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A tough decision for the kindhearted cat auntie
November 27, 2010, Saturday
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IN the Xiufengcuigu neighborhood on Caobao Road, there lives an old lady who feeds stray cats in the neighborhood every day. She often cooks fish after 11pm to save the electricity fee and goes to bed at 2am. And the next morning, she'll get up early to feed those cats. Her name is Shi Lanping, but she's also called "cat auntie" by her neighbors.
She has kept wild cats fed here for more than five years.
Shi's house is not big. It has only two rooms. But it's very easy to see it is the home of a cat lover - her rooms are full of feline-related paraphernalia. In the living room there lies a sack of rice which Shi uses as cat food; dozens of bags of small fish fill the fridge; various little bowls and plates are placed all over the kitchen.
Shi and her husband are both retired, and their retirement pay is not high. However, she still spends about 200 yuan (US$30) a month on feeding the cats.
According to Shi, she has a special feeling for cats. When she lived in the city center, she saved some stray cats and raised them in her apartment. After she moved to Minhang and saw homeless cats in the neighborhood, this sympathetic old lady decided to feed them.
"There are more than 20 homeless cats at most in the neighborhood. And I feed them two dinners," says Shi. "Usually I go out very early, even before sunrise. My relatives and friends think I don't need to do it so secretly, but I don't want to disturb the common life of residents."
When Shi feeds the cats, she places the cooked rice and fish on corners of the lawn and covers them with huge leaves. Then she calls out quietly and cats run to her very quickly and begin to enjoy the dinner.
"'Cat auntie' has a regular place to feed the cats, and she also takes back the food the cats left," says one resident of the neighborhood. "Besides that, since there are contraceptives in the food, the number of cats is reducing, which is good for the residential environment."
However, now her own health condition may not allow her to continue her "job." Shi and her husband are both suffering from serious back conditions. And since her apartment is on the fifth floor, it's not convenient for her to get up and down. Therefore, she and her husband will move to their daughter's home, but it is of course very tough for her to leave the cats.
"They're like my children," Shi said. "I've been with them for five years. I don't know who will take care of them." When saying this, Shi feels wet in her eyes.
"If some kind people take my place and keep feeding them, I'll give them all my rice and fish," says Shi, "but if there's no such people, maybe I have to consider having the cats sterilized. It's good for both the cats and the environment."
She has kept wild cats fed here for more than five years.
Shi's house is not big. It has only two rooms. But it's very easy to see it is the home of a cat lover - her rooms are full of feline-related paraphernalia. In the living room there lies a sack of rice which Shi uses as cat food; dozens of bags of small fish fill the fridge; various little bowls and plates are placed all over the kitchen.
Shi and her husband are both retired, and their retirement pay is not high. However, she still spends about 200 yuan (US$30) a month on feeding the cats.
According to Shi, she has a special feeling for cats. When she lived in the city center, she saved some stray cats and raised them in her apartment. After she moved to Minhang and saw homeless cats in the neighborhood, this sympathetic old lady decided to feed them.
"There are more than 20 homeless cats at most in the neighborhood. And I feed them two dinners," says Shi. "Usually I go out very early, even before sunrise. My relatives and friends think I don't need to do it so secretly, but I don't want to disturb the common life of residents."
When Shi feeds the cats, she places the cooked rice and fish on corners of the lawn and covers them with huge leaves. Then she calls out quietly and cats run to her very quickly and begin to enjoy the dinner.
"'Cat auntie' has a regular place to feed the cats, and she also takes back the food the cats left," says one resident of the neighborhood. "Besides that, since there are contraceptives in the food, the number of cats is reducing, which is good for the residential environment."
However, now her own health condition may not allow her to continue her "job." Shi and her husband are both suffering from serious back conditions. And since her apartment is on the fifth floor, it's not convenient for her to get up and down. Therefore, she and her husband will move to their daughter's home, but it is of course very tough for her to leave the cats.
"They're like my children," Shi said. "I've been with them for five years. I don't know who will take care of them." When saying this, Shi feels wet in her eyes.
"If some kind people take my place and keep feeding them, I'll give them all my rice and fish," says Shi, "but if there's no such people, maybe I have to consider having the cats sterilized. It's good for both the cats and the environment."
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