Dear Human Blog Readers,
It’s the weekend again, and time for me to share a few thoughts on my mind. Mom wrote her blog this morning about where home is and what home is all about, so let me give our our (the feline side of the family) perspective on the matter.
For those of us rescue(d) cats who were passed around from one horrible place to another, we had absolutely no concept of home and family. To us, the four walls of the cage or room we were locked in were the beginning and end of our lives, considering ourselves lucky not to be attacked by the other cats in the room or be kicked around by the humans in charge of us. I was physically abused by humans and felines alike, and thus took a long time to understand the concept of family and home. Five years after living with Mom, I don’t think I can survive without a family anymore, or at least the loving attention of people who understand me. The same goes for Cherry and Lolita, who were horribly neglected, their bodies suffering from malnourishment and scared of just about everything and everyone. They too took a long time to learn to trust Mom and understand the concept of home. As Mom points out in her blog entry, a house is not a home, and until we came to live with her, we went from house to house.
For rescue animals who come from shelters or spend their lives on the streets, accustomed to fighting for food instead of attention, trust is an alien concept, and family is limited to the four-legged kind that share your food bowl. We don’t understand what friendship is all about, because life becomes a matter of survival.
What is home all about then? Well, we can only speak from a very limited experience, and what we have learned is
Home is not where the food bowl is, because that can be out on the streets or in a cage.
Home is where we get picked up several times a day for a cuddle, are spoken to instead of kicked around and shouted at, are given baths and kept clean instead of being thrown into sewers and ditches.
Home is where we can choose where to sleep, are not afraid to sit and watch a human up close without being scared, and can make silly demands from time to time.
Home is where we are called by name in a loving tone by someone who really cares.
Home is betrayal and abandonment become unknown concepts.
Home is where we transcend specie barriers and can consider humans family, or the other way around.
So when you adopt a pet, regardless of its breed, don’t just offer it a house – give it a forever home. And just because it is Mom’s cause, adopt the old and unwanted ones first, they need it more than the kittens and puppies.
Meowingly yours,
Champagne
FrogDiva Thoughts 