A thought occurred to me a while ago… about the trust that is shown to us humans by our companion animals. Especially those companion animals who, for whatever reason, end up in the pound or shelter.
I mean… their lives get changed RADICALLY. They’re subjected to a car ride, and then they get put in a cage, seen by a vet, thoroughly checked over with all the associated teeth, fur, tail, paw (including a tick check) inspections and the ignominious thermometer treatment… and the put back in a cage. They’ll be given food and probably a bit of hurried caress… and all by complete strangers. Humans they’ve never met before in their lives.
… and they trust.
They trust in us that we’re not going to hurt them (yes, I know sometimes they’re nervous and frightened and y’know, that seems quite reasonable).
They trust that the food we give them is okay, that it’s not going to harm them, they trust that eventually, their lives are going to turn out okay.
It’s one of the joys of working with a shelter in that every human there is committed to making sure their lives DO turn out okay, and they find loving homes where they can be safe and happy.
The trust shown when a furry one gets sick, though, that’s even more amazing (if that’s even possible, I’m in awe of how much trust they already give us). You see, especially for cats – their sense of smell is what tells them whether food is okay to eat or not. Dogs apparently have this too, but dogs tend to think they’re super heroes and can eat what they like… food would have to be really bad for a dog to turn it down. (Or they’d have to have really awful fear issues).
But cats… when they get cat ‘flu, and their noses are blocked up, and they can hardly breathe, and their eyes are gunky and yucky and it doesn’t matter how often you clean their faces (which they don’t like) they still get stuffed up… mostly those cats still trust us that the food we’re giving them is okay for them to eat. They can’t tell, because they can’t smell it, but they trust us to give them good food.
Yeah, sometimes a kitty will decline their food, usually because they have ulcers in their mouth which makes eating painful, but even then, they still trust us to do the right thing, to make them better, to fix this.
That trust brings me to tears every time I think about it. I’m in awe, and gratitude, and oh, so humbled by the magnitude of that trust. I really hope I can live up to it. It’s worth it, especially when you see a happy dog or cat going home with a new human… it’s worth it, when you see the photos and hear the tales of them settling in and … yes, trusting… their new humans and loving their new home.
(If you’ve ever adopted a companion animal, bird or reptile, please consider letting the shelter know how they’re going, we love to hear happy endings!)
The furries are amazing, because of the love, and the hope… and their trust.
Falling Thought Leaves 