the cats of palm beach

Every city has stray animals, but this island near the sea seems to have more than its fair share. Every morning as I walk the kid to school I see at least three or four stray cats. They are all breeds, shapes and sizes.

A long-haired ginger bobtail, a black and white shorthair, some gray tabbies, black cats — one who has really lived a street life, as he only has one ear ...

Some are friendly and some are very standoffish. It's hard to tell how many are strays and how many are just outdoor cats, as some always seem to be hanging out around the same houses. This little ginger kitten was very friendly, but I only saw him once this week.

It's so tempting to rescue these critters, especially Ginger Boy. But I'm not sure how our two cats would feel about him, and I don't want to bring any street cat diseases into the mix. I don't want to become a "crazy cat lady," and apparently Palm Beach has already had one of those.

When we adopted our dog from the local shelter it was depressing to see the dogs and cats in pens and cages and know that I couldn't help them all. I know the shelter is doing its best, but wouldn't it be nice to create a space for cats to roam free, but also be fed regularly and get their shots, etc. On the kid's favorite show on Animal Planet, Must Love Cats, they profiled a woman who did just that. Of course she also has a monthly cat food budget of over $20,000.

Even if I could solve my stray cat guilt, what about the gray fox roaming the streets at night ...

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