No, I do not believe that you are a bad person at all.
Each of us has a tolerance level as to how much we can take in when it comes to these stories of abuse and neglect.
Animal abuse and neglect is awful, there is no way around that fact. Some of the images out there are just heart wrenching and the video's are enough to make you want to throw up.
I believe that the first reaction of most people when faced with these stories is to look away because no one wants to see an animal in distress. It makes us sad and we feel helpless and why would anyone want to feel that way on purpose?
However, if there is one thing that I have learned in this life it is this...
If we don't look...we don't see.
I am not suggesting that people sit around watching animal abuse stories all day long, I certainly don't. I do have a rule though, if a story presents itself in front of me at any given time....I find the courage to read, to look or to watch.
Why?
Because change only happens when we face the problem.
I have literally been sick to my stomach with some of the abuse cases that I have seen, the images are etched in my mind but those images are the match that ignites the flame inside me because I cannot go to sleep or go anywhere and do anything without trying to do something to help in some way.
It is so difficult to see, there is no doubt about it. I bet it is even more difficult for those animals to be living that nightmare.
I picture myself somewhere living in deplorable conditions, being hungry and abused daily and then watching as people walk by but never look at me and hearing them say "no, I just can't look"
Now I know animals don't understand our words but they understand pain and fear and suffering just as we do.
It is frustrating I know because we want to help them all and we can't by ourselves and so we tell ourselves why look and put myself through that when I know I cannot do anything about it?
I will tell you why because they need you to see them because someone is hurting them and you would be surprised at what you can do once that flame inside you has been ignited.
I heard recently that people on Facebook are trying to get pictures from rescue groups banned because they cannot handle seeing the images in their news feed.
I'm sorry but this is where they lost me.
Those pictures from rescue groups are trying to get your help for those animals that are being abused.
Maybe we should put our energy into trying to stop the abuse instead of the pictures.
The animals finally have a way to show you what is happening to them...social media is powerful and really does help them a lot.
Why would anyone want to to stand in the way of that?
Just because we may choose to look away doesn’t mean the torment is not happening.
Recently, I contacted a few
organizations about a feral cat that has been living under my friend Sandy's
house. The cat was in need of medical attention and Sandy
wasn't in a situation where she could fund it at the time. So I sent out some
emails explaining the situation....Sandy
wasn't looking to get rid of the cat, she didn't mind the cat at all. She was
unable to touch him, he didn't seem very tame but she didn't mind him being
there and she was ok with feeding him. The problem was that the cat had an eye
issue and it's fur was all matted and he generally just looked miserable
despite being fed. Sandy doesn't
have a lot of experience with feral cats so she of course turned to me since I
have worked with the TNR (trap and return) programs for many years. The only problem
is that Sandy lives in the Sacramento
Valley and I live in the Sierra
Foothills. It's not as far as it sounds but far enough that I just can’t jump
in my car and be at her house in a few minutes, it's about a 45 minute drive. Sandy
had never trapped a cat before so she wasn't really up for that part of it, I
knew we would need help. Let me back track by saying that Sandy
had just recently moved into that house and this cat and another were already
there. At that time we believed that the cats were left by prior tenants.
So anyway, I put all of this info in the emails I sent out asking for some
help in trapping the cat and getting its medical needs met. I and hoped for the
best. Well, the next day a lovely lady from one of the organizations got back to
me and she was going to try and help. This person was very kind, very
understanding and really wanted to help. She said that she would have to send
out a message across the board that a trapper was needed and then we would go
from there. Well she found us a trapper all right. LOL She told me that the
trapper lady would call and she did.
What happened next really just pisses me off and I wish I could go back and
handle it so many other ways than how I handled it, but I can't so here I
rant...
This had to be the rudest woman on the face of the planet; she kicked the
conversation off with a straight lecture. She would not allow me to answer with
anything but a yes or a no, every time I would try to explain anything she cut
me off and start lecturing again. She was explaining to me how Sandy
needed to trap this cat, giving me the run down on how it is done. I tried a
few times to tell her that I knew how to trap the cat and that I even have my
own trap cage. The cage part got her attention and she seemed a bit confused as
to why I would have one but wouldn't stop talking down her nose at me long
enough to find out why. She then asked me if the cat was starving and I told
her no, that Sandy would never
allow this cat to starve and that she feeds him everyday. This woman then goes
into attack mode telling me that Sandy
cannot feed the cat because the cat needs to be hungry so we can trap it.
Really? That wasn't her question. She then proceeds to tell me how Sandy
needs to do the "responsible thing". What? At this point I am very
irritated with this woman. I tell her that a neuter may not be necessary
because....and she cuts me off. She tells me that Sandy
is being very irresponsible. I really tried to explain to this lady that the
cat appears to have already been neutered or is just too old to be interested
in the opposite sex because after observing his behavior for quite some time,
he is not on the prowl, nor is he aggressive towards other male cats and the
other male cats are not aggressive towards him either. I wanted to explain to
her that I could be wrong about this, that his illness could also be the reason
he is so passive but she would not allow me to say anything.
After ending this completely bizarre conversation, Sandy and I decided to
not take this cat to her. Instead we treated the cat with antibiotics that I
always have on hand for emergencies. The cat is doing wonderful and looks
better than ever. And come to find out, he was abandoned years ago but not
intentionally, his owner died and he is neutered.
I am not going to give any names of any organization here because one bad
apple does not spoil the bunch. On a whole these organizations do more good
than they ever do bad. I have total appreciation for all animal rescue groups
and I will continue to turn to them when I need help with my own rescue
efforts.
The message that I have now is for the lady I spoke to on the phone that
night....
My friend Sandy is the kindest, most caring individual I have ever met.
When she moved into that house and those cats were there, she never blinked an
eye, she just started buying more cat food. Most people would have "gotten
rid" of them, Sandy
didn't do that. She noticed one of them was sick and she called me for help. I
think her actions were completely responsible considering the fact that it
wasn't her cat to begin with. She has since medicated this little guy, cut mats
from his hair and has become this animals savior....He is now thriving and she
is keeping him. There was another cat on her property, a little girl cat. sandy
has taken her in and she is now spayed and up to date with her shots and she is
also keeping her. Responsible? Absolutely.
Here is a tip for ya, if someone is calling a rescue group for help, that
IS being responsible. I know you work with animals everyday but I really think
you need to work on those people skills because if you continue to treat people
like pieces of doo doo you will only alienate them and they won't want to call
again and this is just not in the best interest of the cats you claim to want
to help. Not everyone is "cat lady", I don't care how many you have
encountered.
I called for help and I got you, obviously we have a common interest, we
want to help these cats that need our help so badly. We are in this together lady;
we are on the same side.
Ok, I am done now, rant over.
It's not usually this difficult to help, this rude lady I talked to recently
is the first I have ever dealt with and I have been doing this a long time,
many years. The most important thing that you can do is not look away. They
need our help.
So this post is not just about me ranting, here are some links to the best
feral resources I have encountered over the years and some other animal related
links that I have found to be truly wonderful and informative.
Alley Cat Allies: The Cats' Leading
Advocate
Placer SPCA
Happy Tails
Tabby's
Place (Inspirational)
Sierra
Animal Wellness Center
Petfinder
Feral Cat Coalition
Humane Trapping Instructions
Trap-Neuter-Return Works
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