"Miracle cat's" owner responds to reader criticism

When we told you last week about Times reporter Kim Murphy's tale of her "miracle cat," Bess (who emerged from a two-month ordeal trapped in a window seat with no food or water), some of you had strong words for Murphy.  ("This person should be cited for animal abuse," said Felix the Cat, and bdann called the story "sickening.")

It seems Murphy received a lot of e-mails from readers whose reactions to her story were similar to Felix's and bdann's -- enough so that she talked with the Times' Readers' Representative Journal about it.  From the Readers' Rep:

How could she miss the cat meowing all those weeks? Said Murphy in her note: "This cat NEVER meowed. Not once. We sat on that window seat every single day of her disappearance, and never heard ONE SOUND until the night she was discovered." 

And why did the story run on Christmas Day? This was "a good choice for anyone who believes in unexpected blessings," as editors on the National desk said when they pitched it.

And why didn't Murphy ever look in the window seat in which Bess was eventually found?  "I went on every possible lost-cat website, and every one of them told you to search your own house and outbuildings immediately. We looked under beds, in closets, in the kitchen cabinets, and called her name all over the house. We open the window seat perhaps twice a year. It just never occurred to me that she could possibly be in there," says Murphy.  Read her full response here.

Does this explanation change your feelings about the story?  Let us know in the comments.

-- Lindsay Barnett

Photo: Kim Murphy / Los Angeles Times

Comments

[bruce]

"we sat on that window seat every single day of her disappearance" and yet, their starving kitty not once in nine weeks meowed to them to be set free.

well, i've had several cats in my 53 years, and all of them, including my current madeline "the world's best cat" would meow steadily in a matter of minutes if they're frustrated and want to get in or out of something.

assuming ms. murphy's account is accurate, it speaks to the relationship she had with the cat if the cat didn't think that meowing to its family would do it any good. it wasn't until one of ms. murphy's friends came over that the cat finally thought it had a chance to reach someone.

[Mary]

I had a cat who never meowed. I had a side by side refrigerator freezer. One day the cat walked into the freezer side when I was unloading groceries unbeknownst to me. After an hour I went into the freezer and the cat just walked out of the freezer. I believe it's possible for an animal to get locked in somewhere and not meow.

[snarkyinla]

I guess I have two issues with this story. One, it should not have been run in the paper on Xmas day. Second, even though they were all no doubt accidents, lots of people have lots of cats and don't lose them with the history of this author. I certainly wouldn't adopt to her as she's clearly "bad luck" for cats (not to mention she doesn't keep them indoors which is how they get they 'bad luck' in the first place), but there are always cats in need of homes, and a loving high-risk home is certainly better than no home at all.

While I have no reason not to believe her about the meows, I can't imagine not looking in every nook and crannie, which includes window seats. When you're looking for a lost item, you look EVERYWHERE, not just the places you think it might be. Either way, it was a horrific story to read on Christmas day and I have images of this poor starved barely-alive carcass in my head. I'm glad the cat is now alive, but I don't think it was an appropraite article to run that day in the paper.

[Sarah]

I agree with snarkyinla. The story was disturbing to me on many levels. It was not the best choice for Christmas day - yes the cat survived, but clearly she may have some lasting effects from the ordeal. This woman had quite a few pet tragedies in the past (which were absolutely terrible to read about). I don't think this woman should adopt any more cats. The road to hell is paved with good intentions.

[Animal Owner]

This story gave me nightmares. It was not heart-warming, inspiring or hopeful. Yes, sometimes unexpected, awful things happen. A nearly dead, brain-damaged cat is not a happy ending. Knowing that the writer's cats had succumbed to horrific deaths before and she was warned by a shelter owner that she might be neglectful left me not angry but sad. And confused over the judgment of the writer and the LA Times.