Poisoning update.

[silverweb]

First, thank you all so much for your kind words. Being able to share this awful experience with you helped keep me sane.

I took the bodies to the vet this morning. He said he would have to send samples out to a U.S. lab to determine exactly what poison was used, but didn't think it was necessary as it certainly sounded like strychnine to him.

He also confirmed my suspicions that there are no laws covering this kind of situation in Mexico, and even if there were he didn't believe they'd be enforced.

Despite making my outdoor enclosure what should be escape proof, I'm keeping all 5 remaining cats in the house at night beginning right after their supper. The next project will be to invest more in making the enclosure completely irresistable to them, so that they lose any desire to wander.

The confrontation with the suspect neighbor won't be for a little while yet, giving me plenty of time to decide exactly how to handle it and exactly what to say. After that, if the sociopathic bastard has any brains at all, he'll stay completely out of my sight and move as soon as his lease is up.

Anyway, thanks again to all of you who posted in the prior thread. Izzy and Sudi will live on in memory.

Sir Isadore, Crown Prince and Defender of the Realm (aka Izzy) on adoption day:


Sweet Sudi, (whose name is Egyptian for "Lucky") on adoption day:


Sudi (5-1/2 weeks) "vanquishes" Izzy (5-1/2 months):


Sudi chews on Izzy's face, pals forever:


Izzy at 14 months:


Sudi at 1 year (with Moke at about 3 months):

[Mz Pip]

1. Thanks for the update

and for the pics. I've been thinking about you and your kitties. It's really sad that you have no recourse in this awful event.

I know how hard it is to keep a cat inside who doesn't want to be inside. I've got one who disappears for days and when I try to keep him in the house he just walks around and howls. Fortunately we do not have any crazy cat hating neighbors.

[silverweb]

2. Thanks so much.

I hate the thought of cats never being allowed outside to lay in the sun or chase bugs or roll around in the dirt/grass. That's why since I've lived here, I've been trying to improve the "yard" (aka driveway) enclosure, to make it a green place to lay around and play in.

All of my cats except Mischief (who came here with me as an old girl of almost 16) are street rescues; all but one were found alone, frightened, flea infested, and hungry. I wanted to give them a safe and happy place to live and, for the most part, succeeded. Neighbors brought them to me because they knew I'd take them. We didn't have any sociopathic cat haters here until very recently.

Making the yard absolutely escape proof is now THE priority. More pictures will show you the general setup:

Early "cat garden" with chicken wire instead of fiberglass and (left to right) Mischief, Izzy, Sable, and Sudi (on St. Francis's head):


New enclosure under construction, replacing chicken wire with fiberglass panels. Little stray dog helped himself to some cat food, tolerated but watched carefully by the cats:


New enclosure almost complete:


Asher and Anissa (both safe) playing in completed new enclosure; needs more plants:

[ceile]

3. Again, so sorry you're going through this.

What beautiful babies...

[silverweb]

4. Thank you, ceile.

This whole experience has been exhausting and, after all the intense rage and grief, I just feel completely drained now, but so grateful that my other babies are safe and well.

The neighbor who lost his cat has already gotten a new little calico kitten that he says is definitely going to be strictly an indoor cat. Fortunately, his house is much larger than mine, so she will have plenty of room to roam and will be used to staying indoors from kittenhood.