tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post7464594778169089193..comments2023-10-21T11:44:45.588+01:00Comments on ResidentAlien: A Lesson LearnedMary Witzlhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06458299046574564155noreply@blogger.comBlogger26125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-46146469493053973852009-10-17T23:09:07.488+01:002009-10-17T23:09:07.488+01:00There is no better feeling than helping a hurting ...There is no better feeling than helping a hurting animal, be it a trapped kitten or the little lizard I saved from drowning.<br /><br />And I like to think that there are more animal helpers than people who shoot and kill <i>merely</i> for sport.Charliehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00722567671925063706noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-73341969456507212452009-10-17T01:30:20.576+01:002009-10-17T01:30:20.576+01:00That is a very sweet story. Maybe the cat is in an...That is a very sweet story. Maybe the cat is in another tree, teaching some other people a lesson. :)Jasminehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04040882375218261683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-28916700527910971002009-10-13T19:45:55.561+01:002009-10-13T19:45:55.561+01:00Laura -- Whatever that kitten wanted to do, it had...Laura -- Whatever that kitten wanted to do, it had quite a voice on it. I just hope it doesn't get back into that space: I don't relish having to do all that again.<br /><br />Lily -- Poor you, but you definitely did the right thing. I've had the same thing happen myself: I took a dog back to his owner once and all he could do was complain that the dog was muddy. I was glad for the dog's sake -- but I was sorry for her too, having such a clueless person. <br /><br />On the other hand, once a friend and I found a very tired, dirty cat and were about to take her to the police station (which is as close as our town in Scotland gets to humane society) when we met the owner on the street. I will have to write that story some time: it had a happy ending that was also a little sad. <br /><br />APW -- If you see her again, make sure to tell her that she's named after an interesting place! We had Richard the Lionheart here and everything. <br /><br />Adrienne -- Good for you and your daughter. So many people who visit this blog are animal lovers: it cheers me up. <br /><br />One of my sisters has around two dozen feral and semi-feral cats that she tries to find homes for. It's very hard to do anything for feral cats other than feeding them and spaying them (if you're quick with a tranquilizing syringe first). But I have a lot of respect for the people who try to help them.Mary Witzlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06458299046574564155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-80191377947877815442009-10-13T02:22:53.696+01:002009-10-13T02:22:53.696+01:00I love this story. I think most of the time, kids ...I love this story. I think most of the time, kids really do care and try to do the right thing.<br /><br />Coincidentally, today I pulled over for a poodle that had gotten free of its owner and was gleefully tearing down the sidewalk and heading for the street. I made my daughter hop out the passenger side and grab it!<br /><br />I've heard feral cats are tough to tame, but who knows - maybe your kitten will find the right home yet.Adriennehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05583029102450754497noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-43366097462232752112009-10-13T00:46:11.393+01:002009-10-13T00:46:11.393+01:00Well, the Kyrenia I taught is now 33. I saw her t...Well, the Kyrenia I taught is now 33. I saw her two years ago. She's intelligent, educated, and independent. <br />She is the only person by that name I've ever taught.A Paperback Writerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10155962941590663738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-76736366087987689152009-10-12T20:47:04.502+01:002009-10-12T20:47:04.502+01:00On not-quite-happy endings, I was driving to work ...On not-quite-happy endings, I was driving to work very early one morning when a little dog ran out in front of the car ahead of me, followed quickly by another one. They were jogging around in the street, cheerful, but clearly lost, and in danger of getting hit or causing an accident. Cars were swerving to avoid them.<br /><br />I pulled over, called them to the car (they came running with that classic "naughty dog" look) and they were lucky enough to be wearing tags. <br />The address was completely across town, but I drove them home first, hoping the owner would be around instead of dropping them off at the shelter, where you have to pay a fee to get your animal back. <br />The owner was home, and seemed totally annoyed that I bothered him. Didn't care that his little poodle-shizi-do or whatever was running in the street, and didn't even say a quick "thanks" for bringing them back. <br /><br />They'll probably get out again. But that time, I did what I could to help out.Lily Catehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17732112345439595471noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-24593625815740610192009-10-12T20:27:17.497+01:002009-10-12T20:27:17.497+01:00Perhaps the little stinker is intent on using up a...Perhaps the little stinker is intent on using up as many of its 9lives as it can! I understand where you're coming from though, and I wouldn't have left until that cat was out too.laurahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17174697892947430149noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-16581477502682916802009-10-12T05:53:56.243+01:002009-10-12T05:53:56.243+01:00Robert -- I like to think this is true. The Britis...Robert -- I like to think this is true. The British are a little ashamed of their image as a people who will go to great lengths for animals, but as far as I'm concerned, it's one of their more endearing characteristics. (They are also the nation that stopped the slave trade, lest anyone say that they don't care about people as much.) And it is said that even Hitler liked dogs as though that's a reason for all dog lovers to feel a little ashamed. I say that's one tiny little point for Hitler.