The forgotten kitten

At a bus stop on the outskirts of León, I saw something small and furry huddled in the corner underneath the bench.

What I saw broke my heart: a baby kitten, sleeping on a heap of garbage, the epitome of being forgotten and unloved by society.

I couldn't tell if it was sleeping or dying.

And to be honest, I'm not sure which is worse.

If it survives, this kitten is condemned to permanently living on the streets, becoming one of the many animals that roam the streets of Nicaragua, dodging traffic in search of garbage to eat.

I don't want to imply that this problem is specific to León or Nicaragua, because it definitely isn't.

However, I've noticed a certain attitude that develops when one witnesses enough street animals like this kitten, because I notice myself becoming this way too. You become numb to it. After walking the streets every day, seeing countless animals starved and injured, it simply becomes a normal part of life. You learn to avoid street dogs (which is not difficult, because many of them are afraid of people and walk around you) and your conscience stops nagging at you after seeing the 100th bony, flea ridden animal.

So it's understandable that most people didn't give this kitten a second glance. Living here almost forces you to stop feeling sad for every animal, because there isn't enough sadness for all of them.

But for the next 15 minutes, as we waited for our bus to arrive, I couldn't stop watching this kitten, wishing I could do anything to alleviate its pain and hardship. As an Amigos volunteer, I'm strictly prohibited to touch any animals besides those in my host family, and for good reason - many of these animals are sick, and some could have rabies - so I couldn't do anything but watch as the kitten inhaled and exhaled, isolated in a small corner of the world.

I'm sorry for posting such a sad story, but I feel as though it was the least I could do for the kitten.

My heart goes out to all the lost and forgotten animals in this world.

Comments

crane said…

Feel sad. Especially with the picture. Wish we can do something. Maybe in the future. One of my dreams is to build an animal shelter.

September 26, 2014 at 8:26 PM

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