I will be checking on little Esau
every week until he is weaned and brought into a foster-home; I don’t want to
be a daily pest to his foster-guardians, as much as I would like to know his
progress.
In the meantime, I have been thinking
about the kittens from this weekend. With so many little ones being born, more
cats is not really what we need. And yet, how can we let such lives end?
Neutering and spaying are good; they keep new kittens from being conceived. But
once they are in the world, they often become a matter of rescue. I don’t think
I could sit by and let an animal die needlessly. If a cat were slowly dying and
in distress, euthanasia would be a mercy. But if, with a little effort - or a
great deal of effort - an animal could be brought back from the edge of death,
then I would make that effort.
Besides, each kitten is an
individual cat in the making, a beast with a personality all its own, and a
great capacity for love. Esau may grow up to be adopted by a lonely person
whose life would bloom with his company. Or he may go to a large family with
many pets already, and live a fun and frenetic existence with a dozen siblings.
I was struck by the little one’s resemblance to one of my cats - well, at least
the resemblance of his fur-pattern; at his current age, Esau looks less like a
cat than a completely different genus. But he may have been close to what my
Renn looked like when a newborn, and I can’t imagine not having my gentle big
boy around to lope confidently onto the bed at night-time, or tentatively reach
out his paw to beg my attention when I am reading.
If Esau brings someone the happiness
Renn and his siblings have brought me, that person will be lucky. And there is
the simple fact that his is a life that should be filled with peace and
contentment. He deserves it as much as we do. That’s why Esau needed saving,
and why the loss of his brothers or sisters is such a sorrow. Life isn’t just a
beating heart or breathing lungs. It is all the person or animal does while his
heart beats and his lungs breathe. And it’s worth that little - or great deal
of - effort.
I think that for all of us that love our cats, we understand that they give us as much love and comfort as we give them. We also can't see how anybody could be cruel to such gentle creatures, abandoning them, not giving them healthcare or leaving a young mother to give birth on the streets.
ReplyDeleteCats are simple. They just want a warm bed, a full tummy and a person to show them love and spend some time with them.
Some people just don't understand, and never will.
DeleteYes it is worth effort. Such a baby one came to me via a child in the family while I was at my son's home in NC a few years ago. A baby of about 2 weeks of age, shivering and hungry was brought to the house from a school yard. We ran everywhere to try and get supplies for him or her (turned out to be a girl). We were in a local Pet Smart the next morning, who had an adoption fair going on. We had the baby with us hoping the persons at the fair would help us find a foster parent for the baby as I was leaving the next day. And my son is a teacher and could not feed the baby all day and night. A miracle happened and a very kind lady took the baby and hand raised her and called her Coco. My son got to see Coco a month later..oh my goodness...what a precious fat little baby girl she was. I know she grew into a sleek lady cat. If no one had taken her I would have brought her here regardless of Katie as there is no possibility I would have let harm come to that precious morsel.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful story, and it was a miracle. Coco was worth saving, as are they all.
DeleteI would have little reason to get up in the mornings and go through my days were it not for the cats. It's no joke that angels Chumley and Annie saved me during the darkest years of my life. Any companion Being would do the same for me, cat or other species.
ReplyDeleteLittle Esau is just so precious (as are they all), that no, I can't (and don't want to) imagine how anyone could be cruel to him/them. “The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” -Ghandi
I too seem to live for my cats. There are certainly worse things to live for, and not many better.
DeleteRenn is such handsome guy. Would just love to scratch his ears or just love on him! He poses so well for the camera.
ReplyDeleteRenn is very photogenic indeed!
DeleteYou're absolutely correct, John. Having volunteered in the Maternity Room at Philly PAWS for 7 years, I can safely say that each kitten is beautiful, each has it's own personality, and each is deserving of being cared for and loved in a "furever" home. My Joey was one of my maternity kittens from PAWS. He was 3 weeks old and sick when someone left him on the steps of the shelter. For me, it was love at first sight. Joey is the sweetest, most affectionate cat.
ReplyDeleteI haven't met a cat that I couldn't have taken home with me, if I'd had the resources. Sigh.
DeleteIt's so awful to think that there are so many out there like Esau and his siblings who never find anyone to rescue and love them. Although one of the few things that makes me feel good about humanity is the fact that there are so many people trying to save them all.
ReplyDeleteWhen you get more news about how Esau is doing, please do let us know.
I will certainly let everyone know when I do.
DeleteRenn; we hope dad does get word about mini you ESAU; we bet his foster parents will gladly give updates and not think twice about sharing his progress. St Francis' blessing to him now and in the future. We also wanted to say THANX to dad for giving Seraph and Jacob a "name"; we forgot to do so yesterday; dad will understand why we say this ~~~~~~ ♥♥♥
ReplyDeleteBy their names we remember them. They become our friends.
DeleteYou are truly a good person.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, every animal deserves to live. They are placed on Earth for a reason and that is to give love, comfort and companionship. They should all get the same in return, but sadly that doesn't always happen.
And they probably don't understand why they aren't loved, the poor things.
DeleteI watched a program on Sunday, about people saving juvenile puffins in Iceland. The young birds fly to the cities, drawn by the bright lights. People round up the birds, get them tagged, and then release them again. How humane! Same thing with community cats; if we can save them, then we should.
ReplyDeleteWhat a generous thing to do for the birds. Humane, indeed.
DeleteI meant to thank you for naming those innocents as well. I got lost talking about my own experience and did not recall I was going to until I saw that Tabbies of Trouttown did.
ReplyDeleteIt was a beautiful experience, and I'm glad you shared it.
DeleteI have a lot to thank the person who saved Holly from the streets as I have a wonderful companion. Your efforts and those of little Esau's foster parent are what the world needs more of. Thank you from saving this little one and trying to save his siblings. Somebody will have a loving companion because of your efforts.
ReplyDeleteI agree each of these little ones is precious and is a unique individual.
I missed a movie on Sunday night - part of a documentary film festival going on in town - due to finding a lost dog. I returned home instead with the little scared dog and the evening was spent finding the owner. And reassuring Holly that the dog would leave as soon as we found the owner. A happy reunification between the dog and her human was better than any movie.
Thank goodness you brought the little fellow home, Eileen. I suspect no one else would have. And to re-unite dog and person must indeed have been a very gratifying moment - much better than any other evening activity. Wonderful, and well done.
DeleteThough I wish I could have seen Holly's face when she saw you bringing home a dog...