The sun is shining and the bees are buzzing in the flowers in the meadow in front of the terrace. The children are busy eating their breakfast so they can get out to play and maybe even go for a swim as soon as possible.
An unexpected guest
And then it happens – little Peter suddenly notices a pair of eyes staring at them from a nearby bush, and out comes a half-sized kitten that shows no fear whatsoever. Quite the opposite.
The kitten becomes part of the family
As soon as the children crouch down to call it, it comes closer and snuggles up against the children’s bare legs. It’s clear that it wants to be cuddled. And the children are quick to respond to the kitten’s clear signal.
“Oh, he’s so cute,” and “Mommy, he’s hungry,” the children say, and mom immediately fetches a small bowl of milk and places it in front of the kitten.
Used to humans as it is, the kitten immediately takes to drinking and is soon fully integrated into the little family. The children love playing with it and the parents support the idyll by giving it food and water every day. No wonder the kitten stays around the house and enjoys all the attention. And no wonder the little family is enchanted by the little creature. Because it’s cute!
When the vacation ends
But at some point the vacation ends and reality sets in. Despite the children’s intense pestering, the parents refuse to take the kitten with them when they go back home after a great vacation.
The children say goodbye to their playmate and the kitten is left to fend for itself. Suddenly there’s no one to bring it food and milk and no one to check on its well-being.
A sad fate for the cottage cat
It’s all alone and now has to find its own food and generally find its way in a world full of competitors who are in no way welcoming to it, as the children were. And when winter comes, it’s likely to die, either from the cold or from lack of food.
This is how many cottage cats end their short lives, an ending that could have been avoided if the family hadn’t adopted the cat during the few weeks they were on vacation in the area. Read the rest of the post at Kristeligt Dagblad.
