Who of us animal lovers doesn’t have stories, maybe even photos of a much-beloved four-legged friend from our early life days.
My launch into making non-human friends included a big orange fluffy cat named Herbie, and a cuddly poodle mix, Trouble. There wasn’t even a remote possibility that my life wasn’t going to be full of animal companions!
To the contrary, having grown up on a hobby ‘farm’, as a kid I raised baby chicks and ducklings in boxes beside my bed, laughed at the antics of a much-loved bunny who knew no bounds running with the horses and playing with the goat. We waited by the school bus daily with a smelly old billy goat. Experienced the terror of a rooster protecting his hens every time I crossed the yard. And like many young rural girls of my generation, cared for multiple older horses that we took in after they were discarded from a local riding stable. I can’t imagine a richer life with so many species of friends.
So is it any surprise that I continue to spend considerable time caring for and about non-human species. Indeed, long ago my mother warned me that if I started thinking of having kids to adopt a dog instead. Hmmm, perhaps an auspicious foretelling of my life and involvement in the rescue of dogs (at least initially) and cats.
I hadn’t planned for things to turn out this way. But the more involved I became with cat rescue, the more it pulled at the heart strings and demanded my attention. Going from fostering one sick little kitten to a few years later repurposing a workshop into a cattery modeled on the idea of a ‘cat flat’ – windows, cat towers, a wall ladder, toys, sofa chairs to snuggle up together, tables to jump on, dresser drawers to get lost in, music, song and dance, visitors, conversation…. A foster space for cats that have been abandoned, betrayed by humans, left for sick or dying. This space is intended to provide cats with a sense of safety, companionship and confidence, and to build their trust that humans won’t always let them down.
As I write this, we’re at the height of ‘kitten season’. I’m sitting on a lazy boy struggling to keep kittens off my keyboard (some are really very persistent!), with six wee tabbies, torties, and black kittens in my lap, on the chair arms, and stretched out alongside me. Several others keep checking in with a head boop, or initiating a wrestling match with another in my lap. Half of them is purring loudly. Others are nodding off in complete and unreserved trust. This is the best possible fix for a stressful day!
Across the room watching me is Smash, a big adult stray that was brought into care after being hit by a car. We thought he was feral, given his initial terror of people and propensity to lunge at anyone who came into his space. Slowly over the past few months, he has come to trust me, running up to welcome me when I come into his flat, following me around keeping an eye on what I’m doing, weaving between my legs when the opportunity presents itself. He is also a wonderful parent for the kittens – instigating play, cleaning, and learning confidence from their obliviousness to the possibility of danger in life. It warms my heart to see him curious, socially engaged, and happy.
I am in my personal heaven. No, it’s not for everyone. But for those who love animals, just appreciating, caring for, and experiencing the love in return from even one non-human companion is gratifying and well worth the effort.