This caused a stir through the gathering, and I heard mutters of, “Now she thinks we’re poisoners!” and “Getting paranoid. . .”
Lauren commanded the microphone again and ordered the group to settle down. “Ms. Ward, I doubt anyone would do a thing like that. But even if someone did, it just goes to show that matters have escalated to a dangerous level. Ted is right, our bylaws do prohibit feeding wild animals. We’ve made an exception in this case, because you and the FFF convinced us that you had a plan to reduce the colony. But as Martin said, so far it hasn’t been very successful.”
I couldn’t resist jumping into the fray again. “It takes time to get a whole colony under control. After a few cats get caught, the rest catch on and avoid the traps. You have to keep trying until you get them all.”
A pretty woman with gray curls batted a hand at this idea. “This is a nice community. We have beautiful buildings and landscaping, and we all pay plenty to live here. I don’t see why we should have to put up with cat traps cluttering the grounds.”
Sabrina’s jutting jaw made her look fierce as an Easter Island statue, and her rich voice rang out in anger. “You can’t put up with a little temporary inconvenience to save twenty lives? Because that’s what we’re talking about. These are innocent creatures that aren’t doing us any real harm. They may not be pets, but they’re living the way nature intended. We need to find a way to coexist with them, not haul them off to be euthanized, just because they interfere with our scenic views.”
Next to me, Dawn burst into applause. I joined in with more restraint, and so did a few other residents. The board members remained impassive, though, as did most of the folks seated in the rows of metal chairs.
“Thank you, Ms. Ward,” Lauren said, evenly. “You concerns will be taken into consideration.”
Off to my left, the man in the rust-brown pullover shook his head. “ ‘Not doing any real harm,’ aren’t they?” he muttered. “Crazy old bat. Somebody oughta euthanize her.”
* * *
The Bengal Identity Page 23