I just wanted to take a minute to ask a personal favor of the campus. But, before I make my request, I’ll explain my reason for asking. It was Friday night of last week, and was just minding my own business, walking down the street. What should I see sitting in the street, but a little cat? If you know me, you won’t be surprised by what I did next: I called to her, trying to see if she would come to me. And, sure enough, she came trotting down the street toward me. This sweet little brown tabby jumped onto my lap the moment I knelt down to her. After a passing glance it was clear she didn’t have a collar. Being me, I picked her up and brought her inside my friend’s house, if for no other reason than to get her out of the cold and to a humane society tomorrow. I then learned that my friend, who has cats at her home, had been feeding her when she saw her, and had assumed she had a home. Given Troy’s unpredictable weather, I didn’t feel right leaving her outside if I couldn’t be sure that she had a home. Just because she wasn’t hungry didn’t mean that she couldn’t or wouldn’t succumb to hypothermia at some point.
By the ending of the evening, Kiki (as this lovely little lady came to be named) had prospects for a home and was settled into my friend’s house for the time being. After sitting and talking with my girlfriends, we had come up with a couple of ideas for this very friendly little girl. One of my friends said her dad would be in the area this weekend, so she called home to talk her parents into adopting Kiki. Another mentioned that her aunt might take Kiki if her story was explained. I was relieved to hear this, because just a few months earlier my family had taken in another cat, and didn’t really have room for another one, which is why I assumed Kiki would have to go to a humane society. In the end, Kiki won over a few hearts and got her fairy-tale ending. By Sunday afternoon she was headed to Connecticut to start her new life in the suburbs.
Which brings me to my request: Given the economy, people aren’t necessarily capable of meeting the same financial commitments as they had before. I understand that conditions change and sometimes people aren’t in a position to continue caring for pets; but please, if you can’t keep an animal, make a responsible decision and take it to a shelter. Kiki was litter-trained and recognized the opening of a cat food can. She was too sweet to have never had a home, and someone had cared about her.
I’m just asking that if it’s in your power to make a difference and help, please do. Pick up a phone book or go online and get the number for animal control if you see a stray; even if they can’t find the animal, they will know it’s in the area. Please spay and neuter your pets, as there is no reason not to; it’s a routine surgery that helps reduce over-population and keeps animals out of over-crowded shelters. If everyone would spay and neuter their animals there wouldn’t be such a pressing problem. In conclusion, please act responsibly and consider the repercussions of your actions. Pets rely on us to take care of them; there is no reason for Kiki and others like her to be alone and out in the cold. Please “think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight.”
