Letter to the Editor: It’s our responsibility to protect helpless animals

Dear Editor,
Prior to this writing, I had 10 cats that I was feeding; things were moving along pretty good for money to feed them, care for them and take care of them which does include some playtime when there is time and visits to the vet when there is money.
Then one day, a little black kitten showed up. He was so cute; how could I turn him away? One knew, by his meows and body language, he was looking for a home. I never would ever turn away as long as I can see a way clear to care for him or any of them. Kitten had been severely abused; two months later I cannot pick him up for being kicked in the stomach. This is abuse number one, and abuse number two is dropping him off here or heading him in this direction.
First of all, I do not know how long it was since kitten had eaten, and secondly, I did not know what happened beyond human abuse to his backside...so I treated it with Nano while he hissed and swatted at me. After six weeks he is now healed up and a regular visitor to the home, but he still remembers the prior abuses. He got the name of Lonesome on his second visit. He will be up for adoption if I can get him so he can be held and cuddled.
Now we have seven more, which includes a young black kitten about the age of the one above; he is scared to death of people. We named him Tye. While he knows his name and will sometimes come, we cannot get near him. There is Gus, a beautiful, about seven-month old gray kitten that will make an awesome pet when I can work with him; two new kittens about five months old named Twerp and No Name so far; and last, but not least, Izzie, a full grown, absolutely beautiful cat who, once caught, will be ready for a home in less than two weeks. Another last but not least is one of the two I would like to keep: Bell, a handsome male about seven months old.
Every one of these felines has and is suffering from cold and windy weather. Bell has a third of his face torn off due to Lonesome. Sometimes some of them cannot get in to eat due to fighting or weather.
The point here is:
1. It is abusive to drop a kitten off and leave it to fend for itself. It is also punishable by law if I can catch the person. You are also opening this little one to being killed by a coon, a dog, etc. They will get into fights and may well get hurt so badly they will suffer while dying. This is what ignorance and non-caring for our fur babies is...selfishness, lazy, etc.
2. While it is not my responsibility to feed all these little ones, I do because I care. Simply put, I don’t like the feeling of being hungry myself. An animal is no different.
3. For the likes of being a responsible individual, if you have a pet, get it fixed and as soon as you can. Until then, keep it away from the opposite sex to avoid kittens or puppies.
4. We are fortunate to have a wonderful, caring vet. Once Jane retires and the new one gets here, it is doubtful we will see the compassion, the true caring, the help when and where needed and more. It will be the money thing, speaking of which, the fees will not be “user” friendly.
You can turn your pet in to the shelter, which is what you should be doing if you cannot bring yourself to euthanize it. Yes, it costs money, but it is also your responsibility. Yes, they charge to keep the fur baby, but also, while I don’t like it, it is your responsibility until we can get the Lovell shelter to the point where they can get funding help like from The Greater Good, Bomgaars (they would have to call), HSUS, etc.
Be a responsible pet owner; do what is right and laudable for all life.
Barbara Anderson
Lovell