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A moral dilemma narrowly averted
Jun. 6th, 2010 12:38 amTonight I hosted a session of D&D. As people were on the verge of leaving, around 12:15 a.m., Tony asked, "Why do I hear meowing?" I shrugged, figuring it was a cat in the building somewhere. When we opened the door, it turned out "somewhere" was right in front of my door. A beautiful dapple-furred cat was sitting, a little fearfully, right outside my apartment.
Now, I thought I'd seen this cat once before, escaped from one of the apartments on the two floors above mine. But back then, there had been people frantically looking for her. This time, all the doors were closed. I knocked on the superintendent's door but it was past midnight and no one answered, and I don't have their phone number.
Here's where the moral dilemma part comes in: I'm exceedingly allergic to cats. Even with an extra-strength, 24-hour antihistamine, I can last maybe a few hours around a cat like this one before I can't breathe. So I now had a choice: take in the cat, succumb to asthma for a few days, and try to find her owners in the morning, or cruelly leave her to her own devices in the hallways of the building and chance the possibility that she'd escape outside.
While Kyn was watching her, I decided to make one last sweep of the building and heard music coming from one of the upstairs apartments. On the theory that at the very least they might not be allergic to cats and be willing to take her in for the night, I knocked on the door. No answer. Knocked again, and a woman about my age opened. "Have you lost a cat?" I asked. Her eyes grew wide and you could see the dawning realization that her cat had escaped. She raced downstairs after me, and sure enough, it was hers.
So now the cat is back with her mommy, and I don't need to worry about choosing between cruelty and my own health. (I can already feel myself wheezing, though probably some of that is psychosomatic.) And now I need to calm myself down enough to go to bed. Fun times, fun times.
Now, I thought I'd seen this cat once before, escaped from one of the apartments on the two floors above mine. But back then, there had been people frantically looking for her. This time, all the doors were closed. I knocked on the superintendent's door but it was past midnight and no one answered, and I don't have their phone number.
Here's where the moral dilemma part comes in: I'm exceedingly allergic to cats. Even with an extra-strength, 24-hour antihistamine, I can last maybe a few hours around a cat like this one before I can't breathe. So I now had a choice: take in the cat, succumb to asthma for a few days, and try to find her owners in the morning, or cruelly leave her to her own devices in the hallways of the building and chance the possibility that she'd escape outside.
While Kyn was watching her, I decided to make one last sweep of the building and heard music coming from one of the upstairs apartments. On the theory that at the very least they might not be allergic to cats and be willing to take her in for the night, I knocked on the door. No answer. Knocked again, and a woman about my age opened. "Have you lost a cat?" I asked. Her eyes grew wide and you could see the dawning realization that her cat had escaped. She raced downstairs after me, and sure enough, it was hers.
So now the cat is back with her mommy, and I don't need to worry about choosing between cruelty and my own health. (I can already feel myself wheezing, though probably some of that is psychosomatic.) And now I need to calm myself down enough to go to bed. Fun times, fun times.
