So the neighbor down the street yelled at us AGAIN, even though we weren't even going to feed the cats, we were just coming home and unlocking the door.

So I used this as a pretext to text Crazy Cat Lady and say... yeah... we really can't keep this up.

I admit I used @anthracite's "feminine weakness" as a strategy card and invoked the magic words "I don't want My Wife involved with this man."

That seemed to finally get through to her. We got back a characteristically rambling all-caps text that first instructed us not to feed them for the next couple days and only THEN (*sigh*), for that extra little bit of ambiguity said in the same text not to feed them at all, she's taking over.

I would feel really badly about making an old woman with a bad leg go across town to feed cats, but... there have been so many red flags at this point, I think I feel pretty morally secure chucking her in the "energy vampire" bin and bailing on her.

We told her from day one that we were not willing to make an enemy out of a neighbor out of this. Her reply was "well, he's everybody's enemy, he's a maniac."

And that was only one of SEVERAL valid concerns I had answered with a distraction, empty assurance, or convenient Senile Episode. (Did I mentioned in the previous toot that I'm 80% sure she mentioned dating Harry Connick Jr?)

When I told her I am ALREADY BEING TREATED for severe anxiety, her reply was that she has an anxiety diagnosis too. HUGE red flag. Honey, you are in charge of your anxiety level and I am in charge of mine, and diminishing my problem by telling me you have it too is NOT AN OFFER OF HELP OR SYMPATHY.

I am really, really hoping that this is the last we hear of either of these people. We can at least tell the pissy neighbor we've washed our hands of the whole thing. Although... the plot has thickened there, too?

We talked to his neighbor (who apparently likes these cats fine and has been feeding them the whole time *RAGGED SIGH*) and he claimed that guy had moved out... even though someone on that same porch had DEFINITELY yelled at us just this morning.

I don't fucking know. We did our duty for Bast and for basic humanity and now I think we are absolutely done. I might even change my phone number after this. >___<