Tuesday, October 18, 2005

a small step for mankind (catkind?)

allie
allie,
originally uploaded by Waldie's World.
alright, i don't 100% buy maslow's hierarchy of needs as an absolute theory that will explain or fix everything in and of itself. but i do think he had a good point on the lowest level and i got to see it in action this weekend.

on thursday chris's parents found this kitten (if you can call it that, it's so small (smaller than the picture looks!)). they tried to put the kitten with another momma cat who had just given birth, but she rejected him. so they brought her into the house and started bottle feeding her. on thursday she was so small and starving for food and water that she could barely hold her head up. on friday, when chris and i arrived, she was mostly sleeping and lolling around, waking only to eat (voraciously!). by saturday she was interacting a bit and even peeing! on sunday, though, she had a complete transformation. she was roaming around the house, eating the solid food in the other cats' bowls and even playing (with the one who wouldn't hiss and swat at her, thanks buffy).

i have to say, as someone who works in the world of long range goals it was amazing and gratifying to see a theory in action. as i watched the kitten gain more and more strength (and subsequently, gain skills) i felt that she was taking the small steps that so many of the kids in our country are also struggling to take. so many skeptics think that children can overcome any obstacle, and they can. but there are people out there struggling to just make it another day. if this kitten can undergo such a drastic transformation over a weekend imagine the difference that can be made in our country if we just gave people a fair chance.

1 comment:

Ben Waldie said...

What a strange looking animal... but, the cat is cute.