Tapping into the Caring Side of People

This is a story that illuminates our contrasting attitudes towards the domestic cat. I’d like to comment on a cat story from Seattle. The story may, in fact, be about how people respond to emergencies and behave well in emergencies (i.e. when there is a need to pull together) but can become complacent and selfish in day to day life.

Cat sitting on the road
Cat sitting on the road. Photo by B4bees. The comments on Flickr are strange. “He looks as if he is confident in his own surroundings and waiting patiently for a hunt yet to come!” What about traffic? Perhaps it is a cul de sac.

The owners of the cat in the story let their cat roam (if he had an owner). This is common in many countries and I understand the thinking behind it. However, there is a place and a time when allowing a cat to roam is careless thinking, in my opinion. At one time, for a short time, I was a careless thinker in respect of my cat and we both paid the price. Perhaps we all need a shock to pull us out of complacency.

The cat has no name so I’ll call him Rufus as he had red hair. In time honored fashion Rufus was hit by a car on what appears to be a fairly busy road. Rufus survives with severe internal injuries and lies beside the road.

A car driver and his wife (Mr and Mrs Doherty) see him on the side of the road. They stop in one lane of traffic and check Rufus. He is breathing heavily and bleeding from the mouth. He is alive but seriously injured. Rufus tries to get off the road but can’t move. These are strangers to this cat and they are very concerned for him. They are putting their own health and property at risk because it can be difficult and dangerous to park your car half on and half off a busy road and attend to an injured animal. A lot of drivers behind will simple shout at you. It has happened to me!

Then other people stop their cars. They block the lane to allow the Dohertys to attend to Rufus. One of the other drivers  – there are now a good number – uses his mobile phone to find out where the nearest veterinary clinic is.

These good people, strangers to one another and to Rufus, are all concerned for Rufus’s health and well being and spend time helping while the cat’s owner is oblivious to it all. They are struggling to save his life. This is a team effort. I’d love to see this attitude more often.

The Dochertys take Rufus to South Seattle Vet Hospital near closing time. X-rays reveal internal injuries and a bill of $2000 to do necessary surgery. The decision is to euthanize and Rufus is loved during his last moments by people who had come to know him and treat him as their own.

Is a cat’s life cheap or valuable?  It depends on who you are and the circumstances. There is a strange contrast in the euthanasia of thousands of healthy cats at shelters and the behavior of the people who tried to save Rufus’s life.

I wonder if Rufus’s owner (if he had one) ever found out abut the efforts of these people, who gave up their time to help a seriously injured cat. I wonder if the owner was just oblivious to it all. Perhaps he had no owner.

The original story.

27 thoughts on “Tapping into the Caring Side of People”

  1. You don’t know for sure that if Red was with someone else he would still be alive, I believe that you can’t change fate, whatever you do! Also he may not have had such a good life with someone else as he so obviously did with you. Quality of life counts as well as quantity.
    I still beat myself up over a neighbour’s cat who almost lived with us as they left him out long hours. They emigrated without him 6 years ago, they sent him to live by a busy road and yes he was run over and killed at 6 years old. How I wish I’d hidden him away the last time she came to collect him from our house, he was snoozing happily in an armchair, he wanted to live with us but she wouldn’t leave him. I so regret handing him over that day but sadly he wasn’t ours, but he should have been and here with us still.

  2. I dont so much beat myself up but thanks for mentioning it. Only that which I mentioned before about if he went with somebody else would he still be alive. But I accept everything including letting him out. It was the only way for him. He had a perfectly wonderful life but it was just too short for me. How selfish I am but I know he is ok now. I wish he could hear me and see me somehow so I could talk to him. When I found him and brought him home the first feeling was that he was in my arms but he could no longer hear me. It’s the first encounter I have hads so close to death in my life. He loved me most when I was happy so I know thats what he would want if it were a question. He would even try and cheer me up if I was down. But I suppose its very obvious to all that he made me unbelievably happy. He was my little boy – my first boy ever actually, since my other cats were always girls. I was so proud of him and I have no doubt he felt that energy in his own way and he would poke me if I wasn’t feeling good. He’s nosebut me and make little tweets as if to try and knock me out of my mood and back into my usual mood.

  3. I think he brought them like toys to play with – I always used to play with him with sticks and twigs and flicking leaves around. He’s also chase leaves in the wind. But he was very selective with leaves. I’ll find you a video where he picks out a leaf to play with. We alsways played alot with bits of nature so leaves fitted right into that and I think he brought them for me to play. He would bring me the wand/string/feather toy too, dragging it all the way up onto the bed. I woke up with toys on me. In winter I think he got a bit bored at night while I was asleep because there is nothing going on outside – no insects or life of of sorts so he was ready for us to play as soon as I woke up. He liked the crunchy sound of dried leaves. He liked big fresh leaves too. If I ever was out and saw a nice leaf I would bring it to him as well. The cats now are inside so they just have toys which they do carry around and bring to me as well sometimes. I have cat grass for them and I bring in twigs and branches and things from outside which they love and sniff and study for ages. It’s the best I can do for now. Red even brought me bits of fabric and other funny things – I am not sure where he got them or who they belonged to.

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