There is no need to immediately throw away your wife's favorite fur coat with hatred and run away from the meat counter in horror, join the ranks of the Green Party and advocate for the breeding of rats in basements. These are tasks that are not feasible for everyone.
We are touched by the old ladies feeding pigeons in the park, we take our children to the park, to the pond to feed the wintering swans, we enjoy the beauty and peace there.
We all watch TV too. A boy and his mother picked up a cat dying in a carrier from a garbage dump, neighbors brought a dog to the vet that was brutally beaten by a resident of their building. Some people save “our little ones” from other people. We are not different. We are sincerely angry at animal abusers and happy for the animals they save.
One day I was running to work and saw a pigeon with a damaged wing. It was scurrying along the sidewalk and attracting the predatory glances of cats. I felt very sorry for the bird, but I couldn’t take it in – I have a cat too.
I trailed after her, shouting at the cats and feverishly thinking about what to do. I didn't want to be late for work, and something inside me wouldn't let me leave the pigeon.
A boy of about eight years old appeared to save me and the pigeon, carefully picked up the bird in his arms and carried it. To my timid question of where he would take it, the boy answered that he would take the pigeon to school, to the teacher, and after school they would take the injured one to the doctor. How ashamed I was. Taking the bird to the vet was a matter of an hour.
Of course, you can't take them all. And is it worth it? An animal in the house requires love, care, at least the absence of allergies and peaceful coexistence with all family members. How often do we follow our emotions, children, affection and, as it seems to us, love for animals. But in fact, we get a toy and it's good if sooner or later it doesn't start to get boring.
Any pet in the house is always a family member with its own character, tastes, food preferences, illnesses and habits. It becomes attached to us and completely depends on us. When buying a cute kitten or a cheerful puppy, not everyone remembers this. If you cannot provide the animal with the necessary attention and care, or you buy it as a living toy for a child, it is better not to buy it at all.
A child will grow up loving and responsible only if he learns to treat his little friend with care together with you. Otherwise, think about yourself at least – if you throw a kitten that has torn up the furniture out into the street in front of your child, sooner or later you risk ending up out on the street yourself.
We will never learn to treat each other with at least respect, not to mention universal love, if we don’t start at least small. With our little ones. At least with not raising a hand to a homeless dog or bringing out a bowl of food for a basement cat. By the way, maybe basement cats are the solution to the problem of regulating the number of basement rats?
Again, you don't have to rush to join the Green Party and send crazy amounts of money to charities, but maybe bring some food to an animal shelter. Or don't abandon a dog that's been hit by a car. Just be kinder.
