This morning on my way to work a cat scurried across the street in front of me. Don’t people keep track of their pets anymore? Especially in the winter? This is tough weather for any living thing to be outdoors with nowhere to go.

I understand that a cat can scurry out the door in the blink of an eye and be long gone by the time you get your boots and jacket on to go out and grab it. That happens. But many times people will let their cats out and forget all about them. This isn’t the first time I’ve noticed cats out on the street during my drive into work on a cold winter morning. Some of the ones I see look like they haven’t even had a bite to eat in a long while.

Our cat was found by some friends in a quonset on their farm many winters ago. It was skinny and had frostbite, so they took the cat to the vet to make sure it was okay and then took it into their home. When they asked if we wanted the cat we said yes immediately. How could someone say no? I know I couldn’t. That cat has the best life it could ever have hoped for.

Whenever I see a cat on the street in this weather I always think about our cat, freezing, hungry, and all alone in that quonset. I’ll never know whether his owners just forgot to let him in one night or the cat just got a little too adventurous and took off. Do they ever wonder what happened to their cat?

All I know is that my heart breaks when I see these little creatures freezing on the street with nowhere to go to get food or shelter. If I was on my way home instead of going to work when I saw that cat this morning, I probably would have bundled him up and taken him home with me.

If you have a pet, please take care of it. Especially in weather like this.