<br /><br />Cindy -- It cheers me up no end that the majority of people I've talked to say the same -- and I've seen so much kindness. Which is something for me to reflect on whenever I read one of those terrible articles about animals being tortured -- or see a group of boys poking a stray dog with a stick.<br /><br />APW -- That is so true: it is still summer here and hot right up until evening. A couple of people who saw us trying to get the kitten out nodded approvingly; one woman said, "If it dies in there, that kitten is going to stink to high heaven. We'll probably have to clear half the building." Gross but true, but that wasn't why the lady from Kyrenia Animal Rescue showed up. <br /><br />Good grief, someone named their little girl Kyrenia and beat me to it? To think that my grandchildren won't be the only ones with that name!Mary Witzlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06458299046574564155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-17275384308992393692009-10-12T03:39:37.057+01:002009-10-12T03:39:37.057+01:00Yes, but to those who scoffed at your rescuing a k...Yes, but to those who scoffed at your rescuing a kitten, you could remind them that if you'd left it to die in the air conditioning unit, the problem might have effected the whole building.<br />Let's just hope the feisty little kitty is out snatching mice somewhere now.<br />I was amused at the name Kyrenia. I know it's an island somewhere near Cyprus, but I had a student named that for my first three years of teaching. (She had no Cypriot, Turkish, or Greek background, either. Her parents just liked the word.) It took me a couple of months to learn to pronounce her name correctly, since Cyprus is a long ways from Utah.A Paperback Writerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10155962941590663738noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-64775815576598118032009-10-12T03:33:09.438+01:002009-10-12T03:33:09.438+01:00Kudos to you! I could see myself doing the same i...Kudos to you! I could see myself doing the same in such a situation.:)Cindyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00837520014798364458noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-1728462604988204512009-10-11T22:44:25.444+01:002009-10-11T22:44:25.444+01:00It's often heart-warming to know what lengths ...It's often heart-warming to know what lengths people will go to in order to rescue animals. It says something profound about OUR species.Robert the Skeptichttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10863488312604865183noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-54200098372378571122009-10-11T12:07:24.258+01:002009-10-11T12:07:24.258+01:00Helen -- Thank you, but I have to tell you that I&...Helen -- Thank you, but I have to tell you that I'm a wimpy wildlife warrior. My mother rescued dozens upon dozens of cats in her lifetime and my sisters are huge animal rescuers. They look at me and shake their heads, and with good reason: they do things like this all the time and never write about it.<br /><br />Falak -- Thank God it isn't the end result we're held accountable for! I really do try my hardest, but sometimes the end result makes me blush. <br /><br />Sang -- That is a happy ending. I do hope that our kitten-in-a-hole will find a happy ending too. Preferably in the home of someone who is stone deaf: she had a voice like a crow crossed with Ethel Merman, but louder. <br /><br />Robin -- Hey, tell those cats in Pennsylvania to send the medal to my sisters -- or the Kyrenia Animal Rescue people, great cat rescuers who seldom even talk about what they do. Those Pennsylvania cats will be in awe!<br /><br />Marian -- When I heard those kids outside, I was POSITIVE they were tormenting cats. The week before, I'd seen a couple of pre-teenage boys poking a dog with a stick, and I saw a woman telling her kids to kick a stray cat that only wanted to be petted. So when I saw what the kids were really doing, I felt hugely reassured -- and a little ashamed. They're my buddies now. Whenever they see me, they want to know what happened to the kitten.Mary Witzlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06458299046574564155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-38498416210117252792009-10-11T11:44:42.783+01:002009-10-11T11:44:42.783+01:00This is so heartening to read. I thought of the ne...This is so heartening to read. I thought of the news stories I've read about people torturing animals, setting them on fire and doing who knows what. We need a story of compassion and pulling-together to balance that out. Thank you, Mary!Marian Pererahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15700524210146863718noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-16948506625260705022009-10-10T23:47:21.339+01:002009-10-10T23:47:21.339+01:00Yay! You're a feline hero! I'm telling t...Yay! You're a feline hero! I'm telling the head of the Pennsylvania cats about this. Maybe they'll give you a medal or something.Robinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12396540555696283171noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-10062840033917082212009-10-10T22:50:32.817+01:002009-10-10T22:50:32.817+01:00Two friends of mine adopted a kitten several weeks...Two friends of mine adopted a kitten several weeks ago. His name is Bodhi. <br /><br />He was rescued from an engine block and left at a vet's office in a box.<br /><br />He's found a happy home.