Our lives with Humans

Dear Friends, On the 25th of April1995, I had enough of living in the semi-detached house in Accrington Lancashire, England. Mrs Lucy Cobham and her son Zak were fast asleep. I woke up, helped myself to the bowl of milk and ran out through the cat flap. I had no destination in mind but desperately wanted to leave this house. I came to live here because Mrs Cobham’s friend had passed away and her relatives brought me here. I jumped from the frying pan to the fire. In the first instance Mrs Cobham and her son Zak were insensitive to my needs. They allowed the two big Terriers to fight with me. It was a noisy house. I had no privacy and lost faith in human beings. I was at my wit’s end. My journey started by walking briskly from Mrs Cobham’s house through a muddy lane, a meadow, under a railway bridge which led to the town centre. The wind howled and the branches of trees swayed. I was only two years old and looked rather big for my age. My fur was brown with prominent markings and I had big emerald eyes. My heart was pumping fast and my paws were aching. I began to feel thirsty but I did not stop lest Zak followed me. I kept walking for nearly two hours. Smartly clad men and women were walking to work. Spring was in the air. I heard the chatter of little children walking to school. I paused for a while and thought “what am I doing here?” I nearly turned back but continued along the main street when I saw a white van stop by me. I thought it would be Mrs Cobham. When I looked up it was not her, but a young gentleman in a blue uniform. He carried me and stroked me. He commented “where is your collar” “You are naughty, you should not be on the street, you could be killed” I started to cry, then he said “don’t worry, I will take you to a safe place.”