The very thin line

Here’s sharing a story:

Some time ago, someone in the neighbourhood circulated a council’s hotline for catching stray animals, to the entire neighbourhood whatsapp group.

The text came in as I was having lunch after work.

I immediately replied and pleaded with all neighbours not to call the council. I explained what would happen if animals are caught. Pets or street animals, they would not be spared. I offered AnimalCare’s Neutering Aid and asked them to consider getting the animals neutered instead. I explained the concept of TNR and that catching will only result in a vacuum and their “problem” will not be solved.

A neighbour posted the link on the Selangor Neutering Subsidy (SENS). Another posted a thumbs-up emoticon for the SENS.

Then, I continued explaining how we could tackle the “problem” in a more compassionate way. I asked everyone to please look at the bigger picture and understand why street animals live amongst us now. It is through no fault of theirs, really – they could have been left behind when their owners moved, their owners did not get them neutered and allowed them to breed or they could have been dumped in the neighbourhood by other humans. We can help these animals and control the population through neutering. Catching-and-killing will not work. It is very cruel, and may only be a short-term solution.

Later, there was another thumbs-up emoticon. This was from a friend.

By then, the complainer was getting annoyed.

I continued in my lone struggle, pleading for everyone’s compassion.

I also checked who had read all my pleading texts and noticed many had read. I have friends in the neighbourhood (or so I thought).

Except for the link about Selangor Neutering Subsidy and the two thumbs-up emoticon, I was all alone.

Finally, the complainer said he didn’t like animals defecating in his garden. I offered a list of (safe) things he could do, without harming the animals, to keep animals away.

One walks on a very thin line when pleading for the lives and safety of street animals.

It is a very, very thin line.

If you cross that line and argue a bit too much, you incur the wrath of the complainers and you might do more harm than good. All it takes is one phonecall from them.

Just one phonecall to send the poor innocent animals to their death.

So, it’s a very thin line.

It is for the animals’ sake that you can only plead and be nice.

I must admit, I had expectations that day, I thought my friends in the neighbourhood would at least offer a word of support. All you needed to do, my friends, was to type: Yes, I agree with what she says. Numbers matter.

Please….could you please lend me some support?

But no, that did not happen at all.

Expectations cause disappointments. That is a fact of life. And yet, we are only human and not perfect yet, so we continue to foolishly have expectations. And continue to be disappointed. Our own folly, isn’t it?

The next day, I texted one of my friends who lives in the neighbourhood. Please, you are so influential in the neighbourhood, could you please offer a word of support? Please? If you say something, the neighbours would listen. Please?

He texted back to say he was busy.

All I asked was a few words of support. That is all.

Expectations is the cause of disappointments.

On that same morning, I heard through the grapevine that someone had already called the hotline the day before. Well, that was to be expected since the complainer had already circulated the hotline number to the whole neighbourhood.

Just as I feel so sorry for the poor animals in the neighbourhood, I feel sorry too for the utter lack of compassion in whoever had called the hotline. Did this happen before I sent all my pleading texts or after?

Who knows?

For many days after that, I went to work in fear. There are pet owners who let their cats out to play for certain hours in the morning. There is even a pet dog who takes walks on his own every day. I hoped all these people have read my pleading texts and would keep their pets indoors.

On that same evening when the hotline number was circulated, I had already alerted as many pet owners as I knew and told them to keep their pets and community animals indoors.

Some days later, I met the Thai lady who used to feed community cats. She told me all the problems she had faced from animal-haters in the neighbourhood for the last ten years or so. She lamented that in Thailand, such hatred does not exist. Community cats and dogs could roam freely and are well looked-after. No one would complain. Thai people accept community animals and welcome their presence on the streets.

“Why is it so bad in Malaysia?”, she asked me.

There lies the cultural difference.

How many decades or centuries would it take to change culture?

Or, never?

Well, never say never. We must plod on and do our best for the animals.

But while we are doing it, please remember that we walk a very thin line.

Note to self: When you walk this thin line, very often, you walk alone. You can even have some friends who preach this thing called “loving-kindness to all beings”, but take note that it might just remain at the preaching level, not in practice.

Or maybe, the “all beings” only extends to humans, not animals. That is funny, though, because as far as I know, this “all beings” concept is supposed to cover humans, animals, spirits, heavenly beings and even hell beings! And you cannot see the last three categories, but you can certainly see animals. And you can see that animals suffer so much under the unkindness of so many humans. And yet….

On an even sadder note, when you plead for kindness to animals, there are also those who sincerely do support what you do, but they do not want to be seen siding with the minority (who is you). They want to stay popular with the herd.

So, here’s the brutal truth, folks: When you are helping street animals, very often, you walk alone. Be prepared that friends will desert you and leave you walking alone.

But hold your head up high, and walk on.