One cat just leads to another

We can judge the heart of a man by his treatment of animals. — Immanuel Kent

Tuesday, July 11, 2006

Who Will Find Them...

Lowellsun.com (Lowell, MA)
Article Launched: 06/19/2006 11:27:48 AM EDT

Who Will Find Them, I Hid Them So Well
By MARY LEE HARRINGTON

I didn't ask they be born. I didn't ask they have life;
All I asked was to be spayed, to cut this cycle of endless strife.
I've often dreamed of having a home and a friend, but mostly a name;
And I've waited and waited, yet no one ever came.
So I birthed another litter in this old abandoned mill,
Where the walls are crumbling and the floor are starting to fill.
But it's where I call home, though my bed is on the ground,
It's where night predators are lurking; I can't let them be found.
So I'll move them again, higher up, a new place I must seek,
And I'll carry each one though my legs feel so weak.
They'll be safer now, well hidden, completely out of view,
Yes safer now from predators and sadly humans too.
Each one's unique as I feel their breath,
I will feed and defend them until my death.
I wash them and warm them; their ears feel like silk,
Each open mouth needing my milk.
It's a small litter this time, two tigers and a grey,
I wish their life was different is what I want to say.
I'll just wait now till they all fall asleep,
Then leave for food that I must seek.
The night is cold and it's starting to snow
The dumpsters will be empty, my search will be slow.
Sometimes I'm lucky and people are kind
Mostly I'm scared; I don't know what I'll find.
The snow is falling harder, it's more difficult to see
I can't see the cars and they can't see me.
I should have been more careful and searched during the day
It's just that I'm so hungry; I have to make my way.
I'll cross the street but, wait, a light's coming this way
I'm too weak to run -- too long as a stray.
If I should die and be covered with snow,
No one will find me, no one will know.
If I could speak, I could tell,
But no one will find them, they're hidden so well.
All I ever wanted was to be a friend and have a name
But no one ever caught me and so the litters came.
Now as I lay here, I can't hear their cries,
They are in my thoughts and in my eyes.
I know where they are, but I can't tell
Who will find them, I hid them so well.

FROM THE AUTHOR: The poem's purpose is to increase awareness of the continuing problem of hundreds of stray cats that are needlessly born into a life of starvation, loneliness and death. Most shelters are overcrowded and do not take in feral/stray cats. If litters are found and rescued, the kittens can be put up for adoption. The mother cat, however, remains behind and continues going through endless cycles of births until her death. Since moving to Lowell, I have become involved with a nonprofit, no-kill shelter called Kitty Angels. It is a volunteer organization whose members possess hearts of gold but have limited resources. Two years ago, Kitty Angels helped me trap several feral cats living in an abandoned downtown building. I had heard their cries as I walked by. They were spayed and returned to the building, the only home they had ever known. They are feral and not adoptable. Now with the help of two dear friends, I am able to care for them on a daily basis. On the mornings when I feed them, they usually wait for me by the fence. If they are not there, I simply call and they come running. You see each one is unique, if only a stray, each one has a name now; there are two tigers and a grey. If you would like to adopt a kitten or an older cat, make a donation or simply volunteer, please visit Kitty Angels at www.kittyangels.org or call 978-649-4681.

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