Let no cruelty happen again

Its face was half gone and maggots crawled all over it. Photo taken by vet technician.

Many weeks ago, in a voice that quivered and sounded almost wretched, V rang and told me she was sending a badly maimed cat to the vet. It must have been a saddening experience for her because the cat reeked of the foulest smell of decay. While V spoke, I could hear the cat meowing in the background.

To treat it would prove a tedious procedure of surgeries including an amputation of a broken leg. I made, once again, the decision to put an animal down, as advised by the vet. The life and death of the cat hinged upon what I had to tell the vet, if I agreed with his professional advice to put the cat down. Yet, even if I didn't, who'd foot the hefty medical bills? Who'd take care of it for the span of numerous months to come?

As always, a question of ethics, of hope, of pragmatism.

This cat, a nameless being to the world, exuded the finest feline affection despite its injuries. It was found in the same site where our burnt cat was found. The workers claimed nobody did anything to the cat and neither did they witness any act of cruelty.

But I doubt their testimony for the injuries looked too "targeted" to be the result of an accident.

Rest in peace, cat. You're no longer in pain.