There are so many stories about what happened in New Orleans this past week that just break my heart, but the stories aboutabandoned pets send me running for the Jack Daniels and Prozac.
Maybe because I’m hopelessly in love with my cat, Sammy Davis, Jr., and I can identify with all those poor people down there who had to leave their animals behind. Look, no one loves their dogs like Southerners. It’s one of those clichés that happen to be true. If you don’t have a pet, this may seem trivial to you, but believe me, if you’ve got an animal you love, you’d just as soon die than harm it.
I read about one lady who has fifteen cats and refused to be rescued unless the kitties came with her. Now, a woman with fifteen cats conjures up all sorts of clichés about eccentric spinsters, but hell, I’m with her. I can only imagine that I wouldn’t leave if Sammy couldn’t go. Of course, I have the luxury of not having lived through what these folks did, so hooey on me.
If you have a cat or dog, feed it a little extra food tonight, let it in bed with you and hold it tight like it’s the love of your life. There’s no human out there who will give you the same kind of unconditional love. Why is that? Hell, because you’re human and ultimately, you are going to piss a loved one off big time, and humans aren’t always forgiving. So love that pet with all your might, start paying a little more attention to it because he or she won’t be around forever. And if you don’t have a pet, now is a good time to adopt.
