An Open Letter To Cat Rescuer. How Do You Do That?

(On photo: Manya The Cat who inspired Natalie for Ozzi Cat Magazine.)

I stay late at night to prepare the next magazine’s issue. It will feature a story about a gorgeous woman who saves street cats in Turkey.

I go on the Internet to check her web address and the latest updates since she submitted the story.

I flip through recent events on her rescue’s Facebook page. I stop to look at cats and dogs she saved and keeps feeding on a shoe-string budget:

A kitty with an injured leg needed a surgery and they were looking for funds to cover that. The kitty’s update tells that he’s been saved and a couple from USA adopted him.

I keep looking and then go onto her rescue web site: A page showcases adopted cats and dogs.

I look at their faces. Tiny, with big eyes, they are happily take a chicken drumstick from a hand they know. A funny dog with a sausage in his mouth – the sausage for him must feels like a warm dinner on a chilly day.

The lady constantly needs to raise funds to buy food to feed street pets and to cover vet bills. They are desperate for money. How do you carry on? How do you do what you are doing?

How do you do that?

I stop at a photograph of a kitty with a damaged eye. I look at him for a while. My heart shrinks… I so desperately want to help him.

With my big goal of being able to donate $10k a month for kitties in need, I would just go and give enough for surgery which would make the kitty happy.

I haven’t reached my goal yet, but I want to help them all! I feel desperate because of inability to help right now!

How do you do that?

I sit back and think of all the amazing people I met, in person or virtually, those who save cats. They do fantastic things. They amaze me every time. I feel enormous appreciation to every one of them. Their stories put a tear into my eye. I often think,

“How do you do that?”

I think about the lady who, despite her physical difficulties, travels to feed cats and who faces others’ strange looks and sayings. I know what it takes you to save cats. I think about a lady who rescues kitties and finds homes for them on a shoe-string budget. I think about a lady who runs a cat sanctuary and needs to feed hundreds of cats in her care. I know what pressure you go through. I feel your pain when the precious ones leave us for another world.

How do you do that?…

Tears roll down my face.
One of my cats notices that and rushes to me. “Meow!”, and he raises his paw to reach me sitting in the chair. “Meow!”, and he’s on my lap. “Meow!”, and his paw touches my face.

His big fluffy paw lands on my nose, he starts licking my hands and purring. This lasts for quite a while until he makes sure I’m fine.

I deep my face into his fluffy silky rabbit-like fur. I take a deep breath and stop for a moment. What would happen to him if I didn’t adopt him… Who would come to share the deep moment I have right now. Who would be sitting on my lap, placing his head against my hand, and quietly purring?

When you go out there and save a cat every day…
How do you do that?

What keeps you going? What makes you to stand up after a great sorrow and keeps moving forward?

How do you do that?

I guess… you just… do it!

xox Natalie
Ms Cat, Cat Mum, Editor-in-Chief at Ozzi Cat – Australian National Cat Magazine.
Special and Special Needs Cats Ambassador.

Tagged appreciation, cat rescue, story, street