Driving to Seattle yesterday morning, I saw something that sadly, I cannot unsee. Traffic wasn’t too bad so keeping up at 60 mph was easy to do, frequently faster. Just a few miles out of the city is when I saw the kitten come out of a car window. I couldn’t tell which car it came from as my eyes were fixed on the kitten. As I sit to write this down right now, I can’t help but break down all over again. My faith in humanity destroyed. Who can do such an evil act?
I was in the center lane. It scrambled to go toward my lane as cars were flying around. It suddenly turned and made a dash to run to the other side of the road. Although it all happened in microseconds, I had to turn my head away. There was nothing I could do to save it. I couldn’t watch any longer.
Without looking in the rearview mirror, I told myself that it made it to the trees on the side of the road. I have to believe it survived. I couldn’t for a second believe it was killed; although I don’t know what kind of life this adorable black and white kitten would have after being thrown out of a car window. Who in the hell can do this? Seriously?
I often wonder why I am so sensitive to matters involving animals but then at the same time, I answer my own question. Animals and young children are unable to stand up for themselves. They are powerless and at the mercy of where they are, who they live with and where they live. Coming from a background where I was the young child that had to tolerate a life of abuse, it is my duty to help those that can’t help themselves. I will never, ever understand how anyone can hurt a child or an animal, even when they are filthy drunk.
When I was four years old, my two sisters and I each had our own pet rabbit. Lynn had Thumper, Donna had Houdini, and I had Cuddles. They resided mostly in our back yard. Thumper and Houdini were pretty big; my sweet little Cuddles was tiny. We loved our rabbits.
I know we weren’t totally poor as our stepfather worked in sales at a car dealership his brother owned. We never knew of any financial struggles in the home at this time. Believe me, we often had financial struggles we knew all too well, but it wasn’t evident at this point in our lives.
One day when we went out to play with our rabbits, we couldn’t find them anywhere. We pulled back bushes, checked for the gate being opened; there was no sign anywhere of our pets. We were devastated yet we refused to give up our search. When we were called in for dinner, we knew we had to go in or as usual, there would be hell to pay.
She told us it was chicken. We all knew it wasn’t. They fed us our pet rabbits.
Who can hurt a bunny?
When I was in third grade, we lived in Fallon, Nevada with the same lovely stepfather. One typical evening when he was drunk at dinnertime, our new kitten made a fatal error. It came into the kitchen while we were eating, all sitting in dead silence. We knew there would be trouble the second it happened. The kitten made a noise; it meowed!
Our stepdad picked up the kitten and threw it full force into a wall. It dropped motionless to the ground. We were not allowed to get up. We were to remain seated and continue eating our meal in silence.
I was at the Seattle Home Show yesterday when I saw a booth that had nothing to do with home improvement. Have you heard of Pocket Pets? Oh, I have. The girl working the booth had adorable little chipmunk-looking-critters running all over her jacket. She would put them in her pocket, and they would tunnel up under her coat. They were absolutely as cute as can be.
Sugar Gliders
People gathered all around as they watched the little critters scatter. She talked about how low maintenance they are and that it only costs $38 a year for food. When you get your Pocket Pet, you get the cage and everything right there during the show. I didn’t stay long enough to see what she was charging. Once again, I was sickened.
From Wikipedia
How many of you would consider bringing a new pet into your home when you visit a home show? Not many. Getting a pet is a commitment. Any living thing needs to be welcomed in as part of your family, correct? You can’t on a whim just grab one because they are cute at a home show, can you? The kids gathered around the booth were all so excited and begged their parents for the new toy. That is exactly what it would be, a toy, a temporary fix. They would take it home and play with it non-stop for a few hours. They would then put it away and find something else to do. Please do your research before bringing a new pet into your home. Especially one you know nothing about.
These cute little Alvin & the Chipmunks are living things! They need to be with other Sugar Gliders (formal name) in a colony. You can probably guess I don’t like to put anything in a cage. It’s hard enough for me to leave my dog in my house for any length of time when I have to leave. The sadness in her eyes kills me as I abandon her. You don’t want to see me at a zoo… trust me.
Young children and animals have no voice. You do. Save an animal and help a child in need. Be their voice. Restore my faith in humanity.