Meow! Hi, I’m Simba, nice to meet you! I am only one year old, but I already have quite a history! Let me tell you more about myself. I’m a very friendly and energetic cat, but at the same time I can be your favorite cuddle buddy. I am a very curious cat and I like exploring. I have been well taken care of; I am a healthy cat for my age. I live at a place called Austin Pets Alive! But, I didn’t always live there; I used to live with my owner, mother, and brothers. I loved my owner and he treated my family very well. Often, we could get treats and he would play with us every day. Sadly, over the course of a month, my family and I noticed that our owner was getting very sick. One day he left the house and he was hospitalized; we haven’t seen him since. Thankfully, my owner cared so much about us that he made sure we wouldn’t be unattended when he left. But unfortunately this meant we were going to be split up. I was sent to APA when I was only eight months old. There wasn’t enough room for my family and I to live together at APA and I am the only one in family to live there. I haven’t seen them for three months and I miss them.
Not to be mistaken, I have had a nice time growing up here at APA. It is not the same without my family, though. Every day, I see people walk by my cage. They make eye contact with me but always look away. I don’t think they realize I am looking right back at them hoping for a chance to be adopted. Sometimes they will open the cage up and hold me, but that doesn’t last too long. On a good day, someone will take me to another room and play with me. I try and show them as much affection as I can so they will stay. I haven’t been successful though yet. I have made many human friends but I haven’t found my family yet.
Although I have not found my human family, I have found my family of felines. Luckily, I live in a cage with another cat that I get along with very well. Her name is Smokie. Some days, I get moved to other rooms with cats in them, so I have a lot of friends and I enjoy making new ones! We enjoy playing and chasing each other around. I am never physically lonely, but my heart is. I haven’t been able to show anyone all of my love. When I am too friendly with another cat, I worry that they will get adopted and I will never see them again. This has happened to me too many times; the first time was with my family. I envy the other cats and kittens that get adopted quickly because I am so eager to be like them. If only I could talk to the humans and tell them how much I want a family, and how loving I am.
Every night, I dream that someone will adopt me the next day. I dream that my new family is as loving as I am, and as willing to add someone to their family as I am. Every night I dream that the next day will bring the greatest and happiest change in my life. I just want to be the happiest cat in the world, is there something wrong about that? Is my goal unreachable?
I find it difficult to remain positive every day. Humans don’t realize how hard it is for people to judge you based on your fur, size, age, and even disabilities. Luckily, it is in my personality to be optimistic, happy, and carefree. However, I want a family to see and understand my dynamic personality; I want a family to see that I am just like them.
I know that day will come soon. I have a lot to offer to a family, but I think it will take a special family to realize how unique I am and this is definitely worth waiting for. Even though my only choice is to wait, I will make the most of it. I will be affectionate to every human I meet, I will allow them to understand me, I will allow them to take care of me, hold me, and love me. Until that day, you can find me here at Austin Pets Alive!
Best wishes,
Simba the Hopeful and Eager Cat
I have volunteered in animal shelters before, I have worked with adoptions, and I have seen animals in poor health and poor living situations, so I tend to feel sad when I visit animal shelters. However, when I visited Austin Pets Alive! I thought that the environment for the cats was very clean, safe, and not overcrowded. They all had room to move around, toys to play with, and plenty of food and water. I was happy for the animals because they had a safe place to live; they were healthy, and taken care of. But I couldn’t help but feel sorry that they did not have a home to live in.
Adam Smith writes, “as we have no immediate experience of what other men feel, we can form no idea of the manner in which they are affected, but by conceiving what we ourselves should feel in the like situation,” (Anthology, 637). While he writes only about “other men”, this quote can be applied to way we treat animals as well. We don’t know or even understand what animals have been through, and the effect of their histories on their current behavior. It is impossible to judge an animal because we haven’t lived their life. However, thanks to my recent understanding and application of sympathetic imagination, I can understand animals better. When I looked into the eyes of my cats, Simba and Rossi, I knew they were looking back at me. I did not know their past nor did they know mine. From the moment we made eye contact, neither of our histories was important, only our futures. Even though I would not be able to adopt them, I understood that they saw hope in my eyes. I understood that they were always welcoming to others because they wanted to be loved; they wanted a family, home, toys, etc. of their own.
I have always felt a special connection to animals. Sometimes, I feel more connected to them instead of humans. Animals give you priceless amounts of unconditional love. I feel a great sense of acceptance when in the presence of my pets and even other animals. Truthfully, I am at my best when I have a special animal in my life or I am around animals. Animals offer a great, unexplainable, and irreplaceable feeling of comfort, relief, and security.
When I first met Simba, I admit that I was nervous. I did not want to make her feel uncomfortable or scare her. Oddly, she immediately made me feel comfortable. She would rub against my legs to request that I pet her and she would play with the toys when I threw them near her. She let me hold her; she didn’t scratch or try and jump out of my arms. It was rather easy to imagine what it would be like to be Simba because she was very loving. Thus, I assumed that she wanted a playmate, a family, a new home. I could see in her eyes that she was craving more of the attention I was giving her. I also noticed that in the pictures I took of her, she looks very stoic and hopeful. But I notice a trace of sadness in her eyes. I think she fears that she will never find a home, but her hopefulness definitely outweighs her fears.
When I first met Rossi, I was instructed that she was a vocal cat and she made noise when she was being held. I was told not to fear her, so I waited a while until she felt comfortable enough in her new environment. After she explored the new room she was in, she sat down and allowed me to pet her. She became increasingly comfortable and made me feel more comfortable as well. I found it easy to imagine being Rossi. Similar to me, she waited until she felt safe and then she allowed herself to interact with others. I felt accepted by Rossi when she let me pet and play with her.
If you are willing to understand an animal, it will be easy to do so. I think the best way to understand something is to use sympathetic imagination and think like them. "If a sparrow comes before my window, I take part in its existence and pick about the gravel,” (Anthology, 637). With this quote, I accept a new habit of trying to understand others with sympathetic imagination. I appreciate the fact that I understand animals without verbally communicating with them. With this project, I’ve learned that I can communicate with animals and I can understand them if I am willing to pretend to be them. This project has really made think about what life would be like if I were a cat at an animal shelter. Sympathetic imagination has made me appreciate my life more; but I’ve also learned how important it is to practice this type of imagination. It inspires me to help these animals in any possible way because I knew that Simba and Rossi appreciated the time I spent with them. I view animals as though they are my equals because truthfully, they are. They are capable of experiencing, processing, and exhibiting emotions just like us. They want to have someone to love, they want someone to love them, they want a home, and they want to feel secure. Humans and animals all share these needs and wants, and thus I am now able to look at animals with a greater understanding.
-Wolf 
Word Count with Quotes: 1,785
Word Count without Quotes: 1,729
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