Little deeds of kindness
Ginger came in this morning, fresh from her midnight roaming and her nap in the porch chair. She gobbled up her breakfast, had a drink of water from Hannah's bowl, then played for a minute with
Susie's toy. She has no inkling of how hard I was trying to keep the tears from leaking down my cheeks, or the decisions I must make on her behalf in the next three days. She went out and lay down on the sidewalk, rolling in the sun, displaying the perfect white bikini on her underside. She is a happy cat.
Near the walkway where Ginger sunbathed is the flower bed -once stripped of the plants that had lived there, this morning brightened with tiny red and yellow blossoms, planted there yesterday by two
young women with generous hearts and strong backs and hands.
Little deeds of kindness. Why aren't there more people like those two?
I have received several offers to help from complete strangers, from legal aid suggestions to offer of a window bird feeder (which
is also banned.) From offers to help re-home Ginger to sympathy.
Little words of love. Why can't more people whisper words of cohesion instead of spitting words of derision?
When I was a young girl we loved doing embroidery. Samplers were our specialty. I remember well one with tiny flowers, green
leaves and a wee bird on a budding Apple tree branch. The words,
carefully worked in pink thread read:
" Little deeds of kindness, little words of love,
Make this world an Eden, like the one above."
I have always believed the pen was mightier than the sword.
Maybe those samplers and I have outlived our time.
They have broken my pen and taken away the ink.
Susie's toy. She has no inkling of how hard I was trying to keep the tears from leaking down my cheeks, or the decisions I must make on her behalf in the next three days. She went out and lay down on the sidewalk, rolling in the sun, displaying the perfect white bikini on her underside. She is a happy cat.
Near the walkway where Ginger sunbathed is the flower bed -once stripped of the plants that had lived there, this morning brightened with tiny red and yellow blossoms, planted there yesterday by two
young women with generous hearts and strong backs and hands.
Little deeds of kindness. Why aren't there more people like those two?
I have received several offers to help from complete strangers, from legal aid suggestions to offer of a window bird feeder (which
is also banned.) From offers to help re-home Ginger to sympathy.
Little words of love. Why can't more people whisper words of cohesion instead of spitting words of derision?
When I was a young girl we loved doing embroidery. Samplers were our specialty. I remember well one with tiny flowers, green
leaves and a wee bird on a budding Apple tree branch. The words,
carefully worked in pink thread read:
" Little deeds of kindness, little words of love,
Make this world an Eden, like the one above."
I have always believed the pen was mightier than the sword.
Maybe those samplers and I have outlived our time.
They have broken my pen and taken away the ink.
Cynthia, I am so sorry. I am praying that Ginger lands softly into a loving home. It will be an adjustment for her but over time it could work out just fine. She doesn't sound too wild, since she comes into your house.
ReplyDeleteThanks Beth. She is not really wild, but has been chased off some porches with a broom etc. so doesn't have much faith in humans as a refuge. It has taken me 2 years to get her to allow me to brush her etc. The real point is--she ought not to be removed from here. This is her home. But if it's to save her life, I guess I have to try whatever seems the next best answer.
DeleteI am so sorry to hear about Ginger and the over the top controlling actions of management. Are you allowed one pet per unit? I am assuming this since you posted that you have a dog. Can your next door neighbor take Ginger in as a pet? This may not be a viable option since management knows about Ginger, but I am just brainstorming here. xoxo
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for your suggestions. Yes we can have one pet for which we pay a $300
Deleteone time fee. I have a cat which I brought with me when I moved here. My dog is a registered Service Dog, so they cannot refuse her presence. The manager would allow adoption of Ginger by a neighbor; however, there are strings attached. The neighbor would have to put up the $300, which most here cannot do (this is section 8 subsidized housing) and also they would have to keep her inside. She comes in and out of my unit, but never wants to be inside for long. For 11 years she has been a free agent! So no one really wants to take a chance on having her get out and then they would be in jeopardy.
Alley Cat Allies based in Maryland is the gold standard for stray and feral cats nationwide. They know all the laws throughout each state. VA as well as DE consider cats who are ear-tipped to be owned....not 'at-large' cats + cannot be disposed of by any local areas. I work at Forgotten Cats based in DE + PA - we are a spay/neuter clinic who specialized in TNR. Our founder, Felicia Cross, knows DE in and out. Her response is this:
ReplyDeleteleashcross wrote:
It's really detrimental for a cat to be uprooted and relocated. The only time we consider doing this is when the cats are being shot, are poisoned or harmed by the people around them.
If you need any more info about Alley Cat Allies or Forgotten Cats - to get more info regarding Ginger - please contact me.
Janet Cavallo
Forgotten Cats