I am not even sure how Tabitha came into our lives, but she was always there. I guess she is something like me, a pest and not admired by many, but a heart of gold. She was always hungry and always screaming. I was able to get her to calm down more, but she felt like she was always at war with the cats.
I remember when she first got pregnant. All the cats were attacking her and I went outside to help her and she hissed at me and ran away. This was a cruel way for any female cat to live and I often wonder why such a system was created. Male cats are insane when a female cat is in heat and even my dear sweet Mr. Ponchie is like a cobra snake ready to attack. He would not give up.
So she got pregnant and her baby died. She sad on that poor dead kitten trying to get it to nurse, but it never did. The second litter, not sure what happen there, but never saw one either. She would go to the neighbors begging for food and sometimes she succeeded and sometimes she just was turned away. She kind of grew on me as she was always there.
My cat Baby hated her with a passion and if Baby ever went outside, she would kill her. Baby would sit at the window hissing at her constantly. I would leave any food that was extra out on the door step for Tabby and no matter what time of the day I called, Tabby would come running. She was always grateful and would snuggle up to my leg hoping that someone would love her.
So everyday she would fight for the scraps left over that I was feeding Mr. Ponchie and she just was always there. The neighbors talked of giving Tabby away, but I thought that was not necessary as she had a room to sleep outside in.
Then yesterday, July 29th, 2011 I was getting ready to go to town to take care of some errands. I was passing by a dumpster on the way to catch a bus and there lay Tabby sleeping. I took my foot to nudge Tabby to get up and go home to sleep. Tabby lay very quiet and did not move. Her eyes were glassy looking. As I leaned down to pick her up, I noticed her body was a little stiff. Tabby was not sleeping, she was dead.
There was no blood or no marks from a car, Tabby just was not moving. I could not believe she was dead. I started yelling for the neighbors to come as Tabby was dead. I cried and cried. One neighbor tells me that Tabby had been hit by a car and went flying through the air. The driver stopped and kicker her to the side of the street and left her to die. Tabby was not gasping for breath, she must of died instantly.
As I picked up her limp body, she was still warm. I am sure she must of died just a few minutes earlier. I hugged her and cried some more. Tabby was pregnant and I had thoughts of trying to free the babies, but I just could not do that. I assume they died an awful death. Tabby was a small kitty.
By the next morning, Tabby had swollen up very much from the internal bleeding I guess. She had began to smell and black blood was seeping out her vagina and her nose. Her eyes were open now and it frightened me. I was so sick the night before that I did not bury her, but I had to bury her today. She was huge by now and I had to dig a huge grave.
I said a prayer for Tabby as I covered her up. I was so sad to say good-bye to my little friend. My house is empty without Tabby. Even tonight I had some left over gravy and my first thought was to take it to Tabby, but then I realized she was gone. It is so quiet here. No sound, no noise and no Tabby.
I questioned the neighbors about Tabby's death. Some were happy she was gone, but not me. Although Tabby was a pest at times, she was a member of my clan. I ask Allah to bless her and keep her safe and I ask Allah to circle my home with angels and calm my heart.
My dear sweet Tabby, I wish you love and lots of food in heaven.
5 days after Tabby's death I heard some crying in my storage room. There sat 2 twin white baby kittens crying for their mom. The storage was full of debris, cement bags and more. I called the neighbors in and it was the 1st day of Ramadan and had them clear the room.
We finally reached the babies and they were so precious and I promised Allah on that day I would take care of them the rest of my life.
I named them Miss Tammer after their mom and Fluffy. Fluffy would life one year and die of pneumonia from severe complications. It snowed and we could not get him to a vet and although I spent 700 dollars trying to I had to bury him. He was the best cat ever but like most cats he was territorial and fought with Black Face Kitty all the time and it wore him out. When he got out one cold snowy day, it did him in.
Miss Tammer is still with us. She was never the same after Fluffers died, but she is a loving pet and doctors me all the time. She is the most beautiful cat in Jordan. I tell her stories often of how her mom went to Turkey to live.
So one day she went outside and found Fluffers grave and took Baby with her. Baby ran in the house screaming and screaming. I yelled at Tammer to see what she did. Miss Tammer was so happy to have found her long lost friend.
A new study called "Zoonoses in the Bedroom," conducted by Bruno B Chomel and Ben Sun, chief veterinarians with the California Department of Health, showed that by sleeping with your pet that you may be susceptible to 100 diseases including the bubonic plague. Some of the illnesses that they list include: bubonic plague, meningitis, staphylococcus intermedius Infections, rabies, cat scratch disease, liver damage, worms and chagas.
Chagas can be life threatening as it is a parasitic infection that can affect people with weakened immune systems. This infection can affect the heart and digestive system. Besides chagas there were less common parasite infections such as pin worms and ring worms. The veterinarians looked through years of journals to find out whom if any had a major or minor disease from animals. Although they did find a very small amount of major diseases, the threat is till real.
A 9 year old boy from New Mexico caught the bubonic plague from a flea infested cat. A 44 y ear old woman and a baby both caught meningitis which only goes to prove that the animal infection problem is not limited to age or race and can be transferred if the owners are not sensible in their treatment of the animals.
