Hello, Kitty

(Shhh, don't tell the cats in my house, but I have never really been a cat person. Therefore, I find it strange that I am writing this. And whatever you do, don't call the house and read this entry to them; don't even fax it to them; they don't need to know. Thanks.)

Okay, kittens are cute; I admit it. I suspect that kitten look is what nature gave them so people would take them and forget that they grow into cats. Anyhow, not long ago, four kittens magically showed up in the horse barn (it used to be a garage, but now there's barely room to even squeeze in my motorcycle; I'm not sure why I even mentioned that). My wife fed and watered them, they grew, and now they are making their way out in the local world. That was then.

Now, four more kittens showed up, but this time their parents disappeared into the night (maybe it was the day; I wasn't watching). I thought of putting them on Maury to help find who the kitty daddy, but that didn't seem practical. Again, my wife fed and watered them, but the nights are getting downright cold, and those three little faces are heartbreaking as they gather to face the cold and lonely, and the deep, dark nights together.

The Ever-lovely Miss Kim was late from work last night, so the Ever-effervescent Miss Jessica and I had to feed them. When the door to the barn opened, all three came scampering out. I put their bowls down and watched them eat. The barn was and is their entire world at this point. They don't have a Mom or Dad to show them how to hunt or take care of themselves. Without those skills, the world would be a tough place (with those skills, the world is still a tough place). They need people to take care of them, so we decided to take them to the humane society (HS), which I trust will live up to its name and give the little guys a chance.

As today is a holiday, I called the HS, and yes, it's open.... But, apparently I live in he wrong town to use them. If I showed up, they'd check my papers and send me away. Each town contracts with different shelters around the state, and this HS wasn't "mine" (ya gotta love bureaucracy and The Rules). So, I called my town's police dept., but they weren't any help. They didn't know of any local shelters. I called the bigger town nearby (2007 population - 3,688). They didn't have any information either; they knew of no contracted facilities. Tomorrow (Wednesday), I will call the animal hospital (closed today); if anyone should know they should.

The point of all of this? There are a few. First, when ads say to spay or neuter your pets, you should; that's a good thing. Next, Nature is. I am tempted to call her cruel, but Nature just is. What happens out there, the births and deaths, is all part of Nature. When Man is introduced with caring, concerned people, Nature becomes cruel by Man's definition. I didn't want to go out and see the kittens because I knew what would happen; when I went out last night, I felt overwhelming sorrow looking at their innocent little faces. They didn't ask to be born, and their very futures rested in our hands (in another scenario in another place, they'd drowned or shot). They see us as a food source, and they trust us. I want them to find someone to love and care for them (I usually know all I need to about people by how they view and treat animals). And lastly, these kittens got me to thinking about all the babies being born into the world....

(Oh, and by the way, if you read carefully early on, you would have noticed I first mentioned four kittens and then switched to three - my wife brought one into the house - he was the lucky one.)