# The Summer Cat



## Meow (Jun 24, 2003)

It was a nice sunny day in June. The Parker family moved into their cottage for the summer. They really enjoyed the thought of being away from the city for a couple of months.

The kids in the family nagged about a kitten "we want a cute little kitten to play with". After a few days their parents were fed up with it and decided to go and get a kitten for their kids.

They found a cute 7 weeks old kitten at a farm, not far away from the cottage. The farmer was happy to get rid of it, cos he had too many cats already, so they got it for free. The kitten was all white, so the kids named him "Snowflake".

Snowflake thought he had gone to heaven! Everybody loved him. He got petted and played with all the time. He was allowed to sleep in the bed and he got plenty of good food to eat. Sometimes the kids went fishing and they always let him have the fish.

But one day everything changed. It was late August and the Parker family had to move back to the city. "But what about Snowflake?" the kids were asking. Their parents replied "We can't bring Snowflake with us to the apartment. He has become too big and he would destroy our furniture, but don't worry, cats can manage on their own. He will find mice and rats to eat."

So they left. Snowflake saw the car drive away, but that had happened lots of times before, when they went shopping, so he didn't bother, but when it became dark, he was cold and hungry.

He waited on the stair to the front door, but noone was there to let him in. After a couple of hours he fell asleep, but he was freezing and his little belly was screaming for food.

The next morning he ate some leaves, cos he couldn't find anything else to eat and he was so hungry…. and scared. This was the first time he was left all alone and the first time he had nothing to eat.

The weeks went by and little Snowflake became very skinny. Sometimes he was lucky and managed to catch a mouse, but most of the time he was hungry. His fur wasn't white and fluffy anymore. Lots of hair just fell off.

He kept on coming back to the cottage, hoping that his family would be there and let him in. At nights he used to dream about them. How they used to give him all their love and attention, but when he woke up he realized it was just a dream and that it would be another day of starving and freezing.

One day, it was late October, Snowflakes little body couldn't take anymore. The first snow came and Snowflake stopped breathing on the stair to the cottage. By the time it was evening his body was all couvered with snow and he didn't have to suffer anymore.

Next spring the Parker family came back to the cottage and the first thing they found was Snowflake. There wasn't much left of him, but there was no doubt about who it was.

The kids started crying and their parents finally realized what they had done. They should have known that a cat can't manage on their own when they haven't learned how to hunt and people have taken care of them all the time.

Remember this story when you decide to adopt a cat and how much responsiblity it takes to care for one.


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## lexxie109 (Jan 20, 2003)

Awww, what a sad story. Poor cat. And what's worse is that this probably happens all the time to cat or other pet owners who just don't care.


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## HelloBeautiful (Jun 4, 2003)

that's so....depressing....


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## Majicou (Jun 7, 2003)

That's a very sad story.  But it brings home how important it is not to abandon cats. I can't understand how someone could just LEAVE a poor defenceless cat, but it happens. People will be going away soon and I expect the animal shelters will be packed out with poor abandoned pets.


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## Ariel (Aug 27, 2003)

Thats so sad


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## Lori (Jun 8, 2003)

How very sad. I'm sure it happens all too often. 
))))


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## kitkat (Sep 22, 2003)

That was a sad story but I know that kind of stuff happens all the time which makes it even sadder. I just hope that people start realizing animals just dont take care of themselves all the time even if they were raised outside or whatever.


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