Trillian was dumped in a zipped-up rucksack or backpack outside the charity’s back gate on May 29, 2014. I think Trillian is a male cat. I do know that he was 10 months of age when rescued.

The next day another young cat, this time in 1-year-old ginger and white male cat named Maxwell was brought to the rescue centre by a member of the public. They found him abandoned in a cat carrier which had been placed on the roof of the person’s car apparently. Bizarre.
At the time of writing this post, I believe, that both cats are available for re-homing.
The other side of the coin of “retail therapy” (buying things for the pleasure of it) is the disposal of those purchases
This brings me on to the point of the post which is this. I tend to agree with the manager of the London branch of this cat charity. I tend to believe that we are living in a more disposable world.
However, I think the concept of disposability goes with the territory of living in a relatively wealthy country. I’m thinking of countries in Europe and North America for example but there are others.
With disposable income you can get disposable possessions. I am referring to inanimate possessions such as washing machines and fridges etc. But once a person gets into the swim of the idea that objects are disposable then I believe that it can rub off on to companion animals.
This is because a lot of people don’t really see a companion animal as they see a human family member. They perceive the companion animal as something lesser; something in between a fridge and a person.
If people do perceive companion animals this way and have got into the habit of disposing of unwanted items for whatever reason then you can see how that attitude could carry over to abandoning a domestic cat.
I don’t believe the concept of disposability is anywhere near as prevalent in poorer countries. I know in places such as India they recycle and repair machinery ad infinitum.
I also note that in my childhood back in the 1950s in England, we did not have the mentality of disposability. We used things as long as they were usable and we repaired items. We had far fewer clothes than most people have today in the West. We were less possession-orientated.
To this day I find it difficult to spend money and I do not like possessions particularly, although the possessions that I do have are high-quality. I don’t get pleasure out of possessing objects which appears to be a spin-off from the attitude of disposability. What I mean is that the other side of the coin of “retail therapy” (buying things for the pleasure of it) is the disposal of those purchases.
The conclusion is that the domestic cat is becoming more disposable in the developed world. This may be why we not infrequently see pedigree cats at animal shelters.
Original story in Tottenham & Woodgreen Journal.
Here is the little grey baby boy that the man didn’t care about.
This is my first time with the camera and all, so sorry for any bloopers.
The jaw squeak is sort of a conbined creaking and grinding sound when a kitten chews.
I’ve never been able to find something very specific to kittens, so I’ve sort of reasoned it out myself.
I know that some older cats, especially in end stage renal disease, will develop this because they are wasting away, ie. muscle mass and bone health disappear. So, I have always assumed that this kitten phenomenon is due to the same.
This second very tiny, paralyzed girl was very dehydrated and emaciated – too wasted to rebound. Had I found her earlier, before her system reached shutdown, the outcome may have been better.
It’s odd, because a kitten with that squeak may give the impression that they are improving, ie. eating, drinking, getting around, using litter. But, in my experience, once that noise appears, the kitten will die within 48 hours and nothing will change that.
What is the jaw squeak, Dee? It sounds awful.
My second little baby girl has died.
Not so shocking as the first. I gently bathed her little behind and limp back legs yesterday afternoon, fed her and heard that fatal jaw squeak as she chewed. I don’t know if there is a real term for that. I’ve just always called it the jaw squeak and have learned over the years that it means death is imminent. There’s nothing that can be done at that point.
True.
I’ll formulate something to write some day. But, there’s never an answer as to why situations like this are in front of me all the time and for my entire life. I don’t understand why I am the only one in a parking lot full of people who sees a poor hungry cat peering from the bushes or hears a kitten crying.
These are heartbreaking stories. They show the harsh reality of what it is like for many cats who don’t have homes. It makes me sad it really does.
This is a very good question, Dee. It can be a burden looking after vulnerable cats who need our help but it is a burden we cannot shrug off because it is simply not in us to do it. Sometimes people like you are stuck between a rock and a hard place. You have to help but in helping you carry a burden.