I never knew her name.
I think about her sometimes. She was so incredibly nice. Actually, at the time, I was kind of afraid to trust her.
Before I found my forever home with my mom and dad, she found me living on the streets.
Life for a cat on the streets really isn’t all that great. I felt like I was always on the run, either from other animals or from people. I could tell you stories about what I saw that would turn your stomach. Some nights I still wake up shaking a little with the memories.
One cold winter day I’d been trying to find some food in a dumpster I knew was a good source, and I hadn’t heard the human behind me. To this day, I don’t know where he came from. I knew he didn’t like me because he screamed so loud when he saw me, and he was way too close.
He had something in his hand – I never actually knew what it was – a broom or a stick or something, and he caught me on my back leg.
It hurt so much.
All I knew to do was run, even though I was pretty sure my bone was broken.
By some miracle, I made it up a chain link fence and got away from him. I considered myself lucky that day because he was chasing me. I know if he’d have caught me, I wouldn’t have made it.
He just had that look in his eyes.
My leg was a real mess, and I knew animals living outside didn’t fare very well with injuries. That first night I seriously didn’t know what I would do or what would become of me.
I somehow found a way under a porch and stayed there for a while, but my leg started to hurt so much, it was hard to stay quiet. Plus, I was so hungry.
That’s when I saw her. She must have been the owner of the home or something. She actually got down on the ground and looked under the porch, and we made eye contact. I figured this was it. No human was ever going to help me.
Her voice was so sweet, though. She said I was probably hungry. She didn’t know the half of it.
I swear I didn’t move a muscle. I felt frozen.
She stood up and was back just a few minutes later with something that smelled so, so good, I couldn’t help myself. I thought if she was going to hurt me, I might as well go out with a good meal in my belly. That’s how hungry I was. It didn’t make a lot of sense and sure wasn’t a smart way to survive, but I was just so tired and hurt and starving.
It tasted so good. Twice a day she would leave food out for me and talk to me in the softest voice.
A few days later there was food in the end of a wire rectangular device. I didn’t really think anything of it. I just wanted the food.
It was a trap. When the door closed behind me, I knew I’d made my last fatal mistake. I trusted another human.
It turns out she took me to a vet and made sure I got my leg fixed up. She got me vaccinated, neutered and took me to the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter. I got better at the vet’s office, and the staff there was really nice.
She told me in the car as we drove to the shelter that she couldn’t have cats, but she wanted to help as many as she could. Before we went into the shelter, she looked into the cage at me and told me I had the best chance at a good life and that I deserved it.
She told me to be happy.
Those first few days after my surgery, I actually thought were a dream. I didn’t have as much pain as I had before, and people were so nice and I had all the food I could eat.
Could there actually be humans in the world who weren’t mean? Who didn’t want to hurt animals?
It took me a while to believe it, but between the staff at the vet’s office and the animal shelter, I started to think it might be possible.
I discovered that human hands could pet, not hit; and human arms could hold, not hurt; and human voices could be kind, not scream.
By the time I got adopted, I had met so many wonderful people, I almost didn’t recognize my life from what it had been.
But some nights, I still think about her. The lady who gave me what I had never experienced – kindness. Because of her, I found a warm home and a loving family. Because of her, I found faith and hope. I found belief in goodness. I found that there was more to the world than intolerance and hatred.
I never knew her name.
But she gave me the greatest gift in the world.
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Jennifer Vanderau is the public relations coordinator for the Cumberland Valley Animal Shelter and can be reached at [email protected]. The shelter accepts both monetary and pet supply donations. For more information, call the shelter at 717-263-5791 or visit the website www.cvas-pets.org. CVAS also operates a thrift store in Chambersburg. Help support the animals at the shelter by donating to or shopping at the store.
