Keep the FIRE alive

At the young age of 14, I was already that Old Cat Lady.  I've had a thing for rescuing kittens.  Those unwanted ones thrown in the trash, those left for dead under parked vehicles.  Whenever I hear a meow for help, I take that little fluffy, dirty thing home.  In total, I've had 14 grown cats.  All happy, all well taken cared of.

Noble, huh?  But what I did then is nothing compared to the story of Lei and Fire.

Lei is a good friend with a good heart for animals.  Fire is a stray cat and a victim of inhumanity.
He may have meowed a tad too loudly one night --who knows?-- but some jerk thought the best way to shut him up was to douse him with boiling water.  I bet the jerk is feeling wonderfully macho right now.  And I bet karma is on its way to his house with a vat of boiling radioactive waste.
The rash and highly uncalled-for act made a sad, painful mess of one of Fire's hind legs.  The scalded area is left without fur and skin, with the flesh horribly exposed to the elements. 

But where there are evil people, there are good ones.  And that's when Lei came into Fire's life.

Lei scooped the helpless cat into her arms and took him to a nearby animal clinic where he was treated, cleaned, and prepped for amputation.  Sadly, the damaged and now infected leg will have to go.  It will take days for Fire to regain enough strength for surgery and months to recuperate after that, but Lei and and all of us are confident he will pull through.  Lei, after all, named him Fire because of the relentless fight in his eyes.

Today, Fire is stronger ...and cuddles a lot!  It's clear that even though he found fear and hatred in humans once, he's also found security and love in humans since being saved.

Today is also the day Fire is scheduled for the crucial operation.  In behalf of Lei, this blog calls for all animal lovers to find the heart and time to help out.  You may send love by visiting Fire at Vets In Practice in Mandaluyong City, and you may also send much-needed donations to FIRE's Metrobank Savings Account # 3343 1000 95.  

This is one way for man to show that despite the ugliness some people do, there IS love for animals deep within most of us.  Let's keep that fire alive.