I was feeding the birds yesterday evening and walked past the front porch and did a double-take. In one of the kitty houses was a little bundle of yellow and black kittens. Now I must confess, I was doubly irritated at Mamacat for selecting that location, and forcing poor Felix to an abandoned mailbox on the roadside, which no doubt contributed to her demise.
There is a limit to one's ability to mingle in the natural animal world I suppose, and when it comes to feral cats, you can't really say "play nice or go home." They stake out their territory, and there was not much I could do other than try to make sure there was food in a couple of locations so that Felix could get her share.
Meanwhile, I have 3 kittens in a kennel on the screened porch, and 5 kittens in a kitty house on the front porch. Great. Now what am I going to do?
2 comments:
What does one do when a kind heart gets overwhelmed by the numbers needing kindness?
In something that ties in with this post, plus my Friday post and your comment there, I remember the instructions of a Mexican missionary during a church youth group work mission to his country. He told us not to give money to any of the kids begging on the street or the ones selling small items like gum.
It seemed so heartless. Then we discovered the hard way that the person who gave money to one child would suddenly be overwhelmed with 10-15 kids flocking to that one kind soul. Continuing to give out money would draw even more kids, eventually leaving a person with the heartbreaking reality of having to say "no" to many needy little ones.
Sometimes caring and doing the right thing leads to overwhelming situations. Such as continuing to feed the cats might lead to 20-30 cats around the house by this time next year. But on the other hand, who wants to be that person who turns away from a need? Sometimes there just aren't any clearcut answers to the questions we face in life.
Frank
I know--what if I turn into the "crazy cat lady on the hill" and someday they are writing articles about DHS coming in and I have 107 cats living on the front porch? I just have to figure out how to trap, neuter, and release. I know the feral cat organization here does it all the time, but somehow, I don't see Oscar or Mama docilely walking into a cage.
Mama already moved the babies off the front porch and out into the kudzu jungle somewhere. I guess it was only a matter of time once we spotted them.
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