Swirl, an  orange tabby , was on the brink of getting his second chance at life.  Once an adorable, friendly kitten, he was given away free to a good home, with all the promises that go with it.  'Of course we'll get him fixed when he's old enough;  no we'd never let him outside', promises that were never kept.  Swirl was not neutered because his guardians could not afford the fee for the neuter and the required vaccines. Perhaps they were uneducated as to the negative impact of another unsterilized male cat roaming the neighbourhood.  Inevitably he started spraying inside the house to mark his territory.  This is typical behaviour of an unneutered male when they reach sexual maturity.  Unfortunately there is a very unpleasant odour associated with this behaviour.  Swirl was kicked out of the house, a common theme amongst a growing segment of the population.  They see a sweet and playful kitten and just have to have him or her, giving no thought to the many responsibilities and considerable expense of being a responsible pet guardian.

Swirl roamed the streets, learning to live on his own, losing touch with his original adoptive family.   He eventually joined a managed colony of unowned cats several blocks away where there was good shelter and food on a regular basis.  After confirmation that Swirl was no longer owned by anyone, he was enrolled in the PCFCI Trap Neuter Vaccinate Return program and was on his way to being neutered, vaccinated for rabies and treated for parasites.  He had a bright future once again and hope of belonging somewhere.

Sadly, prior to being humanely trapped for his neuter date two days away, Swirl was run over by a car and killed.  He was left to die in the middle of the intersection of a four way stop; a rather odd place for a cat to be killed.

PCFCI says a little prayer for the Swirls of this world.  You lived and died as a result of human neglect.