddles, I'd donate $10. Because I'm a cold and heartless person? Perhaps. But more likely because I have never had a mammalian pet and none of my fish have ever required surgery.
Furthermore, I must confess to being a little hostile towards this particular cat. Was I planning to stay at Anto's in February and March, for the last 8 weeks of my residency? Well, we hadn't discussed it, but in my mind I was keeping the option open. FOILED! Will I be visiting Anto a lot in the future to laugh over the good old days of living together for 3.5 weeks, like the one time we ordered Swiss Chalet together and watched crime on t.v.? Unlikely. Do I in any way begrudge her the companionship of a cat or the abandoned, broken-legged cat a loving home? Of course not. It's just that when people acquire cats, I feel like they're essentially slamming a big, fuzzy door in my face and I'm starting to take it personally. It's a catspiracy, people. A catspiracy preventing me from visiting friends and finding places to live. And I don't donate funds to support the Catspiracy.
Apparently, no one else in the free world is feeling the threat of the catspiracy. Offers of funds began pouring in via e-mail, via phone. POURING. And not just $5 here or $5 there - some people were dropping off cheques for $100. It seems that if everyone who offered actually makes good on their pledge, Bandit's surgery will be covered. Anto is teary with relief and gratitude. And I am stunned.
I was telling Katr this story over the phone the other night. I noted my lack of inclination to donate money to the cat surgery and my awe at the outpouring of generosity and cash that Bandit's plight has caused. "I just don't GET it," I said to her. "Is it because I've never had a cat?"
"YES," replied Katr instantly, who loves cats and will never have one again as long as she is with Sneezy McWheezyRunnyEyesDon'tTouchMeWithYourCatHands, "Give her $20. And quit whining and lend her your digital camera this afternoon. I want a picture of this cat."
"This cat that's USURPING ME?" I said, a little hysterical.
"I think you're being a little weird about this cat."
Sigh.
So if you've already donated or offered to donate money for Bandit's leg surgery, you're a kinder and more generous person than I and you'll be getting a photo from my digital camera and an update, including ways to hook up with Anto for donation drop-off, sometime soon.
And if you'd like instead to donate to my Sneezy McWheezyRunnyEyesDon'tTouchMeWithYourCatHands Catspiracy Research Fellowship, you know where to reach me.
