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"I could never hurt an animal. When I look into their eyes, I see the eyes of God look back." -Pope Francis
"They are only animals. They don't feel or love. One may become attached to them, but that passes quickly, because it's only our projection."
Sayeth my mother to seven-year-old me after taking our young dog to be destroyed. While never trying to train or socialize him, she became disenchanted with the work it took to "have a puppy. "An "unattractive mutt", at that.
And even then, I wasn't old enough to be fooled. How people treat animals tells you everything you need to know about them. When she and her fiancé dropped a mother cat and her kittens on a road in the country to die, though I was trying to get them homes in Bide-A Wee, I knew who he was, too, and what our family would be like with our new stepfather. Total shit.
As a child I went into the same kind of state of shock abandoned and abused animals do, protecting myself against the heartbreak by disengaging from life in general. I knew that to them, I too was an animal, an object whose life was not valued. You really will never find an empathic or truly kind person who abuses animals, children, or anyone in a vulnerable position. And those of us who are their victims are often driven inside, behind walls of defenses, to protect our diminished existences as best we can.
What is remarkable about animals is that their love never dies. I have worked with abused animals and am humbled by their eventual ability to trust and give their hearts again, with an unerring radar for who is safe. What a difference if people had more of this capacity.
At the shelter where I help out, people who have difficulty in social situations with other people often find peace being with these animals, all of whom have been through hell. One way to heal is to help heal another, and the animals give them this opportunity in such moving ways. And in petting them, caring for them, a hurt person receives a warm living connection that isn't a threat. It's also a safe link to other people, a medium for easy, simple contact.
And the animals - they are so perceptive and real! There is no pretense to worry about, no games or hidden cruelty waiting to sting. They let you know what they feel. When you give, so do they. For people who have been emotionally battered by human machinations, it's a stark contrast.
I love my cats. And I know they love me. We trust each other. They know I will never hurt or abandon them. And I know their love for me is as reliable as the sunrise. Sometimes it sustains and uplifts me from the dark places of the soul. And that equals as great a love as any I have known.
My Sally, one of my shelter kitties, is the inspiration for my series The Sally Mitts Stories. I feel privileged to share her spirit. Her sense of wonder, her resilience, and her profound sweetness are role models for me. I learn from her every day.
When we protect and treasure the vulnerable, we become a worthy civilization. These are the things you learn from living among animals, gazing into their eyes. And finding yourself felt and reflected back in their clear lenses.
