The human race...That's a funny phrase, since it seems humankind is doing it's damndest to devolve into something worse than any other creature in nature.
Robin and I are anti-social, (I know, hard to believe), and I believe we are pretty well justified in that attitude. In the last few months, we've seen some shining examples of humanities best qualities (sarcasm, it's a wonder). We've seen school shootings, jihads, murders, religious intolerance (nothing new there), intentional cruelty towards other humans and, perhaps the biggest example in our little corner of the universe, a blatant disregard for animals.
No, I'm not channeling PETA or Greenpeace. I'm not talking about the "terrible" things done to creatures bred solely for consumption (cows and pigs and the like). I'm talking about the inhumane things done to creatures that the human race have spent centuries domesticating for companionship. I'm talking about a group of animals that can't speak or stand up for themselves: cats and dogs.
Anyone who knows Robin and I, or anyone who chanced upon this blog and actually read it, will know that we are cat lovers. We like other animals, too, but cats are special to us. We've got three wonderful little furballs of our own but we've helped a few indigent cats along the way, too.
There have been at least three cases of stray cats that have managed to worm their way into our collective life: Orange Cat, Black Cat and the newest, White Cat. (We are really creative when naming a cat.)
Orange Cat lived next door but he always visited our place and wheedled some kibble from us. He has now grown into a beautiful boy but has become an aggressive tom, too.
Black Cat was a sweet, gentle, affectionate and vocal little male cat that also lived next door but had a special love for Robin. Sadly, we grew attached to him and were heartbroken when we found him dead, in the street. Robin took that one especially hard.
We met White Cat this past Friday evening. She appeared out of the dark and followed us onto the porch, meowing, rubbing and demanding attention. We were shocked at her easy-going affection and fearlessness. We surmised that she was lost or had been dumped, as she wasn't afraid of us and loved to be petted. She was very tiny, almost skin and bones, but had a lovely pure white coat, with some evidence of a few dirty days. I took a liking to her almost immediately.
I want to pause here and explain that we always struggle with the fact that we can't save them all. We would love to have another cat but room and budget constraints make that impossible, as well as our three very jealous cats, the Trinity of Death. They don't cotton to interlopers.
We fed her and petted her for more than an hour. She scarfed down at least two and a half cups of food that night but couldn't seem to get enough affection from us. We were worried about her as she seemed to be a little edgy while eating, always looking around for anything that might take her food. We eventually had to go in but we left some more food and water for her. We fed her some more on Saturday and she ate just as much and really seemed to want our affection.
We talked about her all weekend long and lamented what we figured had happened to her. She was probably dumped or kicked out and now she has to find a warm place to sleep, food, water and avoid the other animals out there.
(Just a quick follow-up: White Cat has found a home. We have some very dear friends who recently lost a white cat to illness. We mentioned W.C. to them and they came to get her that same evening. She now rules their roost and has become a great addition to their menagerie.)
This is what sickens us. We live in a town where cats are considered vermin and are frequently the target of torture, cars, idiots and rednecks. Dogs, on the other hand, are safe and revered. If a dog is loose, the Animal Control Officer will rush out to collect it. If a cat is out, the ACO just shrugs his shoulders, makes an excuse and hangs up the phone. It really is ridiculous. Sure, cats can "take care of themselves" but how much protection does a 8 lb. cat have against a car, or a large dog that wants to "play," or a bored teenager with a pellet gun or other weapon? It's unfair.
Our "fair town" is home to a great many churches and their requisite Christians but nothing is done, by and large, to protect these animals over which we supposedly have dominion. It's not just cats; some Hypo-Christians here believe that animals don't have feelings or souls, so they have no worth. That is utter stupidity.
I've ranted, I've said my peace, it may not have made much sense, but I feel better. The wife and I will continue to look out for animals in need and I hope you will, too.
Later!
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