My brother loves animals. Especially cats. So when a pregnant cat sought refuge at our house, he nurtured it with attention and food. Of course, he wanted to keep the kittens. But that’s not the point. Last night, while he was on a trip, two dogs entered our compound, which has never happened before. I heard them fighting but I was too scared to go out and see what was happening. In the morning however, we found the remains of one kitten. We can very safely assume that the other two were also eaten by the stray dogs. The cat has not eaten its food till now. It either goes around our house calling out to its dead kids or just curls up on the compound wall. I am at a loss here. I am not the most pet loving person there is, but its pain makes me choke.
This brings me to the central issue. Should I feel angry at the dogs? I don’t. I feel I failed to protect the kittens. The dogs were hungry. Until I woke up this morning, I inevitably considered a stray dog hit by a car or a cat poisoned as just part of numbers. It never occurred to me that I should attribute a character to them. If I do attribute a character, the question is; where do we stand? In this universe, in this world, where do we stand? Human beings are at the paramount of the evolutionary peak. No argument there. But, have I been wrong to see evolution only from a human point of view? Here I am not talking about concern for animals or accepting they are part of this earth or anything as such. Frankly, I don’t even know where I am going with this. These words are my thoughts, which I am spewing out without a break. I wonder whether my heart beats in tune with all other hearts in this world. Like Obi Wan Kenobi senses a disturbance in the Force when the planet Naboo is destroyed, are we synchronized in such a way that every small ripple affects the equilibrium of this world so that the system settles into a new state of equilibrium? The dogs were supposed to kill the kittens because they need food. A friend told me that it doesn’t matter if I had acted, since the dogs would’ve killed them anyway. We would never know, would we?
It is kind of heart breaking. The way it cries. I found out today that more than food, it needed comfort. Whenever I spoke to it, or I touched it or my mom stroke it, it would keep quiet. I wonder what it is experiencing. Does it know what pain is? Would it matter if it knew? Is its brain wired to evaluate the sequence of events which led to such a tragic ending? I wonder.
2 comments:
Leave aside other things like justifications for the dogs, the human point of view, I am thankful to you for being sensitive to the pains of animals and that too in this world where even humans are not being taken care of.
*I heard them fighting but I was too scared to go out and see what was happening.
guilty ?? may be i would have felt guilty.My grand mother used to say dont hear a cat crying even if you have to push your limits to get her out of your picture. Crazy ?? but i have been brought up so.
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