My Pet is My Family

I remember my childhood with many incidents and anecdotes involving our pets. The many cats and dogs; irrespective of them staying in our home or in the garden or on the streets; all have added color and 'enjoyable' chaos to our lives. Each pet had distinct personality which compelled us to understand it and in turn it would always dictate its terms to us ! Once I got a chance to witness the birth of kittens where the mother, a complete black cat with emerald eyes, felt happy by my presence and the warm milk. The kittens were a delight to play with and I still remember the ropes or threads always attracted them. Their mother, the same black cat had at one time got herself locked in one of the empty houses and kept on meowing at the top of her voice to grab our attention. Finally after an entire day, we were able to hear her and rescue her with the help of few Samaritans. Over the years, we got acquainted with cats eating tomatoes, corns, etc in addition to their 'normal' diet. 

Even the dogs were welcome in our hearts and one in our house. The dogs had their individual names and references. They would always maintain a vigil for our house and wait for their food. Our neighbors also fed them leftovers and in this way the bonding between people and animals, grew. There was one dog who would try to imitate my mother during her yoga sessions. Another went straight into a neighbors open house to the room where he heard my voice and wanted to check if I was alright. Such happy incidents were also interspersed with some accidents and the presence of VSPCA always helped the animals in distress. Most of the people willingly try to help or get help for injured animals. This in turn has always ensured good experiences for children playing with animals. All feel responsible for the animals well being. 

We are fortunate to be born 'human' but it is upon us to be 'humane'. Being human is all about living with simplicity and caring towards others. It is our moral responsibility not to abuse any animal. I believe that my pet is my family. Buying a pet on an impulse and then abusing it or driving it away later on is not right.