Aunt Mary's Cat

Our family has pets, there are two cats and three dogs, and they all get along together very well. It's fun to watch them and see how friendly they are with each other. One is a yellow Tom cat that is getting up in age, and the other is a bob tailed tabby. He is the latest member. He finally feels at home with the dogs, so now he doesn't have to run between his bed in the garage to the barn. Our animals are pets, but they are outdoor pets. Now Aunt Mary's Tom cat is a different story. Aunt Mary and Uncle Virge lived in a big city. They lived in a small house. They had no children, but they had this big cat. This cat was never allowed to go outside the house. He had never been with any other cat since they got him. He was well taken of. Aunt Mary bought fresh meat to feed him. He ate like a cat in the wild. He acted like a wild cat. I'm sure she loved him, but he didn't know how to act around strangers. When we would go there for a visit she would chain him to a chair leg. He would mew and hiss at the children. They and I were afraid of him. He was a pretty tabby cat. She treated him like this because she didn't want him to get with a female cat, or she didn't want him to run away. She was a lonely old lady. Our cats have been neutered. That wasn't done for Aunt Mary's cat. My children remember the visits we had, and seeing the cat tied up with the chain. They remembered the sweet little old couple and the cat.