🐈⬛
so I'm solo backpacking through greece right now which is exciting and boundary-pushing but one thing I've learned is to really keep your eyes and ears open.
the other day I was trekking to some ruins on the far end of an island and as I stopped to admire the view (see pic) I heard some rustling and banging from a big rubbish bin by the side of the road.
Naturally I approached, curious, but as I got closer the banging stopped. When I poked my head over the side, a jet-black four-legged monster with a elongated golden cylinder for a head leapt out to one side, scurried up the wall to the bushes, clanged its head and fell back to the grass behind the bin with a shriek.
this poor cat had gotten an empty tin of pet food stuck round its head, only its ears peaking out, totally unable to see and starting to pant for breath. My heart dropped. As I spoke to it, it gradually calmed to my presence, finally letting me hold onto the can so it could try and pull its head out. With each pull, though, it would claw at the can with its paw, forcing me to drop it, then flying into a panic and scrambling up the wall. We repeated this once, twice, again and again until I figured I could take off my sweater, wrap it around my hand and hold onto the can securely. With one final pull, I caught a glimpse of a frightened little black face disappearing in a flash onto the street behind me.
Wow what a relief. I turned around and saw the cat gently padding down the road, perhaps wounded in spirit but otherwise unharmed. After a few steps it turned to look back. Padded further and then looked back again. A short wordless exchange, something like a thank you in a language that transcends species.
Anyway thanks for reading this story I'm typing on my phone alone in a way-too-expensive cafe in Mykonos, I guess my rec is to help animals 🐾
Apr 17, 2025
Related Recs
🐶
So remember when everybody got puppies and kittens and whatever the fuck else during covid? Right, that happened, and it was great! Shelters were empty, homes were full of love. Then the world opened up and a lot of those folx went back to their jobs and decided that, while it was a cute instagrammable and tik tok moment for them, ultimately being a pet owner was so 2020 and just no longer their brand. So now, those animals are back in shelters, and shelters are full to the brim, you get it. Obviously don’t get an animal without thinking about the big picture of your life, it’s not for everybody nor is everybody in a place where they can take care for a furry friend. BUT if you can, do. It changed my life being a dog mom. Gives me purpose and a great excuse to leave parties and get out of bed in the morning.
Aug 7, 2023
I had never heard about this before but someone referenced it in a Nextdoor thread where people were roasting someone for saying they saw a wolf… I have recurring nightmares all the time where I’m walking at night and I see lion and tigers and bears (oh my)! The way this is written is so compelling. What a tragic and bizarre story I can’t believe we allow people to own exotic pets :(
“Only once you slide up and down these slippery moral slopes can you see how much easier it is for all of these owners to believe that they are acting with kindness to animals that they love, and that their love is on some level reciprocated. Maybe something went very astray with Terry Thompson, and so of course it is now in the interests of the other owners to draw a firm line between what he did and what they do, but my hunch is that if one had visited him a few years ago, he would have expressed the same love and care and concern for his animals, and done so with conviction. The truth is that while, on a practical level, we may feel as though we can distinguish between better and worse owners, it is logically impossible to know for certain what the animals are thinking or experiencing. Every human who interacts with an animal and then makes claims about what that interaction means to the animal—in backyards or zoos or even on the plains of Africa—is making a claim neither they nor anyone else can verify.”
May 18, 2024
On the one hand I’ve never hated a cat and I feel like I can get along with any of them or tame any stray/shy cat that I come across with time. I love how low-maintenance they are. I tend to prefer more gregarious dog-like cats, especially if they’re long-haired.
I love a codependent clingy pet… it’s rarer for cats to be like that but it’s a lot more common in dogs, which is why I got one after losing the best cat I’ve ever had in my life.
I love that having a dog is a LIFESTYLE and requires so much work because it forces me to structure my day around it but without the all-consuming nature of having a child? it’s kind of like having a little horse with the way you need to give them exercise, enrichment, and training. I enjoy playing zookeeper I guess. And it’s fun the way you can take them outside!! I used to have a cat who liked going out on a leash and harness but Bunny is not that type of girl.
It’s a lot more likely for me to not like a dog than a cat and there are so many kinds of dogs I don’t really vibe with or connect to. But at the same time the fact that I can tolerate any dogs at all (especially my own monster Benny) makes me kind of a dog person? I don’t know I can’t answer this!!!
Nov 14, 2024
Top Recs from @tomandonandon
Mar 28, 2025
when there's a bright, low spring sun (like today) and everything is hit at just the right angle to shine
Mar 19, 2025
Mar 20, 2025