For the Love of Animals

If you’ve been wondering along with me then I’m sure you know that I am an animal lover. What you may not know is that I have hand-me-down statues of St. Francis adorning my home and garden. I may not be a religious person but I do admire St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals and ecology. On 28 March 1982, John Paul II said that Saint Francis' love and care for creation was a challenge for contemporary Catholics and a reminder "not to behave like dissident predators where nature is concerned, but to assume responsibility for it, taking all care so that everything stays healthy and integrated, to offer a welcoming and friendly environment even to those who succeed us." Just like the saint and my father who shares the name, I love ALL animals - domestic ones, wild ones, pretty ones, ugly ones, scary ones, and helpless ones. Especially the helpless ones. There is something about an injured or sick, lost, or abandoned animal that just tugs at my heart.

I’ve got lots of tales to tell but I will share only a few highlights from the past decade. The first one that comes to mind is the roadside goose rescue that I convinced my husband to help me with. You see, two domestic geese were dumped at a local lake. No biggy right? Well, these plump fowl don’t have the wiles to survive the wild. One of them was severely injured and in true goose form, his mate wouldn’t leave his side. So my mate and I gathered a net and a box and set out to catch them. It wasn’t difficult considering that one goose was unable to move and the other didn’t want to be separated from him. We brought them home, settled them into an empty horse stall, and I got to work. The female was in perfect health. Her love unfortunately was anything but. He had puncture wounds deep into his chest. Inside those wounds were maggots. I wasn’t sure if I could save him but I sure as heck was going to try. With the advice of a professional, I made myself busy cleaning his wounds and removing maggots. I spent days working on him and caring for him but as anticipated he did not make it. The lone, sad female needed more than I could give her. We found her a new home with other geese.

The second story is about another feathered friend. A fledgling Northern Flicker fell from his nest. I found him on the ground in the woods behind our house. He was making quite the racket and catching the attention of my Jack Russell Terrier, Frances. I scooped him up and noticed that he was missing an eye. Poor guy. Well, his nest was too high and he was too helpless on the ground. I hoped that mom or dad might come back to check on him. But first I had to make sure he was satiated and safe. After a meal of moistened ground-up dog food, one-eyed Jack was placed inside a storage tote with all the fixings, and the box was placed on the stone wall behind the house. We patiently waited to see if anyone would come to claim him as their own. As the day wore on, Jack got hungry. I fed him again. That night I brought him inside so he’d be safe. The next morning after breakfast I placed him back outside. That afternoon Jack was being fed by his parents. They came back! He still wasn’t ready to fly but at least he wasn’t left behind. Jack just needed a few more days to get his strength. Then one day he was gone. Then every day for the rest of the summer Jack could be seen foraging on the lawn.

Finally, I’ll share with you the story of how I got three of my barn kitties. One day, mother’s day to be exact, my husband was cleaning up our property. Up in the corner of the one field was an old abandoned boat. We had been thinking about how to get rid of it and the trees growing out of it. Anyway, as he was walking around it he heard sounds coming from inside. There he found three tiny days old kittens. This is definitely not an uncommon occurrence in these parts since we have a huge feral cat population. Well, we just figured we’d have to wait a few months before we could get rid of the boat. However, the mama kitty never came back and her blind helpless kittens were becoming increasingly hungry. As the day progressed and the kittens became more distressed I knew that I had to do something. So we turned an old dog crate into a kitten den complete with fluffy blankets and heat lamp. Every few hours I would feed them kitten formula with an eye dropper, then rub their backsides with wet cotton balls to help them relieve themselves (Mama kitties sure have a tough job). I did this for weeks until they were no longer wriggling sightless fluffballs. The kitten’s Smooch, Patty Cake, and Cutie Cat were here to stay.

