She was found by my neighbor perhaps murdered, abused by being forced to remain outside on a rainy, cold night, definitely neglected, positively alone and dead.

Her hair matted and soaked to the skin, toes exposed to the elements showing the many miles she'd walked searching for decent housing and scraps of food.

No one was there in her final moments with her to hold her and tell her about the life that awaits her on the other side No one knows if she died in pain, no one even knows if she died needlessly. No one called the police because it was obvious no one really cared.

This story, even as small as it is, won't reach the front pages of any papers because after all she was just one of thousands of cats that die alone without proper veterinarian care or owner attention.

Know that it was different for this cat, though. My neighbor who found her did shed a tear for your baby. She was buried in a nice little grave, because my neighbor offered up her land, and my husband dug the hole.

We asked around, made a few phone calls and waited for someone to come and lay claim to her but no one came looking, no signs were posted, no one came to our doors asking about her -- no one cared.

So, if you live in the Vanderbilt/Vass area and had a cat, male or female, that was a grayish black tabby with a white tummy and socks that roamed the neighborhood too often, know that she fell upon the homes of pet lovers who were only afforded the opportunity to show their love by burying her.

Nancy Sidley