Joel asked:
How do you afford to feed all those cats? Does the SPCA help out?
First, we do not receive help feeding the cats from anyone, including the Humane Society. There are several non-kill cat shelters in our area, but they are over-capacity. So, for the past twenty years, we have fed every stray/feral cat that has frequented our backyard. We have also fed wandering indoor cats, raccoons, possums, skunks, deer, squirrels, and a plethora of birds, including hawks and woodpeckers.
Second, we feel we have a moral duty to care for the “least of these.” We also have four inside cats that were once stay/feral cats. We have cared for countless animals — domesticated and wild — over the years. This year (so far), only one cat, Fluffy — a longhaired black cat –has had kittens. Two of her young’uns died not long after birth. Currently, we have a six-week-old black kitten hanging out with the big cats. The kitten should be weaned in about two weeks, though I noticed he/she was eating dry food today.
Third, the Bible says that “where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.” We spent fifty years of our lives giving thousands of dollars to “God.” We learned that he had a poor rate of return. Many of us have discretionary income. We choose to spend this money in a variety of ways. I am not inclined to question how people spend their money. Each to their own, right? I remember when we bought our first new car. We have largely driven older cars, and in our early years, we drove automobiles best described as clunkers and rust buckets. I did all our repair work, which gave me plenty to do over the years. Now that I am a broken-down crippled man, I am forced to pay for mechanical services. I miss the days of leaning over the front of a car, working on it as my pants slide down, revealing the Grand Canyon. The good old days, I suppose.
We have purchased four new cars over the past twenty years. Our latest vehicle is a 2020 Ford Edge, with 120,000 miles. We don’t plan to buy another new car, hoping this car will be our last one before we die. Of course that could quickly change if I get a hankering for another car, even though I can no longer drive. I drove for the last time in 2020. My nerve pain and reaction times are such that I am no longer a safe to driver.
Bruce, you pivoted from cats to cars. What gives? Hang on, I’m planning to land this plane soon. 🙂 After we bought our first new car, I mentioned it on this site. Several readers decided to lecture me about the cost effectiveness of buying a new car; that we were being wasteful with our money. This angered me, but I said little. I learned long ago that one man’s junk is another man’s treasure. For my partner and I, having driven cars that embarrassed our kids when we picked them up for school, we were thrilled to own a car that wasn’t always a threat to break down or have a flat tire. Simply put, we bought new cars because we wanted to. Isn’t that the reason any of us do the things we do?
We feed and care for cats because it is important for us to do so. If we don’t care for these abandoned animals, who will? It’s a matter of morality, for us. How could we in good conscience leave a cat (or cats) begging at our back door for food and water? We cannot and will not turn them away. In caring for cats and wildlife, we are teaching our grandchildren to be kind to animals, even spiders, snakes, and ants. Two weeks ago, I awoke to Bethany wanting to tell me what she proudly did a few moments before. Somehow, a snake slithered into our utility room. Instead of hollering DAD! Bethany picked the snake up and put it outside. Way to go girl, though I would like to have seen it to make sure it wasn’t poisonous.
Yes, it requires a financial commitment from us to care for our backyard friends, but we are more than willing to pay for their feeding and care. It feels good to look out the back door as see “our” cats; happy and thriving, despite the assholes who left them to their own devices. If we had homeless humans camping in our yard, we would care for them too. You see, we may be godless, degenerate sinners, but we love and care for both animals and humans. No need for God. All one needs is kindness and compassion.
Bruce Gerencser, 69, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 48 years. He and his wife have six grown children and thirteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
You can email Bruce via the Contact Form.
Want to Respond to Bruce? Fire Away! If You Are a First Time Commenter, Please Read the Comment Policy Located at the Top of the Page.