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Home / Articles / Features / Feature Articles /  A Glimmer of Hope - A Feline Caper
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Monday, December 10,2018

A Glimmer of Hope - A Feline Caper

By Susan Hargreaves Author-Activist-Educator of BEanAnimalHero.org

In the forty years I have been helping other animals to live free of harm, whether wildlife, companion or farmed animals, the same pervasive feeling of urgency persists. Education prevents animal cruelty and fosters empathy which is a building block for kindness, so, the AnimalHeroKids. org school programs I present become a form of long term life insurance for the animals and the planet.

The vegan fare activities like building a vegan hero sub are positive influencers for the taste buds and the heart.

Every day I receive at least six calls about other animals needing help, sometimes I can refer the caller to the right contact, or help over the phone, “yes, you can put the baby bird back in the nest if uninjured” “the mother rabbit returns to the babes in the wee hours of the morning, a piece of thread around the rabbit’s area will let you know if the mother visited, “ or “a hawk paper cut out stuck on the window will deter birds from flying into it.” I give vegan holiday sources and recipes, tips on how to deal with relatives, in terms of vegan food, and once in a while I am able to convince someone to keep their cat after they learn cats are the number one abandoned animal in the United States and Florida has multiple kitten seasons.

A Call for Help

I was contacted a week ago about thin cats languishing outside of the a Miami Airport hotel, and one ginger cat in particular was following hotel guests and continuously trying to sleep on the cushions in the lobby only to be ejected each time. There were five cats, this is actually a very good number in terms of community cats, the staff were being directed not to feed, why, they were thin, they weren’t spayed or neutered, not good, after speaking with the manager at the hotel, assuring him the best thing for the health of the cats were feeding and spaying and neutering at no cost to the hotel or staff time, he was on board. I was encouraged afterspeaking to staff and learned how much they wanted to care for the cats. Since the ginger one was friendly I thought I could get him or her in a carrier, the cats came out at 6:30 am-7: am so, off I drove for a few mornings in a row making the 2 hour drive.

The Story Behind the Cat

It was one on one of these morning visits I heard the history of the ginger cat from a staff member there. A person was waiting for the airport shuttle with a cat carrier, she opened the door of the carrier and said she cannot take the cat on the plane, and pulled the cat out, and then got on the airport shuttle, leaving the cat behind. For three months this same cat was trying to get back into the hotel, the last safe place he or she had known. It was on my 3rd early morning drive down to the hotel I learned the maintenance man was able to contain the cat in a storage room after luring him or her with food, and so after a few fruitless efforts I felt was on my way to finally meet this feline, cat to person.

I met Tia Williams at the hotel patio area from Operation Paw, she is mentioned in the ”Animal Hero Kids Voices for the Voiceless” book as the adult who helped the Liberty City children rescue the puppy who was down a sewer grate-one of 100’s of happy ending stories in the book. Tia set up her traps to catch and spay/neuter the community cats, the method is calledTrap Neuter and Return, TNR. A monitored cat colony for the approximately 400,000 homeless cats in Miami who may not be used to humans is the humane way to deal with the homeless cat epidemic.

We entered the storage room where the door to the carrier I had brought in earlier was open and hiding behind cardboard boxes this little orange and white face was still, looking, with an expression which could only be interpreted as “now what?” 

Kindness Creates Glimmers of Hope

On my long drive back with the abandoned cat finally in my car on the way to a safe future I thought all of the kind people I met, the hotel staff, the hotel guests, all only wanted to help this cat and Tia, the super hero cat lady who has ensured the spay and neuter of at least 1,000 cats! I can’t even do the math of the cats not being born into a homeless life because of Tia’s unsung work. I was warmed by the glimmer of hope their kindness fanned in my heart for all of the animals needing aid.

The still very friendly, gorgeous, kitty cat is sleeping in my spare room as I write this, fostered until a forever home is found for him. All the green eyed, gentle feline wants to do is sleep, and to rub the side of his face against the quilt placed on the floor, finally, no matter what, he is safe. When I look at him in all of his obvious delight he gives me another glimmer of hope for more happy endings as more and more people learn how they can be heroes to animals by reading my book and sharing it, or asking their local library to stock the book, sharing all of the happy ending stories filled with compassionate actions.

Experiences like this one continue to put a face on the challenges nonhuman animals face and make me even more determined to promote kindness towards all animals. If you wish to join us or order an “Animal Hero Kids Voices for the Voiceless” book as a holiday gift, or sponsor a free, education program, please, go to AnimalHeroKids.org

 

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Also from Susan Hargreaves Author-Activist-Educator of BEanAnimalHero.org:

 
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