HAPPY NEW YEAR!
The holidays are over and now I have time to catch up with things. Sherlock - oh Sherlock - my first baby! A long time ago when I was quite young and had no use for cats, a sweet little feline came into my life and changed it forever. In my defense re: the cat 'disliker' comment above, I had very bad experiences with cats previously and my family always owned dogs. Back to the story - a friend of mine found a litter of 5 motherless kittens in a cardboard box in the basement of an academic building at the New England college he was attending at the time. He was able to take 3 of them home, but needed to find homes for the other 2. When he called me, I was pretty negative about the whole idea, but he asked if he could just bring them over for me to see. He was quite a persuasive one, so within 1/2 hour he came right over with them. They were so cute, but I wasn't sure I liked the way their bodies felt when I picked them up - sort of fragile and awkward and those crazy claws! However, the more I played with them, smelled them, cuddled with them - my misgivings melted away. After all, they were motherless and homeless, weren't they. I wasn't anybody's mother yet, so maybe it would give me some practice? And, most of all, Sherlock looked me in the eyes as if to say, please let me stay with you - I will be good - I promise. And, of the 2, Sherlock seemed to be the weaker and most affected by the abrupt disappearance of his mother. He would lay on my chest, snuggle, purr and then look up at me with those beautiful eyes. The other one was a little bolder and probably more well adjusted, and cute and appealing all the same. So, as you know already, I did take these 2 cats into my home and named them Sherlock and T.C. (for Top Cat). My life now included the need to feed, clean up after, take to the Dr and love 2 additional beings. The joy I felt when I came home every day was worth any extra work they required. They were happy to see me, rubbing up against my legs and purring; their fur was so soft - as I petted them I could feel my stress levels take a nosedive. I became very close to both of them and all was well for a time. After a few years, Sherlock seemed fine but he was always the skinny one, the one who needed the most attention. One day when I was at home, one of my neighbors knocked on my door carrying a cardboard box. Inside was Sherlock lying on his side. He told me he saw Sherlock in his back yard dragging his hind legs behind him trying to get home. I rushed him the vet's office to discover that he had thrown a blood clot and it had lodged in his lower body and prevented the blood from getting to his legs. The prognosis was not very good. For a couple of weeks, I gave him medication to thin his blood, massaged his legs, isolated him in one corner of the bedroom, helped him eat, kept his little space clean and sanitary. Unfortunately, despite all of the efforts as recommended by the vet, I found him no longer breathing one morning when I woke up. I was quite distraught and found it difficult for quite a while to get over losing my sweet little Sherlock. Even now, when I look at a picture of him (which I did over the holidays), it takes me right back to the feelings I had for my first baby - we needed each other and nurtured each other until the end. There is no doubt in my mind that animals in our world can feel pain and have complex relationships with each other and with humans. How is it that our human world tolerates the abuses that occur to domesticated animals and farm animals? We need to look no further than how we feel about our pets - it really is that simple! Go vegan!
