8/1/2003

I believe I have a calling in life. That calling is to be the voice for those who cannot speak for themselves. To be one of many people with a passion for animals. To love animals that have never been loved. To hold and comfort animals that have been mistreated. To weep for those who no one has ever weeped for.

I have always had pets. I never really thought anything of it when I was a kid, they were there. But then, one day, on my bike ride to school I saw a dead cat lying on the side of the road. I didn’t know who it belonged to but it had been hit by a car. I stopped, got off my bike, and wept for the little cat. I felt awful.

A few years later (I was about 10 or so) a mother cat had kittens in our shed. I spent hours every day outside with the kittens, playing with them, giving them love and attention. There was one cat in the litter that touched my heart. He was disabled, his legs stuck straight out to the side, he got around by dragging his little bottom on the ground. When we found out who the mother cat belonged to I had to give her and the kittens up. The woman offered me a kitten but I had to ask my parents. My mom said no but my father said, a few days later that I could have a kitten to bring to his house and keep there. I went back because I had planned to take the little kitten with the bad legs and it was gone. When I questioned the woman she said she’d had it put to sleep. I was heartbroken. I couldn’t for the life of me, figure out why anyone would put a kitten to sleep just because of some bad legs. I knew it would have options and would be able to live a good life. The kitten hadn’t been suffering, the woman said she just thought no one would want a kitten like that.

These two things along with the many stories I’ve read have sent me on a mission. Someday I will have my own cat shelter, might be 20 years from now but it is something I WILL do.

I will do my part to end the needless suffering of any animals I can. Cats are my main passion but I cannot bear to see any animal suffer.

So many people don’t seem to realize what goes in to caring for a cat. They are independent and they are self-cleaning but they’re still a big responsibility. They need vet care, check-ups, shots, spaying and/or neutering. They need a high quality diet, toys, cat towers, treats, love, a warm place to live. They need to be kept indoors to be safe from cars, dogs, coyotes and evil people that harm animals for fun. Then there’s always the chance that your cat could become ill and will need emergency care, they’re an investment of time and money and they’re not disposable.

Today I read a story on a message board. A person, on her way to work saw a man THROW a kitten out his car window. She pulled over, scooped up the kitten and placed it into a box. Then she proceeded to follow the guy home. When he got out of his car she went up to him with the kitten and said “I believe you dropped something”. The guy looked surprised and stated that she must have the wrong person, he didn’t have a kitten. The woman had written down the cars plate number at the scene so she pulled that out and said “This your plate number?” About that time the guys wife came outside and inquired as to what was going on. Before the guy could say anything the woman told her that she’d seen her husband toss the cat out the window.

The wife started crying. Apparently the husband had told her he’d found a home for the cat. The woman who picked up the cat off the side of the road took the kitten with her and went to the police. The police said if she made a statement the guy would be charged with animal cruelty. She then found a good home for the kitten.

It’s too bad all stories don’t end like this. Most cats, and dogs for that matter, aren’t so lucky when they’re dumped out in the country.

That story just above fueled my desire to get going on something I’ve been thinking about for awhile. My next personal project is going to be a website focused on animal care and animal cruelty. Hopefully it’ll grow and I’ll be able to set up a message board and stuff. It’ll focus on cats and Siamese fighting fish at first but I’m hoping to expand it to include other animals too.

I’ll post a link when I get it up and running. I have a lot of material to put together.