You can judge the morality of a nation by the way the society treats its animals.  Mahatma Gandhi

Whoever thinks that animals have no feelings either has not spent any real time with them, or they view them as food. Every animal I’ve ever met has had a distinct personality. One of my cats, Isan, (the blue-eyed one) was such a sensitive cat that if I tripped over him (because he swam around my ankles like a shark) he got insulted! Then I had to spend hours apologizing to him! Mojo, the black cat, carried my shoes around the house and stacked them in interesting patterns. I called it his shoe art. He also played fetch and knocked on doors. When he balanced on a window ledge three stories from the ground all I had to tell him was that he was freaking me out and he’d come back in. Sometimes he liked freaking me out. They have passed now, after living with me for not enough years, and in three different countries.

I have stories for every pet who has ever graced me with their presence (at least that’s how cats see it). Each one touched my life. Each one taught me things. Each one has made me laugh hysterically. Each one showed me unconditional love–something that people could learn from them.

Not all of the pets in my ‘Furry People’ album are still on this earth, but they’ll always be in my memories.

I think we should pay attention to the furry people, who are all around us. I wish that anyone who sees animal abuse would take immediate action. Whether or not I have a personal connection with them, when I see an animal being abused it rips my heart out and wounds my soul. We should treasure them, because they are with us for a very short time.