Every winter brings an "abandoned house" scenario.

I still have people that I've been helping who haven't had their colonies entirely dealt with, and for that reason I try to avoid new emergencies. Especially when I have people like Valarie and Nancy and Dawn who have already invested so much in getting their cats taken care of.

So, knowing I shouldn't add another case to the list, I headed out to feed some abandoned cats at a house out in Van Etten that is for sale. Allegedly, cats were left behind to "take care of the mice" almost a year ago. Info is coming to me third hand through a concerned person, so finally you realize you just have to go out in person to see what is going on and can't waffle any longer.

When I turned onto the road I realized there was potential for future trouble. I can make it up this road now, but I won't be able to once snow falls. It was one and a half miles of dirt road, up, up,up. Even with the road dry I gunned it as fast as I could to be sure I could get through any slushy spots. Luckily the road was well maintained all the way up. Remarkably well-maintained.



The house was clearly marked. I didn't find any cats but I did find bowls to feed them. So I left food and will try to reach the realtor who is dealing with this property to find out what's up and when cats were last seen.



The problem with cases of this type is that often no one is willing to take responsibility (other than people who shouldn't need to take responsibility) for these animals, or there are no owners to sign them over. If snow socks them in, they will be nearly impossible to feed.



The foundation is in poor condition and if there are cats, they can get into the basement easily at least.



There must have been some major landowner disputes up here, because I've never seen 2x3 "Posted" signed before, or "No Parking" signs along a rural road. There's obviously a history here I'm not privy to. But the cats don't care, so neither do I. Hopefully we can soon figure out what' up...before it snows.