I wasn't too surprised when my husband walked into the house and handed me a small gray kitten. The kitten was probably around four months old. He was a cute little guy, but we really didn't need any more cats. However, I couldn't toss him out to starve to death so I grabbed some cat food and took the little guy out to the hay barn. It would be a nice warm place for him to stay. Boy was he ever hungry. He tore into that food like he hadn't eaten anything for days, most likely he hadn't.

Cats are one of the most abused animals on this planet. They are starved, tossed out like garbage along dirt roads, and often tortured by sick individuals. Some low life individuals will abandon cats in far out areas where there is no hope of rescue. Often it is in bitter weather and they either starve to death or freeze. I would love to take those low mentality people out in some remote area and abandon them with no food or shelter. I wonder how they would like it. Oh well, enough ranting and raving, I will get back to my story.

We live on a farm and people often think it is a good place to dump their unwanted cats and sometimes a dog or two. This little guy was lucky to get tossed by our place; at least he would get a chance to live. I made sure he was comfortable and full of food. Then I went out to the tool shed to make sure there weren't any more kittens. They usually dump more than one at a time.

Sure enough, when I got to the toolshed I could hear a plaintive mewing coming from behind some machinery. I coaxed and called till finally another little gray kitten came running to me. It ran through my mind that this was an especially sad case. These kittens had been pets or they would not have been so easy to catch. Someone taught them to trust people then betrayed that trust by dumping them like so much garbage.

I took the second kitten to the barn where his brother was and he was just as starved as his litter mate. It was obvious they were brothers; they were the same size and seemed to know each other. After a while, they cuddled up in the hay next to each other and went to sleep.

I went into the house and told my husband that the boys were safe and full of food. We simply called them the boys until later I named them Mutt and Jeff. My husband kept calling Jeff 'Shorthair' until the name stuck. Today they are known as Mutt and Shorthair.

I adopted a red heeler pup out of a foster care home shortly before the boys were dropped off. She was another case of animal abuse. She was starved to the point of death before someone spotted her and turned her into animal control. They doctored her and turned her over to the foster care home where I found her.

At first, I was concerned the pup might hurt the boys as she liked to play rather rough. Instead, to my surprise, the kittens, and the pup fell in love with one another. If you saw one of them, the other two were not far away.

It was amusing to watch them playing together. I would see the kittens running across the yard with the pup in hot pursuit. A short time later I would see the pup coming back with the kittens chasing her. Round and round they would go until, finally exhausted, the trio would collapse in the shade and sleep for a couple of hours. They were three cast off little souls who found a safe place instead of starvation and death. It did my heart good to see the three of them enjoying life.

One afternoon I heard a heck of a racket in the front yard. The pup, Rosie, was barking hysterically and I heard a couple of yowls from the kittens. I wondered what on earth was going on. I ran out on the front porch and what I observed was one of the funniest sights I have ever beheld.

A little chipmunk was holding all three of those little rascals at bay. The threesome would make a move toward the chipmunk and he would charge at them with his tail all fuzzed up and chattering a mile a minute. Those three brave souls would turn tail and run. This went on for fifteen minutes or so while the chipmunk kept edging towards a tree. Finally, he got close to the tree and made a dash for it. I was rooting for the chipmunk and was glad to see him get to the tree a couple of jumps ahead of the brave bunch. To add insult to injury, the chipmunk cussed those three out with every bad word there is in chipmunk language. I was laughing so hard the tears were running down my face.

The pup and kittens grew fast that first summer they lived with us. I made the kittens, 'cats by then', a warm place in the barn. I already had five cats in the house, as well as the dog, and felt somewhat crowded. I put a heating pad in their house and showed them how nice it was. I was sure they would be warm, comfortable, and happy. I should have known better.

On the first really cold night of the winter season I heard the most pitiful meowing at the front door. You guessed it, there sat the boys all covered with snow and shivering.

I said, "Okay, you can stay in the basement but I'm not letting you come upstairs, I have a full house already". I bet you can figure out how long that lasted.

Now my husband and I sit here at night watching television with our 'family'. Rosie is most often lying on the rug beside the couch with Mutt snuggled up to her. The other boy, Shorthair, is almost always snuggled up to one of my older cats, Blue eyes. Those two really formed a bond. There are three calicos and another black cat scattered about the room on various pieces of furniture. Which, by the way, is supposed to be forbidden. I gave that rule up long ago and bought covers for the furniture.

Every one of our cats could tell you a story about abuse, starvation, and abandonment. Most of them were pets that people got tired of and dumped.

People get a cute little kitten and, lo and behold, it turns into a cat. If it's a female, and she is not spayed, they soon have ten cats they don't know what to do with. The simple solution is to dump them beside some dirt road. After all, it is just a cat, and aren't cats supposed to be able to hunt and take care of their selves anyway?

Or maybe they think, 'Hey, I bet some farmer would appreciate more cats'. Believe me, the farmers do not want more cats. Most farms are overloaded with cats already and the majority of farmers don't take care of the cats anyway. It is common to find a farm overrun with cats that are skinny and sick. If enough cats don't die of disease the farmer might tunk a few in the head and throw them in the manure spreader. There are some farms where the cats receive excellent care, but they are the exception, not the rule.

We spay or neuter every cat or dog that we keep with us. Some we have fixed than find homes for. Unfortunately, we can't keep or find homes for all of them; there are simply too many.

Sadly, this has become a world of disposable pets. If it's a female, toss it, if you simply don't want the bother, toss it. Moving to a new home and can't have pets? Either leave the cats or dogs or dump them somewhere.

Don't get me wrong. There are a lot of folks who care for and love their pets very much. It is only the irresponsible and uncaring individuals who believe in dumping or abandoning their pets. I cannot understand how they can go home, eat a good meal, and sleep in a warm bed after throwing a dog or cat along the road to starve or freeze death. Can You?

There is no reason for abandoning animals. It is better to have them euthanized then leave them to starve to death. Many shelters will take them in and find a home or give them a painless death. Even the pound is a better choice than abandonment. These places are free so there is no excuse.

Pets are living, breathing animals that feel pain and hunger the same as we do. They are not disposable objects that, when we grow tired of them, can be thrown away like so much garbage. Please think before you toss that unwanted cat or dog along the road.