Bigger Than The Cat's Meow

My dire obsession and affinity for all things involving animals, to most people, will come off as creepy and quite unnecessary. But to me, it's something that goes far deeper than the exclamations of "how cute!"

Being the awkward person I am, I've never particularly connected well with most people. Until I came to CGS, I didn't fully realize how to open up to people or how to even maintain a proper friendship. Of course I could go on and on about the regrettable transitioning through puberty days, but I'll leave it at this: I suck at human interaction. For most people it comes naturally, but for me, it's almost like a game that I have yet to figure out how to properly master. You make one wrong move, game over; you have to play the cards just right to score the happy ending. And to be quite honest, most of the time, I'm too tired or nervous to even play this game.

But animals, particularly dogs and cats that I was exposed to the most: they were the peak of my interest. If you can conjure up that warm, fuzzy, apple pie feeling that you get whenever you're around something you love, that's exactly how I feel when I'm around animals. This isn't to say in any way I feel less for humans, or do not care (because I feel very strongly about a lot of human rights issues) but that I'm far better at interacting with animals than I am with humans.

And anytime you see someone or something you care about being mistreated, taken advantage of, or in need, you feel this sense of urgency. You know that you have to help them. Which is why, in my small town of Fairfield, I want to help out the stray animals that have either been abandoned or lost. I don't mean to start piling on shame like the ASPCA commercial (cue "In The Arms of An Angel"), but I feel compelled to help when I see a lost dog or cat flyer stapled up onto a pole quite helplessly. Over the course of the past month, my family has cared for two lost animals that wandered into our yard, and I can only imagine how many more are out there. I would love to start a drive to collect food for the poor animals that would eventually be donated to the Humane Society, which is a no-kill shelter with affordable veterinary care for all animals.

If the class happens to skim over this, firstly: you're going to realize how terribly antisocial I sound, and secondly: I probably sound like a girl who would end up on TLC in 40 years with her own show documenting what a cat lady she is. But if you think about it, these animals are solely dependent on us and it's our choice to help them or shun them.