Lost cat busybody society

Did you know there are people who browse the lost pet ads on Craigslist.com, not because they have found a lost animal and want to return it, but because they have a message to share, and don't you know the people who need to hear it the most are those who have just lost a beloved pet?

I placed a second ad on craigslist for Jinx. Maybe I shouldn't have admitted it was the second time he's run away, but I just wanted to head off those (above-mentioned) who might be keeping track. Maybe I shouldn't have made a feeble joke about the reason for Jinx's disappearance being the eternal, infernal, sunny weather. Maybe I shouldn't have posted the ad last night in a fit of guilt after reading the chapter in The Amber Spyglass wherein Lyra is separated from her beloved Pan for the first time in her life, and I realized I hadn't taken any measures to increase the chances of Jinx's safe return home. I wasn't really thinking straight. I meant to type "neutered male" but instead I wrote "intact." I was probably thinking that I hope Jinx is intact, wherever he is. Not that his Special Purpose is intact, because it's not.

This morning when I checked my email there were two responses to the ad. Hallelujah! Have they seen Jinx? Have they adopted him and renamed him Fluffy, and their children will be very sad to lose their new sticky lollipop holder but they'll manage, maybe they'll get a kitten after seeing how well Jinx fit into the family?

NO.
One email contained the "kind advice" that if I really love and cherish my cat, I should keep him indoors only. It's the responsible thing to do. Oh, and this woman's vet says that cats that aren't fixed are more likely to be hit by cars because all that mating ritual stuff is distracting.

I responded thanking her for the friendly advice but admitting that I had really hoped for some actual information about my actual cat, not vague advice about the right way to have a cat. Jinx is simply not an indoor cat. To keep him indoors would be like trying to force Edie to become a dental hygienist when her dream is to be a cowgirl. I know, because I did try. It just wasn't possible. Glasses broke, blinds were ruined, and he outmeowed my determination. That is why I love him so much, he's not nobody's cat but his OWN. He does what he wants. (I'm just a little perturbed that he wanted to run away again)

Next email told me that it was my own fault he ran away, for not getting him fixed. The author hoped that I would learn a lesson from this, and called me stupid for thinking it was the weather that drove Jinx to a life of vagrancy. I responded appropriately, and then fixed the ad.

Lost neutered male....please respond ONLY if you have actually seen Jinx, or know where he might be found.

I remember when Jinx was fixed. He sat on my lap, stone still, purr silenced, for hours and hours. I canceled my plans for that night so I could sit with him by the window while he recovered from the drugs, and the snip. They all say it's the best thing but it will never feel quite right to me, to interfere with another creatures ability to reproduce. I'll bet there are a number of animal creatures who'd like to spay and neuter the humans, if they could. I did it, though, I did the "responsible" thing and fixed Jinx so he wouldn't be a frustrated kitty. I kept him inside, too, until he showed me that he could handle himself outside without the leash that he wore as a kitten chasing leaves and climbing trees.