MrrrrRrrr Friends,Saturday 26 May is Diesel Day – a day of celebration and thanksgiving for the good that furry companions can bring into human lives and for the humans that work hard to see that beings like me find the homes and people of their dreams. It is the day I was adopted by my people from the Sauk County Humane Society in Baraboo, Wisconsin.
My blogs this week will be devoted to getting you revved up to celebrate with me.
I’m betting that none of you has gotten through life without caring for a furry or feathered creature or, at least, enjoying the momentary company of a friend’s dog, marveling at the feathers on a companion bird, or sharing the wise glance of a cat. Most of the companion animals I’ve met in my life – and I’ve met quite a few – are yearning to be in a relationship with a human. To be sure, that’s all about living securely, knowing you will be fed, kept warm, and given the respect and care due to any living thing. It is, however, also about companionship, friendship, and love.
But let’s face it, there are a lot of us out there. Because we are determined to live and love, we reproduce. Hey, we’re animals (just like you), and we simply have the urge to merge.
In the US, one 1990 estimate has 60 million cats in the care of people. That does not include the number of wanderers or free-roaming cats, which may be just as high. I can’t help you with how many dogs there are, but the news is that cats are the most populous home animal.
So the people who care for us when we are otherwise uncared for are an important part of the equation. It is a tough world out there. More cats die from being struck by cars than by any other means. But many of those struck may be impaired in some other way: a fight with another animal, exposure to a chemical, exhaustion, hunger, and, I am very sad to say, sometimes by abuse from humans. We don’t want to be confined, but we do want to be cared for.
It is then, a mixed bag when we end up in our local shelter. It’s warm, we get medical care, good food, and, in most cases, a second chance. But we do sit in smallish cages and wait…it can be agonizing at times. Certainly, there are bad places that pretend to be shelters, run by unscrupulous people with no honor. The majority of shelters, however, are run by people with big hearts and good intentions who know how to pull in the knowledge and expertise to care for their animals well. I was lucky enough to land in one of these and my debt to the good folks of the Sauk County Humane Society is great.
You note I don’t use the “P” word. It’s just that my friends and I feel that we aren’t here solely for the enjoyment of humans. We think our lives – simple seeming though they may be – have an integrity of their own. No offense, but “pet” seems so much based on ownership. We’d rather be your friends. So I choose companion animal…longer but basically more respectful.
Okay, so what’s my point?
I’d like you to celebrate Diesel Day with me. If you have a furry friend in your life, if you ever have had such a friend, if you know someone who depends on an animal companion, if you’ve smiled at a dog with its person, or a cat laying in someone’s lap, or a Mynah bird’s bawdy language, or if you simply enjoy this blog, it is a good time to give something back.
I’ll be sharing part of my story with you later this week. The upshot, though, is that I wouldn’t be here without the good people at the Sauk County Humane Society. They rescued me, they made sure I was healthy, and they worked like crazy to find me a home. And they found me the home beyond my dreams.
Please consider supporting the lives of misplaced animals and the good people that work to keep them healthy and find them homes. I am hoping that you might take the time to do one (or more) of the following this week in celebration of Diesel Day.
1/ Make a donation to the Sauk County Humane Society - $5, $15, $50 or, better yet, $150 buys food, medical care, toys, pays the electric, heat, and other overhead and ensures the shelter has the staff it needs to run efficiently. I urge you to write and send a check on or before Saturday 26 May and note on it that you’ve contributed in celebration of Diesel Day – believe me, they remember me.
2/ Donate a HUGE bag of food to the Sauk County Humane Society. You know how I love food! I ate many bags when I was there. They serve Purina Cat and Kitten Chow. Take it right in and tell them you brought it in celebration of Diesel Day.
3/ Find your local shelter, go in, and ask them how you can help. If money is as tight for you as it is for them, consider volunteering an hour a two a week cleaning, working with records, or helping with the animals. You could even join the Board if you have that set of skills. Tell them a certain ex-shelter cat sent you.
4/ Ask your veterinarian if they support a local shelter by donating their time to help care for the animals there. Tell them it is important to you that there is a network of animal health care professionals supporting the local shelter. My Wisconsin vet, Mara, gave me a free first visit – complete with shots – because my person adopted me from the shelter.
Remember, most shelters are 501(c) 3 not-for-profit charities. They run entirely on donations – which are, for the money-minded among you, tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.
I promise I will not be hitting you up like this very often, but I do hope you will act. I still have extended family in Wisconsin and, you never know, you may be directly aiding a furry cousin of mine…another future feline blogger.
Giving away without regret is one of the most important things a being can do. You’ll be amazed at what comes back to you. Granted, it is a crap shoot…someone might give you back some really ugly toy with no catnip in it…but you gotta try.
The Sauk County Human Society can be reached at:
618 Highway 136
Baraboo, WI 53913
(608) 356-2520
Tell them Diesel sent you.
