Smudges the Cat -- Returns

It seems that my nightly jaunts around the complex looking for Smudges can end. The only reason for nightly strolls around the complex now would be for purely health and fitness reasons.

We had been hearing Smudges for a few days and the Wife and the Maid had said they had caught fleeting glimpses of the little fella bounding across the roof. However, today, he decided to make his appearance known at much closer range. I guess the hunger got the better of him and he always gets fed well when he is here.

He looks a little worse for wear. This I think can be rectified with a bath and some good food. There seems to be a recently healed wound on his right front leg which would fit into the scenario of having been shot.

Anyway, as it turns out the little fella has returned with company and it seems that we are to be adopting another little one as well.

There has been no further action on the part of the RT and the coordinator of complex security in terms of having this face-to-face sit down with the shooter. I am guessing that they believe if they ignore it then it will go away. However, I do plan on dropping by the RT's place and letting him know that Smudges is back. I would also like to get some guarantee that the cat killer that lives next door will not be shooting my cat again. By my reckoning the best guarantee of him not shooting my cat or anyone else's cat is for him not to have a gun.

I will keep you posted on how this turns out.

The Return of the Cat Killer

I have not tossed up whether to write this little piece. However, I must qualify that the story is based on hearsay.

Just down the street from my place and in front of the cat killer's house is a small park with a swing and a few other pieces of parky like furniture. There is also a 'pangkalan ojek' (motor cycle taxi stand). The missus and I have only been in the new place for just over a week and I have developed a pretty good rapport with the local ojek riders. I am a pretty personable fella really and nice to everyone.

It turns out that my psycho cat killing neighbour decided in his infinite wisdom that he would shoot some more cats this morning. I heard the shots but did not see the events first hand. However, the ojek riders were quick to report to me the events as they unfolded. The victims were two kittens and their mother. According to the ojek riders all three were hit but all managed to get away. The preferred method it seems is to shoot the cats in their rear hind legs or back.

These cats were not my cats and I do not know if they are pets. They had taken to playing in our yard over the last couple of days. But, as I have said previously it is cowardly to shoot defenseless animals just for the fun of it. What's more is these three cats were shot through the fence while they were playing on the other side of the street. I would suggest that even though this is a street in a private housing complex, the street by definition is a public thoroughfare as far as residents are concerned. Shooting into the street is not only dangerous it is stupid.

I have made my report to the coordinator of security and to the RT (Local Community Chief). Both have said that the owning of a gun, even an air rifle, is dangerous and not in the spirit of a residential complex like this one. I was promised that they would talk to the man (I hesitate to call him a man), one Pak Joy, but this seems to have been nothing more than lip service. Pak Joy, somewhat ironic as the fella certainly does not bring a whole lot of Joy, goes on his merry way killing cats. At least now I know why there are not that many cats in the vicinity.

I should add that the RT instructed me that it would not be worth my while to escalate this and make an issue of it. It would especially not be worth my while to refer or report the matter to the police. I must resolve this in a neighbourly way as all good neighbours in the complex where I live apparently do.

It was then suggested that I moved prematurely to the new house because my immigration paperwork was not complete in terms of recognizing my changed location of residence. I might add it is in process, but that was like, well you must have it done before you move, so you are not really a legal resident of the complex until the paperwork is complete. In my ever-increasing cynicism, I might interpret this to mean it is time to pull your head in and get with the program. In this case the program being that the cat killer can do whatever he wants. Any suggestions on how to proceed from here would be appreciated.

It is too bad that I am not on an expat package where I could have more options as to where I live. I work and live like a local on a local salary and under local conditions, but I am always treated with suspicion no matter how long I live in one place. It is frustrating at times and this is one of those times.