Editor's Note: We found this stirring story on Quora, and wanted to share it with our readers
What photos look happy at first glance but make you immensely sad?My poor little disabled cat. Gone now…..and I miss him so much it hurts every single day. I just hope he knew how much I loved him…my precious little friend…
My poor little boy was brain-damaged at birth and within a year he couldn`t walk. He was my son`s cat but when they were hit with a very serious health situation he came to live with me….and i couldn`t give him back. I bought nappies for him for his little accidents in the day and night. But regularly through the day i would lay him on his side on some newspaper and he knew he had to do his business.
At mealtimes I had to hold him over his bowl so he could eat in a normal position. At night I wrapped him in a blanket in his big bed. He loved his handful of bedtime treats.
In fine weather I put him in a big dog cage in the garden with his bed. I was scared of hawks or crows harming him. But if I was in the garden he used to love lying on the grass rubbing his face against it.
But inevitably he grew older and his health deteriorated. He had a terrible diagnosis from the vet…and he lost his spark and was clearly suffering. I had to make that awful decision.
The first thing I look at when I wake every morning is this photograph. And at night this is the last thing I see before I close my eyes.
One day his photograph will be the last thing I see….before I meet him again...
Thank you for visiting our animal defence section. Before leaving, please join us in a moment of compassion and reflection.
The wheels of business and human food compulsions are implacable and totally lacking in compassion. This is a downed cow, badly hurt, but still being dragged to slaughter. Click on this image to fully appreciate this horror repeated millions of times every day around the world. With plentiful non-animal meat substitutes that fool the palate, there is no longer reason for this senseless suffering. Meat consumption is a serious ecoanimal crime. The tyranny of the palate must be broken. Please consider changing your habits in this regard.
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2 comments
In a year when Mad Cow disease was discovered,
and ‘downer’ cattle were more suspect than other animals of possibly having the disease,
I called the [I think it was] chairman of the Senate agricultural committee, and explained to him what downer cattle were, how they would be used as cutters and canners — that is, used for soups, and how the prospect of Mad Cow getting into the food chain would be lessened if downer cattle were prohibited from being dragged to slaughter. Downer cattle — as well as feeding meat and bone meal to cattle, as I explained that as well — were prohibited, as well as meat and bone meal fed to cattle and sheep. That must have been in the late 90’s. I do not know if downer cattle are still kept from slaughter or meat and bone meal kept from being fed to cattle and sheep? But with one phone call, I was able to get both banned in the US at that time in the late 90’s I guess it was.
I understand perfectly how a human being can form a bond with an animal. Yet with the cat
described, I would have had the cat euthanized early on. the cat may well have brought out
some noble part of Art Miller’s character, but I would not have countenanced the animal
having to live such a life. It does not make sense to me in the grand scheme of things. I knew
where Animal Control, Greene County, Ohio disposed of the wonderful dogs, pets, in a dumpster
to be dumped in a landfill. The dumpster weekly would be filled with 20 or so beautiful dogs,
some with collars still on, which people no doubt lost and did not know their pet was at the
pound. When some owners were prejudiced against by the AC agents, they would take their
pets and not tell them they had the animals in custody, so they could kill the animals out of
personal animus against the owners. This is American culture or part of it, barbarians. Who kill
529,000 Iraqi infants and small children with sanctions, and then say it was worth it. Albright
was honored this week by Biden. Banality of evil. I see stupid people, they are everywhere. Well back to the cat. No I would have put the cat down so it wouldn’t have had to live that life. I took in a
dog nobody wanted. He was the most wonderful creature you could imagine. Domesticated animals
are not wild animals. I think don’t throw away those who could enjoy life, in favor of an animal who
suffers everyday, even though it draws out some behavior in a man which he experiences as ennobling, but was he thinking of the cat or his own feelings? I wonder.