If Ignorance is Bliss, You Must Be the Happiest Person Alive!

After reading the comments from yesterday, and trying to regain my composure and not go through another tear filled day, I want to thank each person who reached out to me to give condolences on the passing of my Barney yesterday.  I have other cats that I've had far longer than Barney, but for some reason I took this especially hard.  I've never had a cat pass without the injection by a vet.  I was alone with him, and he took his last breath in front of me.

If any of you recall my old posts from over a year ago, I had adopted Barney out to a man who had been convicted of child molestation and spent time in prison.   Even though this sick man commited God knows what, it didn't, in my eyes, make him a bad cat owner.  He was lonely, being a outcast from society, and he loved cats.   But this man could not take care of himself, his home, nor Barney properly, and he knew it, and thank God he had the wisdom to call me, after I went over there often to check on Barney and always left with hesitancy, to tell me Barney was limping and that maybe I should take him back for  awhile.  I did, and I am so thankful I never gave him back.

His limp healed, and Barney thrived with me, and his brothers and sisters, for a good year and half after that.  He had scars on his mouth, barely any teeth, and what teeth he had were rotted, frostbitten ears, very course grey fur, and the oddest eyes.  I always joked that he would never win a beauty contest, but he was my special boy and I am just so thankful he came along and allowed me to rescue him - twice.

This morning was interesting in the fact that I had a confrontation with the mean dude who first took the hut that my art teacher friend and her students built for me many months ago, along with the boards, towels, bowls, etc.   I still had an open three sided heavy duty shelter that Heather had given me a few years ago behind the house.  This house, as a matter of fact, is the same place that Benny, Barney, Sasha, Teenie, Larry and so many more have been rescued.  This is where Sparkles and Limpy #2 hang also. 

Teenie, the pregnant kitten I rescued, feeding her newborns...

Anyway, I encountered this guy a month or so back while he was standing in front of the house, that is abandoned and boarded, and he told me to move my stuff and not to feed the cats - he said he owns the house and he would trash if it I didn't.  I was frightened to death of him after he told me this, I teared up, thinking 'oh no, what am i going to do'.   The next day, we moved this very heavy shelter to where Wally resides, next door where I feed the cats there.  But, I still put food and water down at the spot, not having seen the man again.  There he was this morning, and he said something like 'I thought I told you not to feed the cats here' - I got so angry, I whirled around while I was putting food and water down for these two cats waiting for me, and said 'you don't own this property (trying to call his bluff - I really don't believe he does.  I think he just lives next door).  He said he would call the police - and started to write down my plate number (like he had a pen or something) - and I said 'go ahead and write it' and I shouted the numbers to him!  He mentioned raccoons and I shouted back that raccoons would be here with or without me putting food down for the cats.  I told him I would not allow these cats to starve to death because of him, and he kept holding his hands over his ears all the while telling me not to talk to him.  I told him I had a lot of cop friends and that if he harmed these animals he would be in trouble.  Now, I don't usually get angry like that, but I am so tired of people that are openly cruel to animals.  Between him and the woman on Grand who threatened to give the cats antifreeze - what is wrong with people?

Don't these kind of ignorant idiots realize that life is too short?  Do they care that in the end, none of this matters?  God will judge them on how they treated others on earth.  These kind of people are malicious, mean-spirited bullies. They are envious of others' successes and will do their best to prevent someone else from succeeding. I believe they are unhappy, frustrated and socially isolated. I must try to remember that their anger towards me is probably how they treat others. They are looking for arguments and hostility to confirm their own negative view of the world.  I will be careful, and cautious, but I won't back down.