Dec 8, 2009

The Plight of Feral Cats - Feral Cat Photos of the Day

Feral cats lead difficult lives. Even when there is someone to care for them, things can be hard. This morning it is 16 degrees Fahrenheit... some feral cats are lucky enough to have a shelter provided. Some aren't so lucky. But even on this cold morning, a cat must come out into the cold to try to find food. It is the only hope of survival.
Feral Cat sunrise, in the shadows of decay and despair

There are times when I just cry. I sometimes feel like I can't deal with it anymore; too much suffering, too much hardship (for them not for me). My heart aches.

Illustrative of the Plight of Feral Cats #1


I confess; I wonder if I am doing any good sometimes. Maybe all that I accomplish only prolongs the suffering. There is no "up side" for most of these cats; they will never have homes. Even the cute kittens I've rescued and tamed may end up going back to the feral colony, without people to adopt them. Have I really done something good by saving their lives, or have I only guaranteed more misery?

It is a question I am still unable to answer. Perhaps there are no answers to be found. Maybe all one can do is whatever we are doing right now, while the rest is left to some Divine power seemingly indifferent to the little cruelties and horrors found in a world that prefers to look away.

I find myself thinking now that it is truly better to not know the truth; to turn away as so many do. Think about that video game or one's favorite TV show instead. Ignorance is bliss. Seeing only brings heartache. There is no comfort here; there is only living another day.
little tabby cat, only happy to be alive, hoping to stay alive

Yet whatever living another day means, whatever it brings to us - somehow, it must be enough. The past is gone - the future may never arrive. Therefore,  whatever we have here and now, what is within our reach at this very moment, it is truly all that we have.
No shelter, no hope, yet still living and struggling to stay alive
When the world is filled with questions I cannot answer, that is what I tell myself.

5 comments:

  1. Dearest Chriss! The love inside your precious heart is the answer to the questions you ask...do not think for one moment that you do not make a difference in the lives of so many you may never touch with your hands. You touch them with your eyes and your gentle heart and you bring their stories and picture to us. You make them real and we hunger with you for their plight...we all have our backyard kitties that wrap themselves around our heart. Nothing we do in the moment we do it is wrong. Do not believe for one second that the devil will win. I know the end of the story and not a sparrow falls that HE does not know it...
    Blees your kind heart, Love from the cozy cottage and Misses Peach

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  2. Thank you, Miss Peach. I am mostly okay - sometimes I get discouraged when there is a lot of suffering going on around me, like when diseases go through the feral cat colonies or when there is a lot of cold (like now). I built another shelter today, well-lined with straw - and that helped me feel a little better because some more kitties will find a warmer place to sleep now.

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  3. In my blog today I am linking to the site where the storage shelter can be found. In winter I leave my screened in patio door open so the strays can sleep on my large daybed. It is covered with a flannel sheet to protect the cushions and has a large 2x3 foot heated pad to keep them warm. At night they sleep snuggled up like cord wood next to each other. In the summer time the patio is OUR sanctuary but in winter it belongs to them....
    Meowz and blessings to you, Misses Peach

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  4. Thank you Chriss for helping the kitties. In the last 3 years, my husband and I have had 12 homeless kitties show up at our door. I try to find homes for them or take them in - we are over cat capacity right now at our house. I recently purchased a feral cat shelter and hope the outdoor strays will use it. Like you, all I can do is to watch out for them, put out fresh water and bowls of food during this cold weather.

    Thank you for caring.

    Kindest regards,

    Midori and kitties

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  5. Thank you, Midori, for your wonderful service in helping the little creatures that come you way. God bless you.

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Comments are welcome! I always answer questions if I can.