Now I’m not telling you all this because I’m fishing for praise. I didn’t do anything any one of my friends wouldn’t do. I know this because they too are all animal lovers. However, I do know one who is quite possibly the most dedicated, the most passionate, and the hardest working one of all. Kay and I have been friends for over 20 years since working together at the Bergen County Zoo. Although the years have found us living states apart, the magic of social media has kept us in each other’s life. I get to follow along as she continues the good fight to help animals in need, especially those of the feline persuasion. Whether she’s trying to trap and rehome stray cats, making shelters to keep them warm, or selling her catnip creations to raise money for her own 10 rescue cats and local shelters, Kay is on a mission to improve the world one cat at a time.

Let me just tell you that I did not think that I could ever be more impressed by Kay. I’m even considering putting a statue of her next to my St. Francis. Seriously, she is selfless beyond compare! If she were a superhero she’d be called the Cat Crusader. I envision her with her long flowing blonde hair and rogue-like gray streak wearing a calico print cape and rose quartz amulet. She’d be spreading love and compassion while giving those who harm animals a smack down followed by a stern lecture. But she did something this week that raised the bar. She threw a burrito at a pillow.

No Kay isn’t losing her mind. Nor is she losing her sight. Let’s just say that she decided to err on the side of caution when she drove past a furry lump sitting in a grassy residential lot. I’ll let Kay tell you in her own words, “Here is what I see on my morning drive what do you guys think it is? After I dropped Keith off I came back and it was still in the same spot so I threw some dog biscuits right at it. I think it's somebody's hat? Not getting out of the car because the neighborhood's not great and there are all kinds of cars nearby that area I'm just trying to be safe. I'll go back in a couple of hours and see if it's still there. Didn't see any breathing any movement or anything so. And from my experience with animals, they wouldn't just lay out in the middle of nowhere like that unless it was tied up or something so?”

Then later she had this to share, “Okay I went back with a McDonald's burrito and threw the burrito at the thing and it did not move at all. Then I threw two biscuits at it didn't move so I wound up finding a nice guy from the borough of water and utilities, he was working on some water lines and I asked him if he could check for me. I said I have a weird request. Haha and he's like yes how can I help you? I told him and he said he would go check it out for me.” It was determined that, yes, the fluffy lump was indeed an inanimate object. It was a pillow.

I, along with Kay and many of her other friends, had a lot of laughs over this. That’s the thing about Kay. Her sense of humor is as big as her heart and she managed to put both on display on this day. I asked if I could share her story because it got me to wonder and honestly it is just too good not to share.

After I followed along on Kay’s shaggy pillow adventure I couldn’t stop wondering about how many other people traveled along that same route and saw the helpless, abandoned, ball of hair. I wondered if anyone else thought twice about it. Was there another single person who felt concerned? Did anyone else worry that an animal may be left out in the cold to suffer? I wondered what I would have done if I was in the same position as Kay. Would I have stopped or just kept on driving with my doubt and guilt gnawing at my conscience? I’d like to think that I would take similar actions. I probably wouldn’t toss a burrito at it though. That option definitely would not have crossed my mind.

But beyond a good laugh and some self-reflection, Kay’s story gave me hope. We always hear about the worst of humanity. Our media is filled with so many tales of conflict and despair and orchestrated stories. Rarely do we ever see an everyday heartwarming reality? That is why this story became so meaningful to me. It reminded me that good is happening in this world and our backyards; that some people do care enough about the lives of others to take time out of their own to see if they can help. It also reminded me that I have some amazing friends, who assume responsibility for animals and nature, in my life. Knowing this fills me with immense gratitude.

I hope this post made your day brighter and made you think about the little actions you can take to make the world a better place for all creatures. If you share Kay’s passion for cats, I suggest you follow her on Instagram @kayscatnipcreations or check out her Etsy shop Kay’s Catnip Creations. Thank you again for wondering along with me and remember life is wonderful when you just take the time to wonder about it.

Artwork of St. Francis by Sue Bentanzos. IG @artgirlsue