The Homeless Animals

The decision was made last week to adopt a cat as a new member of our household. Daughter Jennifer, who moved in since the passing of my wife, chose to go to the local animal shelter in hopes of finding a cat that not only needed a home, but mentally attached itself to her.

All animals communicate with us both mentally and in the way they behave around us. Jennifer has always loved cats and they usually always bond with her.

She was shocked when she arrived at the shelter. There were 75 homeless cats packed in that building, and while she was there, someone brought in four more cats that came from a home where their elderly owner had passed.

The other shock was that nearly every cat in the shelter cuddled up, jumped in her lap, and rubbed against her legs as if they were pleading for her to take them home with her. There was one cat that was so mentally damaged it hid in a box and could not be reached. This is a “no-kill” shelter so we have to wonder how long that particular cat has been forced to live in that tiny cage without much human attention.

So how would she choose the cat to take home with her? Jennifer said she nearly gave up in the quest and was about to leave the shelter. She reached down to pick up her black leather purse and noticed that it was heavier than normal. When she looked inside she saw the lovely green eyes of a small all black kitten looking up at her. She instantly loved with this little creature and brought it home.

We still have no name for it. But the cat has shown amazing intelligence. It was so happy to come into our home it began purring at the door and didn’t stop purring for several hours, even while exploring the house. This tiny creature has made it be known that it really appreciates having been given a warm and loving home to live in.

While we are glad about this wonderful gift from nature, my heart has been troubled over the fact that an estimated 80 homeless cats had to be left behind. They are still waiting for someone to come and choose them. The sad truth is that most of them are doomed to live out their lives in those cages. This is especially going to be the fate of the adult cats, and that one cat that hid in its box. Jennifer said she wanted to bring them all home.

These were just the abandoned cats. On the other side of the shelter she said she heard the noise of a chorus of homeless dogs, also desperately in need of homes.

If our hearts reach out to homeless and abandoned pets, how can we forget all of the homeless adults and children now sleeping in bedrolls, tents and public shelters? There are thousands. All of them hungry, shivering, and hoping against hope for a break. When living in poverty and dirt there is little chance to find work. And the jobs that are available do not pay enough to cover the cost of rent, heat, food and clothing.

Humanity, like all of those homeless dogs and cats in shelters across the land, is struggling to hang on as the shadows of despair and doom rise over us all. And while this goes on, a handful of cold greedy bastards with criminal intent, grasp the money and refuse to let go of the power it gives them.

The children, many of whom rise up from those tents and freezing bedrolls, slide into their best clothes and ride buses to school, are compelled to recite a pledge of allegiance to a flag. The pledge declares these children to be living in “the land of the free” where there is “liberty and justice for all.”

We suspect that this generation of children, once it recognizes what the system has done to them will rise up. The old methods of brainwashing have worked effectively for years. But when children are raised homeless and hungry, they should soon be smart enough to know the difference.