Charity of More Than Just the Human Variety

I love animals.

I am mostly a dog person, but have nothing against cats at all.

So when it was time to choose a place to volunteer in town this month, I gravitated to the , thinking I could help some animals as they waited to be adopted by loving families.

And in a really great turn of events, I had the opportunity to spend several hours just playing with cats—how’s that for community service?

But it really was community service because these cats are one that have been abandoned or turned over by their owners, and sometimes they just need a human to play with them.

The animal shelter has several rooms of cats looking to be adopted, some held in cages, others roaming free in one of the rooms. Some of the cats have recovered from injuries, others were just abandoned by their owners and are hoping to find a home.

When I arrived at the shelter, I was led into one of those rooms where many cats were in their cages and were individually let out, sometimes in pairs and sometimes not depending on the cat's temperament.

As soon as I walked in, all the cats began to meow and purr and claw at their cages, wanting to come out and have some attention—or just be adopted, I couldn’t tell which.

And I have to say it broke my heart. Like I said, I’m not usually a cat person, but all I wanted was to pick them all up and take them home.

I was told by one of the workers at the shelter that, on some level, the cats know that everytime someone comes in, there is a chance that one of them will be adopted. She spoke of one cat that was always off by itself, shy and not paying attention to the other cats, but, when a human came in to try and pick out a cat, suddenly she was energetic and excited, ready to play.

On some level, she said, the cats know when it is time to show off.

From there, I walked into the other room where the cats were allowed to roam free—and I got into a staring contest with one almost-fully black cat, who was described as not the most friendly one there.

And then I fell in love with Jinx—a beautiful cat that was fully white on one side, and a mixture of brown and gray on the other. Described as loving to be played with and very friendly, I spent some time with Jinx, petting the cat and listening to it purr as it rolled on its side and just enjoyed some company.

Walking around the shelter, I had the opportunity to also see the two dogs they had out in the hallway, one named Wrinkles, and another, a small Chihuahua that I ended up watching for several minutes as it stared at me, its tail wagging and its eyes just looking.

Yes, it’s true, I almost melted again.

My final task for the day was to feed the animals, opening their cages and placing the food inside. As soon as I walked in, the purring started once again and they started clawing at the cages, trying to get both attention and a chance out in the room.

Each time, I had to slowly open the cage and place the food in quickly so the cat did not get out.

But one, named Connor, was a tricky little devil—as I opened the cage, he walked out and ignored the food, choosing the freedom instead. And of course, I couldn’t blame him.

And that was my day in the animal shelter. The place has many animals, but the ones available out front for adoption are the healthy ones—those that are sick are kept in the back for only the staff themselves to take care of.

Also in a back room are the more vicious dogs that have escaped from their cages before.

In the morning, the staff spends the time cleaning out cages, and cleaning the entire building. In the afternoon, people can come by to look and adopt, and staffers and volunteers spend the time providing some kind of human contact for the animals.

They are taken care of, and they are well-fed, but it is admittedly heart-breaking to see these poor animals just looking for a home.

And so I was glad that for an afternoon, I could give them that affection they so desperately wanted. I could give them attention.

They say charity is about helping those in need—even those with four paws.