Rescue a Cat and Raise Your Endorphins (Or a Tale of Two Torties)

 

There are few things that make a human feel better than helping a cat in need. Many of you know this already, and my human was reminded of one of her very own experiences this week. You see, a friend of ours — you may know her, she’s the human of Selina and her family at One Eye On the Future — was at the pet store the other night and saw something that upset her greatly. There was a five-month-old tortie kitten in a cage all by herself, the cages on either side of her empty. Her litter box was a disaster. A few crumbly pieces of kibble remained in her food dish. What water was left in her water bowl had clumping litter floating in it. The neglected kitten reached her paw out of the locked cage, begging for attention….

My human had a flashback of a small tortie kitten, reaching desperately through the bars of her cage. She wasn’t at a rescue cat in a pet store, however, she was at one of the roughest animal control facilities in Los Angeles. It was October 2000, and the cat was Binga.

My human followed the story of the tortoiseshell kitten at the pet store on Facebook as it developed. Selina’s human was outraged at the kitten’s neglect and desperately wanted to help her somehow. Her own feline home was full, so she couldn’t adopt her herself. Plans were discussed…. and then her cousin casually tossed off that she might take the kitten. Selina’s human made the arrangements and picked her up. The next post that showed up on Facebook was a photo of the tortie kitten in Selina’s human’s arms. Both of them looked happy beyond words.

My human knew the feeling. It was the same one she had when she picked up Binga from the Animal Control facility and drove her to the veterinary clinic where her boyfriend worked at the time. She wasn’t intending to adopt her — she had pulled her just because it was clear she needed to get out of there. But the selfless act of saving a cat in need stirred something inside of her. It was an all-encompassing wave of love and joy that you wish could go on forever. It was an endorphin rush!

One of the coolest side effects of rescuing a cat in need is that awesome feel-good sensation. It’s actually your body reacting to big emotions. Endorphin rushes also happen to regular exercisers after a hard cardio workout and women who have babies. Saving a cat is much easier than these two things, I think! There is nothing like getting up close and personal when you are helping rescue a cat, and holding her in your arms when she is out of danger. You don’t even have to be the adopter — in fact, it feels even better when you aren’t because then it’s totally an act of unconditional love. So always keep a lookout for situations where you can be of service to a cat in need. You’ll benefit too!

Have you ever had an endorphin rush from saving a kitty? Tell me in your comments if you have!

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Having problems with your human or the other cats in your house? As the internet’s “Dear Abby With Claws,” Sparkle had answers to many annoying problems in her two award-winning books! Visit her author’s page on Amazon to buy one or both of her awesome Dear Sparkle books!