by Conny Manero

Created on: November 26, 2008

Shortly after 10:00 p.m., I heard a cat crying. It was such a loud, pitiful cry that could be heard all the way up to the 11th floor of our apartment building. "There's a cat in trouble," I said to my son, Dieter, and we rushed downstairs to see if we could help.

We searched all over the gardens; looked under all the cars in the parking lot; and checked all the balconies of the ground floor, but the crying cat was nowhere to be found.

Suddenly I spotted a cat sitting under one of the low growing bushes. "What's the matter kitty?" I asked, approaching slowly. Kitty looked at me, big eyed and ready to make a run for it. "Don't be afraid," I said. "I want to help you."

I was just about to crouch down when kitty shot out like an arrow from a bow down the street. There was no way I could catch up with it.

The next day, when I came home from work, I noticed a cat sitting close to the entrance door of our building. There was no doubt in my mind that this was the same cat as the one I had seen running away yesterday. A black and grey striped Tabby with an unusually round face.

Overnight he had gained in trust as he walked up to me and rubbed his head against my leg. "What's the matter boy?" I asked, assuming that kitty was a male. "Are you lost?" What was I to do? Judging by the cat's size, weight and fur, he was about six months old and well cared for. So what was he doing outside?

My thoughts were in a whirlwind as I tried to figure out the possible scenarios. Had he slipped out of one of the apartments and were his owners worried about him? Did he belong to one of the people who lived in the neighbourhood? Or had someone moved and left him behind? Who would be so cruel?

"Come," I said, as I picked him up. "Let's go find your owners."

With the cat in my arms I knocked on every door on the ground floor of our building, but nobody was missing a cat.

I was getting desperate. What was I going do with this animal? I couldn't very well leave him outside. It was December, it was cold and it was going to get a lot colder in the days to come. Snow was expected. What was to become of this kitty? It was obviously raised indoors and would not survive in the outdoors.

I'll post a notice on the bulletin board that I found a cat,' I decided, and in the meantime he can stay with us.'

By the elevators I met my 25 year old Chinese neighbour Jennifer. My hopes that this was her cat were dashed when she asked me, "New member of the family?" Holding on to kitty I related what had happened while

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