<br /><br />I thought I'd throw in a happy ending for you :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-7783810278974173842009-10-10T11:38:09.938+01:002009-10-10T11:38:09.938+01:00Its a great story and applies to everything we do ...Its a great story and applies to everything we do in life... It is the 'trying' part of things that matter not the end result....Falakhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08321524864693512771noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-39670364931015877012009-10-10T11:21:50.518+01:002009-10-10T11:21:50.518+01:00Yay Mary - you Wildlife Warrior you!! I do believe...Yay Mary - you Wildlife Warrior you!! I do believe that most people, given the opportunity, are inherently good. Sometimes it takes a little fluffy creature for it to come out.Helenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00693689301853592917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-84095829293930885012009-10-09T18:25:00.499+01:002009-10-09T18:25:00.499+01:00Angela -- You are so right, and that is exactly th...Angela -- You are so right, and that is exactly the point I wanted to make. I was really impressed that the kids were so keen to help us free the kitten, and the fact that none of them were trying to hurt it heartened me. I've seen people treating animals badly here, so when I saw the kids flocking around the place where the kitten was trapped, trying to help it, I was so happy. <br /><br />Bish -- Thank you. Really, we were good role models for each other.<br /><br />Charles -- Thank you -- I feel the same. Nothing moves me more than seeing people behaving gently to people and other animals.<br /><br />Kim -- We would never do anything if we tried to figure out what the consequences might be. All we can do is try our best to do right, even if it doesn't always achieve the result we want. <br /><br />Eldest Daughter always remembers the time her lovely first grade teacher, Ishibiki-sensei, caught a cockroach in her bare hands and flicked it out the window. To this day that incident has stayed with her. (It has stayed with me too, though perhaps in a different way...)<br /><br />MG -- I just pray it isn't keeping everybody awake, mewing its head off (it has the most amazingly carrying voice). And I REALLY hope it won't end up in that crack again!<br /><br />Postman -- That could have been my cat you chased off, except that she was never in South Korea. More than one time I had to lob pine cones at her to get her to stop chasing some rodent or rabbit. <br /><br />That is a great story. I would have a hard time walking away from an injured rabbit myself. And good for you, finding a home for the rabbit AND supporting your local vet. I've helped fill a lot of veterinarian's coffers myself.<br /><br />Vijaya -- If I'd gone home without doing anything, I'd have felt horrible all night. So in a way, I did this for myself.<br /><br />AnneS -- It was actually fun to have this adventure with a group of kids. I hope they'll remember me: I'll certainly remember them.Mary Witzlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06458299046574564155noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-61983469745715834362009-10-09T17:54:41.180+01:002009-10-09T17:54:41.180+01:00Great role model for the kids. Everyone remembers ...Great role model for the kids. Everyone remembers people who did great things like that. It's so nice that this time it's you!Anne Spollenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12915171740680350711noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-8822737309524102272009-10-09T17:52:38.467+01:002009-10-09T17:52:38.467+01:00Of course you'd do the same, Mary. What matter...Of course you'd do the same, Mary. What matters is we do the right thing NOW.Vijayahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07876606729146077830noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-20473495977607017502009-10-09T17:31:31.333+01:002009-10-09T17:31:31.333+01:00Well, you tried, at least. And it gave some people...Well, you tried, at least. And it gave some people some entertainment for a while, and it gave the animal rescue crew something to do. When I was in Korea I was out for my morning walk and I saw little white rabbit being chased by a stray cat. I chased off the cat with a few well-judged rocks, picked up the bunny, and noticed its back leg was swinging like a loose chandelier. So I took it to the vet, and the leg had to be amputated (costing me the equivalent of $150). But I found a good home for the rabbit with my two British coworkers. <br /><br />My point? Well, I gained absolutely nothing. I wasted about four hours of my day, blew $150 on a rabbit I'd never even seen before, and didn't keep it as a pet. But I wouldn't have done it any other way, not even given the chance to do it over again. What I did get out of the experience was the satisfaction of a good deed done. You can take comfort in that, too.A.T. Posthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03987529687181431843noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-83418001453098889272009-10-09T17:19:46.341+01:002009-10-09T17:19:46.341+01:00Even without the traditional happy ending, it'...Even without the traditional happy ending, it's a heartwarming story. And who knows, maybe that little kitten is out and about touching other people's lives.MG Higginshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03584010470283038023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-80197727376789462892009-10-09T16:46:50.011+01:002009-10-09T16:46:50.011+01:00At the point of trying to make a difference, we do...At the point of trying to make a difference, we don't know whether the ending will be happy or not. But it's the trying that's important at that time in that place. It's this that marks out who we are.<br /><br />And in this case, the kids will remember it forever :)Kim Ayreshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02656677501116622953noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-13971805640505030372009-10-09T15:39:52.436+01:002009-10-09T15:39:52.436+01:00A great story, and so refreshing to hear of humans...A great story, and so refreshing to hear of humans being humans.Charles Gramlichhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02052592247572253641noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-965824120120454342.post-30632845549225061112009-10-09T14:02:35.183+01:002009-10-09T14:02:35.183+01:00I agree with Angela, it was a wonderful object les...I agree with Angela, it was a wonderful object lesson for the kids.Bish Denhamhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13359927719391990534noreply@blogger.com