Mitzvah... (I do the best I can)
May. 31st, 2006 07:27 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
brightlotusmoonYesterday, a cat came to us to die.
Puff and Tuesday were bristling at the living room sliding door. There was an orange tabby collapsed on the concrete. It looked half dead. It was starved, emaciated, malnourished, dehydrated, matted, struggling. Half its face was beaten in, swollen, bruised and bloody. There was a severe infection. One eye was swollen shut. The cat looked as though it had been struck by a car, beaten by another animal, kicked by a human, or all three. It must have been a family cat that had gotten free, wandered the streets, got lost, and got hurt.
It was so sweet and gentle. But gods, was it dying. It gurgled when it purred, which probably meant internal injuries, lungs punctured, bleeding. A very sweet and pleasant cat, never made a sound, never tried to run or hurt us. It was too badly wounded and confused, but it had come to us. We gave it a bowl of fresh, cool water and a plate of wet food.
Adam sat with it while I called the local Humane Society. They sent someone. It was around ninety degrees and humid, but I paced the parking lot for nearly forty-five minutes. I refused to go inside and wait, because the guy would need to come out back, not front, and I wasn't certain how long it would take him to get here. I was not sure what I was praying for -- the cat's survival, or the cat's merciful death. The cat, in the meantime, drank half the bowl of water and nibbled gratefully at most of the plate of food. It was drinking, at least. When Adam would move the bowl, it would follow, limping. When Adam sat back down in the lawn chair, the cat limped out to the grass and lay comfortably near his feet, purring with that faint gurgle. It felt safe. Humans were taking care of it now.
The Humane Society van arrived. I led the man to the backyard and Adam and I explained as much as we knew. The cat was male. It was incredibly compliant and calm. The man took it away in a cage and gave me the reference number. I could call the next day. He was going to take the cat to the emergency clinic, the same one that helped Tuesday. But this cat's chances were slim to none.
Mom, on the phone later, told me I had done a good thing -- mitzvah.
Tonight, earlier, I called them. I got the response I had expected, that it was dead. The cat had survived the trip to the clinic, but its injuries were too severe to be treated. It was dying, just slowly and painfully and it knew so. It was put to sleep, peaceful injection. Still, it is miraculous that it had in fact lived that long...
Rest in peace, little guy, whoever you were.
Puff and Tuesday were bristling at the living room sliding door. There was an orange tabby collapsed on the concrete. It looked half dead. It was starved, emaciated, malnourished, dehydrated, matted, struggling. Half its face was beaten in, swollen, bruised and bloody. There was a severe infection. One eye was swollen shut. The cat looked as though it had been struck by a car, beaten by another animal, kicked by a human, or all three. It must have been a family cat that had gotten free, wandered the streets, got lost, and got hurt.
It was so sweet and gentle. But gods, was it dying. It gurgled when it purred, which probably meant internal injuries, lungs punctured, bleeding. A very sweet and pleasant cat, never made a sound, never tried to run or hurt us. It was too badly wounded and confused, but it had come to us. We gave it a bowl of fresh, cool water and a plate of wet food.
Adam sat with it while I called the local Humane Society. They sent someone. It was around ninety degrees and humid, but I paced the parking lot for nearly forty-five minutes. I refused to go inside and wait, because the guy would need to come out back, not front, and I wasn't certain how long it would take him to get here. I was not sure what I was praying for -- the cat's survival, or the cat's merciful death. The cat, in the meantime, drank half the bowl of water and nibbled gratefully at most of the plate of food. It was drinking, at least. When Adam would move the bowl, it would follow, limping. When Adam sat back down in the lawn chair, the cat limped out to the grass and lay comfortably near his feet, purring with that faint gurgle. It felt safe. Humans were taking care of it now.
The Humane Society van arrived. I led the man to the backyard and Adam and I explained as much as we knew. The cat was male. It was incredibly compliant and calm. The man took it away in a cage and gave me the reference number. I could call the next day. He was going to take the cat to the emergency clinic, the same one that helped Tuesday. But this cat's chances were slim to none.
Mom, on the phone later, told me I had done a good thing -- mitzvah.
Tonight, earlier, I called them. I got the response I had expected, that it was dead. The cat had survived the trip to the clinic, but its injuries were too severe to be treated. It was dying, just slowly and painfully and it knew so. It was put to sleep, peaceful injection. Still, it is miraculous that it had in fact lived that long...
Rest in peace, little guy, whoever you were.
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no subject
Date: 2006-06-01 12:44 am (UTC)Karma, I guess.
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Date: 2006-06-01 12:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-01 01:18 am (UTC)We took our darius to the vet today, and we caught it in time. He's going to be just fine.
Thank the God and Goddess for that.
I'm glad that the kitty chose you to go and see, as you are one of the most kindhearted people we know.
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Date: 2006-06-01 02:02 pm (UTC):)
Thank you.
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Date: 2006-06-01 01:22 am (UTC)I went to it, but it ran under the fence again into a bush, and it was someone's garden, so after asking it to come out so I could help it, I went home.
I feel bad. I think I should have done more.
♥
I am glad that cat had love on his last day. I used to have a black and white sweethearted tomcat called Smudge who went missing when I was 14. I loved him. I have no idea where he went, but a druid told me he was in the afterlife now.
no subject
Date: 2006-06-01 02:06 pm (UTC)I think Smudge is fine, too. *smiles*
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Date: 2006-06-01 01:48 am (UTC)poor little man...
i have such a soft spot in my heart for kitties, and think they all should lead happy, cushy lives until the day they cross the rainbow bridge...
you gave him a little happiness in the last of his life...
*cries* god i hate hearing about kitties that have had bad things happen to them...
you are a good kitty person...
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Date: 2006-06-01 02:12 am (UTC)i love you. i am so sorry i didn't call. work was late and james was late and i got distracted. but i love you so much. and i will carry half this grief in my heart, so that you can better reach your share of the light.
i'll ring tomorrow, or tonight if you're still up.
no subject
Date: 2006-06-01 02:00 pm (UTC)This was the thing I wanted to tell you anyway; I knew you would understand. I love you.
:(
Date: 2006-06-01 04:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-01 05:58 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-01 12:42 pm (UTC)I had a kind of similar sad incident one time when I came home to find a shoe box on my front porch. Inside was a at most two day old kitten, covered in fleas and with its eyes still closed. I suppose somebody noticed that I had a cat and thought I would be the perfect person to take it in. I ended up taking the kitten to the humane society because there was no way I could care for it (besides the kitten's youth there was the fact that my cat is FIV+).
Here's what made the experience even better: That night at a holiday party I was telling my story and about how I felt guilty and worried about the cat I was when a complete stranger came up and said, "Oh that's awful! You know they're just going to put that cat to sleep. When my husband comes by I need to tell you my own cat story. By the way, my name is -----." How callous can you get?
no subject
Date: 2006-06-01 02:02 pm (UTC)I'm wondering if the one we found might have been the cat who was coming to our door and tormenting (flirting with) our two girls. He'd looked similar. If we never see him again, we'll know why...
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Date: 2006-06-01 02:33 pm (UTC)Anyway, take care, and remember the positive side of this encounter and how you helped an animal in need.
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Date: 2006-06-01 02:42 pm (UTC)Found a recipe for a natural bug repellent that I thought you'd like here: http://community.livejournal.com/nonwiccanpagans/47718.html
Dunno if you've seen it or something like it, but there you go anyway! :)
no subject
Date: 2006-06-01 05:32 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-06-01 06:41 pm (UTC)