I don't understand why I can't get him to understand. My grandfather will leave the front door of our house, both the storm door and the actual door, wide open for long periods of time. I have a cat that does not have claws, and she hasn't had claws since she was fairly young. If she sees the door open, she's going to run out it. I've tried to tell him dozens of times that he needs to shut the door for her sake. Tonight I was getting on to him for it once again and all he could say to me was that it was my job to worry about if my cat was outside. Said that if she stayed in my room she'd be fine. How am I supposed to know when he's going to leave the door wide open while he does whatever he wants? I can't lock her up in my room 24/7. She has to be able to get out of the room to go to the litter box and even to get water. She can't just stay in here.

For those that don't know, we used to have an inside and outside cat named Alucard. He was very dear to me and I considered him my son. He was only a few years old as well. He had been born years after we got Smokey even. Anyways, he was allowed to go outside when he wanted to because he still had claws and everyone assumed that he could always climb a tree to get out of trouble if he absolutely needed. Claws weren't enough to protect him though, as my sister found him dead one morning, mauled by some other creature. After that I vowed to never have an outside cat again. Just isn't safe for them.

That brings us back to Smokey. If Alucard, who had claws, couldn't protect himself, what is Smokey to do if she got out, no one noticed, and something found her? It'd be slaughter. I can't bare the thought of the same thing happening to her that happened to my Alucard.

I'm going to college starting spring semester and the dorms, of course, don't allow pets. Smokey is supposed to be allowed to stay here at home with my mom and grandparents. I can't stand the fact that I'm going to have to leave her behind with someone that doesn't care enough to think about her as well as the dogs.I really wish I could take her with me. I don't want a call from my mother one morning when I'm getting ready for classes saying that Smokey was found outside, dead because something had attacked her during the night.