I like animals. I’ve had some pets that I loved but I wouldn’t call myself an animal lover. This past year, I’ve met many who are. They volunteer at the animal shelter to clean out kennels and litter boxes, to walk dogs, to bathe animals, to pet animals, to feed animals, or whatever is needed to love the animal. They volunteer their Saturdays to help get animals adopted. Every Saturday.
Then there are some who go beyond that call. They become foster parents for the pets until a suitable home can be found. I had a friend who carried a family of tiny kittens around because when she had to leave the house because she had to bottle feed them and then massage their bellies so the food could be digested properly. Something happened to their mom, and they were all alone. That’s dedication.
Another friend of mine started fostering this year. She took cats into her home, a mom and her kittens. She watched the cats grow up and helped litter train them (not sure what goes into that, but I’m thinking of sending my cat them her to be litter trained again). They became members of the family, but since they are fosters there was a time when they had to leave. And my friend cried when they had to go. Then she fostered some more. Because it was rewarding.
My friends have such passion and huge hearts. They motivated me. Not to volunteer with animals or become a foster cat mom, because I still don’t love animals that much. But they motivated me to re-evaluate my life. To figure out if I’m doing enough with my passions. So I am thankful for the foster cat moms in my life because they made my life better just by being themselves. I hope to return the favor to them someday.