Articles Log

By A. Pratt / Published on January 12th, 2008 / Animals

A cat was run over on my busy street this weekend. It wasn’t my pet but it hurt just as much as if it was. This animal came into our lives when we returned from walking in the park with our 3 yr. old son. A lady who lives across the street was trying to keep it from running out into the road so I took it upon myself to carry it back to our garage where we gave it food, water and friendship for a few days. This cat was female and looked to be only 6 months old; it was also very skinny and hungry. I believe it once had a home because it was not awkward and shy like a feral cat. It also liked to be petted and played with by my son in the backyard (they were best buddies for a short time). At night I would put the cat in my garage with food and water because we live on a main road which turns into a race track when the sun goes down.

Anyhow, I was out in front of my house seeding my lawn a few hours after letting the cat out for the day one morning when I glanced across the road. She lay on her side with blood streaming out of her mouth. She had never seen what hit her and judging from the area on her leg that had lost skin she was hit when running back to see my son as he came outside like he had done the prior two mornings before. I stood for a moment and cried for our little friend but at the same time felt anger at the people who speed down our road as well as whoever neglected this pet. I also still feel guilty for believing that this cat would be ok outside if I just kept it fed and showed it some love. We don’t know how we are going to explain this to our son. Should we shelter him from the reality of death or use it as an example of the dangers of living on a busy road?
This has made something very clear to me. There are too many animals roaming around without homes. Many have once had homes but were left by people who either don’t care or do not have a place for them when they move. Like cowards these people leave pets to fend for themselves. If you are thinking of buying a pet PLEASE adopt a pet instead. If you are the type who thinks it is ok to discard a pet like you do trash, you better not let me catch you!


ABOUT THE AUTHOR


A. Pratt is a co-owner of Abby's Dog Gift Baskets. Abby's is web-based business founded on a healthy, happy, dog and dog owner. Found on the web at http://www.gift-basket4you.com