Crikey. Just read that paragraph and it was like a thump in the chest. How true is that?
That is so beautifully expressed.
I know at times, when we're playing with Mac, and he has such an expression of faith and trust about him, I feel weak at the thought of any harm ever befalling him. I fervently pray he's fortunate enough never to know suffering of any description.
After Paddy died, it had been such a long time since we'd had a kitten - an out and out baby in the house. I recall the first night we brought Mac home, and he came out of his carrier, looking wary, very very small and alone.
After a little while, we got him up on the sofa, and we had a little gentle play and a few cuddles, then he sat next to me and fell asleep. It was with some degree of trepidation over any "right" to do so, that I gathered up his little stripey clad body and laid him gently on my lap. The feeling of overwhelming love I felt at his trust as he snuggled down into the warmth will never leave me.
This just reminded me all over again of what a huge undertaking it is when deciding to look after the welfare of any animal, and the absolute duty we have to their well-being and happiness.