I picked up Cobbles Tuesday afternoon. I'm afraid she wasn't a very good patient at the vet's. She jumped at Dr. George more than once. She is definitely the phal of curries as far as feral cats go.
Speaking of which, tonight is Curry Night at Tony and Alma's. and I am really looking forward to a break. But I hope Tony doesn't jump at us or make a phal. ;)
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| Cobbles ready to go home from the vet's on Tuesday |
Cobbles was spayed, and she is OK, but if you remember from here, Dr. George said there was nothing he could do for her eye infection. Next time, though, I will ask the attending vet to put the eye drop medication in anyway - even though I know, and this vet rightly explained, that she really needed a course of them. What protection could one drop of medication offer her? Here's my point of view:
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| Cobbles just before her release, her eye still looks pretty bad |
There is a story in the bible about Jacob, about how one night he came to camp out. It says that he put one stone under his head for a pillow. I have a friend in the United States, a very intelligent woman, a wonderful sculptor, and a devoted Orthodox Jew, who studies the parsha of the Torah for her faith. In the parsha, she says, there is another story about Jacob that says there was more than one stone, and that he placed them around his head and not under it. And the story goes that he put the stones there to protect himself from wild animals while he slept.
Crazy story. What protection could placing stones around his head possibly afford him from wild animals? Well, none, of course, it's ridiculous. But not when you hear how she explained it to me. What Jacob was really have after was God's divine protection. The idea is that we do all that we can, even if it is seemingly meaningless or futile, before we ask God for a miracle.
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| Cobbles ate really well after I released her, 3 bowlfuls |
Nik and I and do more than spay and neuter cats; we assist these cats, to make their lives more comfortable. Short as their lives are, that is still important. Most of them will live only two years. A few will live longer. Many will live shorter lives like Tweeny, Zsa Zsa, Poupon, Angel and her kittens, and so many more we've seen die. So we do all that we can, even if it is not enough, to show we are thankful for them, and because what we really need in the long run is God's help. We can only do so much, but we must do what we can before we ask God for miracles. And for most of these cats, it will be a miracle if they are ever offered a lifelong home by somebody. But that is the miracle we are asking for. And if we can't have that, we ask for their safety. That seems a miracle, too.
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| Little Poupon from the Maisonettes was killed by a car on the seafront road before she was a year old; she was lactating at the time |
So, we do all that we can, even if it is seemingly pointless. When we take them in for altering, if they have parasites, our vets George and Christina give them a jab for that. If they have earmites, they get another jab for that. And now that there is a new jab for ringworm, if they have ringworm, they will get that jab, too. The cats even get a Stronghold to protect against fleas, ticks and earmites for the month, as Strike also did. Strike just got all four, and she is doing so much better!
Here is what we believe it does for them:
1. It gives them a headstart.
2. It makes them more comfortable for a time.
3. It shows we appreciate and respect them as the gifts that they are, and as having destinies in their own right. Especially because it is due to us they are in the pickle they are in. (We domesticated them!)
4. It allows them to live with at least some of the dignity that they were bred equipped to long for, and to enjoy.
5. It shows God we were willing to do all we could, that we didn't throw our hands in the air and give up, and it is at that point maybe God will meet us halfway to help us and them.
It is what I would want someone to do for me.
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| Strike before spaying, jabs, and Stronghold application |
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| Strike, now, after spaying and jabs, jolly and playful, and so adorable |
Here's a mini vid I took of Strike to show how well she looks now:
Some will say, (and have said), "What is the point of all this? Of spaying and neutering them? They will be hit by a car anyway. It's a waste of money." The point is love. And faith. And responsibility. And not to make decisions based on just money or time or "nature" or convenience. But to make decsions based on compassion and love, hope and faith. To peddle best we can to the stars in our efforts while praying God for the moon. And maybe He'll meet us halfway. I wouldn't ask God for more than that.
But we should do everything we possibly can first, in any given situation, and then trust to hand the situation over to God. Putting some drops in Cobbles' eye just once would have shown God that we were doing everything we could, and then perhaps at that point He would have seen that, and given us aid in helping Cobbles. Perhaps He wouldn't. But that's His perogative.
It makes sense, doesn't it? It is why I often do things that seem to make no sense. Sometimes it is all I can do. I think we all do this. Anyway, I love this version of the Jacob story.
And there is more to think about. I was telling Dr. George about our dream of creating a sanctuary where we could relocate the cats of our village after altering, so they could be safe from the roads, and looked after. And his reply was that every village needs one. How right he is!
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| Dr. George said every village needs a cat sanctuary, and we agree |
After spending so much time with the cats, observing them, I feel sure they hear and appreciate that we care.
I haven't seen Cobbles since her release on Tuesday. But it is possible she is coming in the night to eat. We hope so.
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| Cobbles |
Please say a prayer for her eye to get better, and for her to live a long safe life. I know it seems we would need a miracle for that, but who knows? Really, who knows? We wish her well.
PS If you would like to read this alternate version of the Jacob story, go here.
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