As a person who loves cats and the power of emotional support animals, I love this story, of course. We started following a stray cat that we saw in London, but then stopped because the thought of it starting to follow us and not being able to take her in or feed her made us sad!
Thank you Jenna. Yes, the tension is real! I’m hoping that, in spending a few days alongside these animals, I’m helping them get used to human affection, even if I know they’ll be confused and sad when I leave. But yeah, I’d have done the same with the stray in London. The hardest part is not being able to explain our choices to them 😔
"Recognizing that, like all borders, walls are a temporary farce." - Love this. As I write a short essay on the importance of intentional companionship and friends who make us better, I love your thoughts on how our definition of that context can change. And especially to include nonhuman beings and even inanimate objects (*cue Tom Hanks scene from Cast Away*).
Hahah rish, I’m so happy you mentioned castaway! I kept thinking of Wilson but couldn’t figure out how to fit that in. Slash, was wary of coming across as having totally lost my marbles… excited to see your essay.
As a person who loves cats and the power of emotional support animals, I love this story, of course. We started following a stray cat that we saw in London, but then stopped because the thought of it starting to follow us and not being able to take her in or feed her made us sad!
Thank you Jenna. Yes, the tension is real! I’m hoping that, in spending a few days alongside these animals, I’m helping them get used to human affection, even if I know they’ll be confused and sad when I leave. But yeah, I’d have done the same with the stray in London. The hardest part is not being able to explain our choices to them 😔
"Recognizing that, like all borders, walls are a temporary farce." - Love this. As I write a short essay on the importance of intentional companionship and friends who make us better, I love your thoughts on how our definition of that context can change. And especially to include nonhuman beings and even inanimate objects (*cue Tom Hanks scene from Cast Away*).
Hahah rish, I’m so happy you mentioned castaway! I kept thinking of Wilson but couldn’t figure out how to fit that in. Slash, was wary of coming across as having totally lost my marbles… excited to see your essay.