Another dead stray

I was going to do a post on...something. Maybe the ghosts that show up on the Street Level view of Nanticoke on Google Maps. Maybe the third day of last year's Sideshow Gathering, or even the second day of the Felberpalooza. Maybe a lot of things.

My cousin was driving past our house this evening and spotted what looked like a dead cat in the road. She called, because she had seen our garage door open earlier and was worried that it might have been one of ours.

It wasn't. It was one of the strays. If I reckon correctly, it was one of Bowie and Thor and BlueBear's littermates, one of the ones we weren't able to catch. I think there are two of these older cats around, guarding over the younger ferals who are part of Amber and Spooky's litter.

I didn't see it at first because it wasn't in the street, at least not anymore. It was curled up in a sleeping position on the sidewalk under a corner streetlight. It was warm and limp. I carefully scooped it onto a snow shovel and noticed an absence of blood anywhere around its body.

My intent was to wrap it in several layers of plastic and then stash it behind our shed, covered over with bags of leaves until the ground has thawed enough to dig yet another grave. I slipped on the snow as I carried it back with me. The body slid off the shovel and onto the snow. There was blood where the nose and mouth came in contact with the snow.

I didn't hear anything that made me think that this cat was hit by a passing car, and aside from the blood coming out of the nose and/or mouth there didn't seem to be any signs of trauma. But that seems like the most likely explanation, unless someone is using some sort of poison that causes these hemorrhages. I don't know. It's a rough life for feral cats, and I hope my mom and I helped make what months this cat lived somewhat more livable.