Hill's is now recalling one of its dry Prescription Diet formulas. My heart sunk when I saw the link on bloglines, but thankfully for us, the affected formula is m/d... not the w/d that our cats eat.

Still, this is scary and so horrible. My heart goes out to all of you who are dealing with sick pets or who have lost one.

Note: In a city of 8 million people, you should assume, when you are walking down the street, or entering or exiting a subway car, that there is probably someone behind you. So don't just stop short at the entrance to a building or immediately inside the doors of the train, swinging your ridiculous backpack around, so you can check your crackberry or whatever the hell else it is that you are doing.

Also: Those handy poles inside the subway cars? Those are meant for people (yes, that's plural) to hold onto. Those are not for leaning nor are they for wrapping your entire body around. And if my hand has been holding the pole for three stops before you even got onto the train, and you decide you are going to lean your entire body against the pole, I am not moving my hand. And if you give me that look again I will kick your ass. For real.

I love this city but honestly, sometimes I hate everyone in it.

We spent the better part of yesterday waiting for Animal Care and Control to come by and pick up Leopold. He hobbled into our yard early yesterday with his right front paw dangling, scratches on his nose, and his good eye full of goop. He settled on the back porch for a bit and napped, and while he rested I put in a call. I took some fresh food and water out for him, and also put one of Mike's old t-shirts into a Fresh Direct box in case he wanted to curl up in it.

This is the second time we have put a call in regarding a sick or injured animal in our yard, and this is the second time they have let us down. They never showed up. I'm extremely upset.

Nobody needs to tell me how taxed the system is, how funds and staff are short, how hard those people work and how little they are appreciated for it. I know, and I am grateful for what they do. But every time I have to see an animal suffer needlessly, every time I watch something that is probably very treatable progress to something fatal, I get very, very angry.

We don't have a car or an extra carrier, we don't have the money or resources to take care of Leo or any of the other backyard kitties on our own. I wish we did but we don't. It is always going to bother me that the best we can do for them is to give them food and water and a safe place to hang out. It is never going to feel like it's enough. It is always going to bother me that we live in a city where so many people think so little of animals that a cat like Leo, who is sweet and shy and would probably make someone a wonderful companion, is probably going to end up blind and lame at best, because we can't get someone out here to help him.

These cats exist. They have personalities. They matter. I am getting sick of feeling like I'm the only person who cares.

Rat poison found in pet food, official says

I have never, EVER been so happy that my cats eat a prescription diet. Though Hills has voluntarily recalled a few of their canned cat food products, none of their prescription formulas are affected. And while we can't control what other people might be feeding the strays who hang out in our yard, we give them dry Purina Cat Chow, which is also unaffected by this recall.

I can't tell how you many times over the last week I have broken down when reading about the losses other pet owners are experiencing. It's heartbreaking.