LOL!
I didn't spend any time editing this one. I intended to make it clear the man wasn't actually "neglecting" his animals at all - he was injured and trapped for days without food or water or medical attention, and Jean was supposed to feel guilty for pre-judging, and... later, an idea came to me (while mowing the back yard with a motor-less antique push mower) about the old man, the family who never calls, and the evidence of a visit in hospital from an estranged daughter (the crossword), but I never got around to writing it. The Sunday prompt came up, Rush to Judgment, and I had a whole new slew of indignities and outrages (from real life) to keep me busy all morning long.
Thanks for reading and commenting!