Today started out as any other day, running 4 different kids to 3 different places, shopping at Sam's Club and then picking Stephen up from "Joy School". I had just come in, unloaded kids and groceries, fed Jackson and Stephen lunch and was about to make myself something to eat, when there was a knock at the door. It was one of my neighbors from the back, whom I had never met. She introduced herself as Donna and asked if I could please come help her. There was a cat stuck in the fence hanging by his back leg and bleeding. I said, "Oh no, I hope it's not my cat!" She quickly described him and it sounded like Thumper. Jackson was in his exersaucer and Stephen was playing Wii. I explained to Stephen that there was a hurt cat outside and I needed to see if it was our cat, Thumper. I told Stephen to help Jackson stay happy. I went outside to where the cat was, in my next door neighbor's,the Hortonstines, backyard, but they were not home and their gate was locked. So, we had to try and climb over the fence. After several attempts, I went and grabbed a stool and Donna climbed over the fence and let me in. Sure enough it was Thumper! He was hanging by his back paw and trying to get loose. Blood was all over the fence. He had somehow fallen in the crack where all of our fences meet and wedged his paw down until he was hanging 3 feet above the ground. I lifted him up and tried to relieve the pressure on his leg. Donna in the meantime had jumped the fence to her yard and was inside her house. After a few long moments, not knowing if Donna was going to come back and thinking that I left my 4 year old and almost 8 month old in the house, I needed to do something quick! I had brought my phone outside, but my neighbor had set it just out of reach. I had to stretch my foot really far and after a couple of tries, I was finally able to scoot the phone over to me. I tried to call John and another friend, but neither one answered. I was kind of starting to panic thinking I would have to just let Thumper dangle there a little longer, when all of a sudden Donna came back with another neighbor. Mean while, Stephen had come out, with no shoes on, screaming and crying for me. So I asked the neighbor if she wouldn't mind holding Thumper up while I helped Stephen and checked on Jackson. She of course did. The other neighbor called Animal Control and we both got locked out of the gate again. We had to lift Stephen over the fence and try and talk him down off the fence so he could go unlock the gate. Another neighbor, Bubba, showed up to help us and we were able to get through the gate. I went over to relieve Donna, who was still holding Thumper up, but as I did, he bit her. Blood started squirting everywhere! He hit a vein. I felt horrible. She was on her lunch break and had to go back to work, as an orthodontic assistant. She asked me if he was up to date on his shots and of course, he was not. Donna left, the other neighbor went into my house to check on Jackson, which my house was a complete mess, with dishes everywhere and groceries still sitting out. Bubba and his son stayed and helped me and we were finally able to get Thumper free. I set him down and he was dragging his foot and it looked totally broken to me. I loaded him up in the cat carrier and off we went to the vet's. To my surprise his leg was not broken. The vet said it would heal on it's own. As soon as I got home and got all the kids picked up, the phone rang. It was one of Ryleigh's friends' mom asking about the cat. I was telling her the story, when she asked me if I reported the bite. No sooner had I said no, when there was a knock on the door. It was a man from Animal Control. He asked me if my cat had bit someone. I said yes. He said he was going to have to take Thumper and have him quarantined for 10 days to see if he had rabies. Two days later, they called to say he had to be taken to a vet's because they couldn't take care of him with his injured leg. Eight days later, he came home, still dragging his foot and his tail hairs missing, but alive and no broken bones. I wouldn't recommend getting to know your neighbors this way!
