I know that there is a lot going on in the world and that the death of one cat in a shelter seems rather small compared to a lot of things, but it has still touched my world in a large way.

At work there was a cat that I had grown fairly attached to, I knew that I could not bring him home but I wanted to see him end up with a loving family. He was a very special cat, who had been rescued from a barn as a kitten and was not use to people. At first he would hide in the back of his cage and hiss when people would reach in and pet him. Slowly over time though he got more use to people and grew to love being petted. He would absolutely just melt into your hand when you put it anywhere near him. Near the end of his life he was actually sitting at the front of his cage and not just hiding in the far back, he also loved being near other cats and cuddling up to this big grey cat named Greysen who became his buddy.

This special kitties name was Celeiro and he was a small male brown tabby. He was a little cat even for being about 6 months old. He always knew that I would stop and talk and give him a little pet when I passed by his cage and after awhile he would come up to the front when he saw me in the room. Unfortunately about a week ago he started getting sick and had to be put on treatment. On friday when I went to see him and give him his meds, he was not doing so well. Today I just received a phone call from one of my co-workers who knew how much I cared about Celeiro. She and I both were not at work yesterday but she was there today and had found out that Celeiro had to be put down yesterday. It was hard to hear, but at the same time I know that it is better for him and he is in a better place.

There is a part of me that thinks sometimes a job like this is too hard. It is hard to see people not care about their pets, it is hard to see animals get sick, it is hard to see animals that just are not going to make it, and it is hard to let go even when it is absolutely necessary. Yet at the same time it makes me want to fight even harder for all these little creatures sakes. I know that there is a lot going on in the world, but come on! If we can’t even care for a little cat, dog, or other creatures how can we care for other humans. A lot of people would insist that humans should come first and I agree, but I don’t understand why so many people seem to think that we can’t work on both problems at the exact same time! Way too many people in this world do not appreciate the little things in life, and until they appreciate the little things life is just not going to have real meaning.

I suppose I wouldn’t work at a humane society if I didn’t feel this way, but I don’t think I would live my life at all like how I do either if I didn’t feel like this. There is just way too much to appreciate in life! Take time to look around and see each blade of grass under your feet, the squirrels that may eat all the bird feed but are still amazing creatures, the birds in the sky, the cats and dogs that love us for who we really are, and the people that you care about in life. Then take the time to do something about all of it! Don’t just take it for granted, get involved! Go plant some flowers to brighten your neighborhood, put out more bird feed so the squirrels can enjoy it too, volunteer at a humane society (they will love you for it!) or if you don’t have the time give something else (lots of shelters have wish lists with even small things like a bag of cotton balls, who can’t chip in with something like that when we are RICH AMERICANS), and then don’t forget to let those you love know how much you care by showing them! Life will be better for it, believe me. Then maybe Celeiro’s short life will not have been wasted… It definitely was not wasted on me.

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