Will Million of Pet Owners Listen to the New Study?
Approximately 14 % - 62% of pet owners sleep with their pets or allow them to lie on their beds. Will these new revelations sway many owners from cuddling with their loved ones? The general consensus is "No." Most pet owners who treat Fido or Muffy with loving care and tenderness will not change their habits, but may keep the bed area cleaner and safe as possible.
Will Muffy be happy with his own bed next to the owner's bed? Again most pets are habit creatures and even if offered a nice soft bed next to the owner, the pet will jump on the bed every time.
Kissing Pets on the Mouth
The other practice discussed as being hazardous was the practice of kissing pets on the mouth. This is a dangerous practice and even if the owner could not force Muffy and Fido to sleep on the floor, refraining from contacting the saliva of pets is highly recommended. It is much better to kiss the pet on top of the head.
A Healthy Pet is Less Dangerous to Humans
The report goes on to talk about keeping animals healthy. The safest pets are those kept in doors and ones that are taken to vets regularly. Simple and easy practices can and should be utilized such as de-worming the pet regularly, getting rid of all fleas and feeding a natural raw diet to the animal.
Pet foods sometimes cause more damage than good and should be used with caution. Training your pet to switch to raw meat is not an easy task, but one that is workable. Cats are carnivorous animals and love meat. Many cats will prefer chicken, liver and fish opposed to beef. With trial and error and a bit of luck any pet can be healthy and safer.
Benefits of Pet Ownership
The veterinarians did say that there are many benefits of having animals and pets also. According to Chomel and Sun, "Pets have become an integral part of the family and are often considered to be extended family. Having pets brings many benefits, such as psychological support, friendship, and even good health practices (exercising or reducing stress).
Pet ownership has long been touted as a way to help the elderly feel less lonely and a source of companionship also. Pets are protectors and pets have become part of the family and many pet owners treat their pets as a child would be treated in other families. Although there are many benefits to having a pet, it must be stated that the benefits will not out weigh the hazards if you or a loved one becomes ill. Caution should be used in all situations and new and improved hygiene practices should be implemented.
Resources
Chomel and Sun, (Feb 2, 2011) "Zoonoses in the Bedroom," CDC
Photo courtesy of Photobucket Akeeber
When I first came to Jordan, I had no ideal that there were organizations here to help the poor. Being I was a cat owner and poor, I was desperate to help my sick animals. So I called the telephone company and they gave me the telephone number for SPANA. SPANA is a non profit organization, from England that helps animals free of charge.
Some of the things they do are:
- located in 21 of the poorest countries on earth
- help working animals and those who depend on them
- run an adoption agency for all homeless animals indefinitely. There do not kill the animals.
- operate and do spaying and neutering of all animals, free of charge
So when my cat was dying, they helped me save her. She was in the hospital for over 5 days and because I was a widow and had no income, they took care of her free of charge. To this day, 8 years later, they are still caring for my animals. If there was not places like this, who openly take cake of all animals, we would be in serious trouble.
There are so many homeless animals in Jordan and the dogs are wild and many are infected with diseases. The government openly kills them and they are helplessly murdered, just because they are dogs. SPANA offers a home and a shelter for these animals. My home is a shelter for many homeless animals. The yard is huge and there are many trees for climbing and we feed them as we can. A place where many would shut them out. People do not realize that they have feelings and they care.
Puppy mills, pet stores and dog fights have got to be the worse places on this earth. Only through education will and can the public have knowledge of these events. As we watch the horrible pit dog fights, where the animals are literally torn apart, as the crowd cheers on. It is enough to break your heart. I adopted a pet from a pet shop and the cat was infected, so badly that she needed over eighty dollars in fees to recover. Stop the violence, stop the sickness and stop the horrors. There creatures are innocent and they need someone who cares.
Adopt a day and events to help the homeless, such as the International Homeless Animal Candlelight Vigil, highlight the plight of these animals. Events all around the world are held, to raise money to spay and neuter the animals. It is a beautiful ceremony and one everyone should participate in. Lighting a candle on line, broke my heart and brought me to tears.
http://www.gratefulness.org/ca ndles/candles.cfm?l=eng&gi =ISAR
I guarantee you that if you light a candle for an animal, maybe you have lost in the past, you will not have a dry tear in your eyes. It is an emotional and special time. Some of the homeless animals being butchered and placed in shelters, are lost animals that have gone astray. Sometimes, your neighbors are turning the animals in, out of annoyance. Some of the animals in the shelters could be someone's lost pet and it could be mine too.
I am asking you to stand up and be counted. I am asking you to donate what you can and adopt who you can. I am asking you to never let another person harm, mame or kill another innocent animal. My cat Precious was recently murdered or kidnapped and I have no ideal where she is. The pain and the horror of that day never leaves me. I hope someone, somewhere would of been kind to her. I hope someone, somewhere would of cared that she was my long lost love. I miss her so very much
Photo courtesy of Photobucket amyjayne10
