This is my first diary here. My heart is so filled with incomprehensible sadness right now, that I am overflowing. Maybe this will not only help me, but make sense to others. If it touches you, hug someone today. This is a story about animal rescue.
Osiris was an ordinary Brown and White Tabby long haired cat. He most resembled a norweigian forest cat, but we were never sure because he came from an animal cruelty case involving an animal collector turned pet store owner. I brought him home to care for him, never believing he'd live. Despite overwhelming bad nutrition and horrible parasites, the tiny mite of a kitten grew into a large, loving, talkative pet cat. He loved to stand on my husband's shoulders and ride around with his huge tail waving slowly and contentedly in the air. Purring and meowing to every word, he taught us about the special bond between a rescuer and a reclaimed pet. He was my husbands first cat, after growing up in an cat hating family. They adored each other, and Osiris never met a person, cat or dog that he didn't like.
Z is a rescued Boston Terrier dog. A chance meeting with a sad and lonely Boston Terrier at a local animal shelter led to a full time "job" as volunteer Boston Terrier rescuer. We are proud to help a national group rescue Boston Terriers from terrible puppy mills, sad situations when they have to be given up by families who love them but have fallen on hard times, or as lost wandering strays on the street. Z has always been a quiet, low energy dog, reaching middle age and beginning the fat and happy stage of doghood. She did chase and bark at cats, but many dogs do that. She had never shown any other behaviors towards the cats but being annoyingly loud.
Yesterday, I came home from grocery shopping to find my Osiris, my husbands favorite pet in the world, dead on the floor. It was immediately clear that he had been in a terrible fight. After quickly making sure the other cats in the house were okay, I checked the dogs. Z had blood on her face and paws, and scratches on her face. Z had killed my cat.
Now in the aftermath, I wonder: what caused this? Should I have seen the signs? How could she have acted so calmly, so normally to the cat for weeks and then suddenly snap like that? What should I have done differently? How could I have been so blind? Deceived? Irresponsbible?
It is now very quiet in our house. Our son doesn't know anything more than the cat died. My husband won't speak of it. I walk around in a fog, numb and sick to my stomach.
Why am I writing all this? Because I watched Joe Wilson scream at my president the other night. I wonder, is his screaming like the barking of Z at the cat? Are all those teabaggers just like dogs barking at cats? Seemingly harmless until one suddenly snaps? Maybe it's time we all took a closer look at ourselves, and ask if there is anything that we can do to prevent an even more horrible tragedy. Is Glenn Beck inciting the others to pack on the defenseless and weak in our society? Where will it all end?
I am already filled with incomprehenisbile sadness. I don't want to be filled with it again. We as a nation need to find a way to either reach those whose barking anger masks illimitable rage and violence, or keep them safe from themselves and each other.
In case you are wondering, Z is still here. She will stay here until she is adopted. We now know to be much more vigilant with her, and the cats are now kept in an area safe from the dogs. We are not angry with her. She was just being a dog, and sometimes that is what dogs do. We are angry at ourselves for trusting her too much, and not keeping Osiris safe. And we are are sad beyond words.
***updated to add****Thank you all so very much for your understanding and support. I was very afraid to post this initially because I wasn't sure how it would be received. Now I feel better after sharing with so many great Kossaks and animal lovers. Thanks again for listening.