A Christmas Kitten
I was a cuddly kitten,
But now I am a stray,
When I grew no longer fluffy,
They sent me on my way.
They've kept their great big watchdog,
Since he can bark and growl,
But I could fly at strangers,
If I caught them on the prowl.
I slink around their garbage can;
I mew outside their door;
But it's clear from their behaviour,
They don't want me anymore.
Now I'm cold and hungry,
And getting very thin,
What have I done to hurt them,?
Why won't they let me in?
I crouch in sheds and boxes,
Shivering in my thinning fur,
So sad I’ve been rejected,
I can no longer purr.
They have another kitten now,
For Christmas Day’s delight;
But probably next Christmas,
He will have to share my plight.
~ Anonymous
Clarence Ivanovich O'Grady, IV said
ReplyDeleteThe milk of human kindness has either soured or dried up completely.
A bit of happiness -- for balance: read about this dog's Christmas miracle.
ReplyDeleteThank you. AOW. That IS a lovely story. Nice looking bulldog "mix" too! Imagine being ADOPTED after spending FIVE YEARS in a shelter! Sounds almost like a miracle. I happen to LOVE bulldogs, and would have one if only I could take proper care of it.
DeleteThat's the only GOOD news I've seen coming out of California in a long LONG time.
Do you remember opr friend Andie of DIVINE THEATER? She adopted a cat named Duchess who'd been in a shelter for TEN years. Duchess was beautiful, but she was also very old, and sadly didn't live long after Andie gave her a home. We all took comfort, however, in Duchess's having been taken to a comfortable place where she was loved and admired, even f it came terribly late for her.
I have anoter friend, who lives in Connecticut. She made a practice of adopting older cats whose owners had either passed away or abandoned them. Her last cat died two years ago but my friend is 83 now, and won't adopt any more kitties, for obvious reasons. She feels it would be terrible if she should give a cat a home and then leave it to be orphaned yet again.
I'm not sure I totally agree, but it's not my decision to make.
Franco,
DeleteYes, I remember Duchess. She bore a startling resemblance to our Starr, the first cat the Mr. AOW and I had here at This Old House.
Starr was born right here -- in the chicken house. Unlike Andie's Duchess, our Starr never had a single moment of insecurity and lived to the ripe old age of 17.5.
A society obsessed and besotted by endless expressions of rage, contempt, bitterness, sarcasm, and cynic;l disdain to the exclusion of all things tender, gentle, affectionate, empsthetic, CURIOUS, and encouraging is, perforce, a MORIBUND society,
ReplyDeleteThe Heart asks Pleasure first ––
ReplyDeleteAnd then Excuse from Pain ––
And then those little Anodynes
___ that deaden Suffering.
And to go to Sleep ––
And then –– if it should be
___ the Wll of ts Inquisitor ––
The Liberty to Die.
~ Emily Dickinson (1830-1886)
___