I do declare, it is getting easier for me to run in this hot, humid weather! I had a really nice run this morning. And while I was on my run, something interesting happened.

A couple days ago Brenda had noticed a cat in the park. Stray cats are not commonly seen around here, at least not as commonly seen as stray dogs, which are everywhere. The cat Brenda saw was a lanky, think cream colored cat. Like the dogs, the cat might be thin because it’s hungry or because the animals here might be built that way, or a little bit of both.

Skinny kitty in the park. (Photo credit Brenda Hanik)

This morning, I saw the cat while I was running. It was just lying in the shade, paying no attention to me or anyone else. As I finished my run, I decided to do a couple cool down walking laps (it sounds almost ridiculous to say “cool down”). As I did my first lap, I stopped and poured a little bit of water out of my water bottle on the ground for the cat. She came right over to it. I kept on walking. As I approached her on my second lap, she was lying in her spot in the shade but when she saw me, she got up and came over to me, meowing, and rubbing up against my legs. I poured her a little more water because that’s all I had to offer, gave her a few scratches, and finished my exercise. I was amazed that after one little act of kindness, this kitty remembered me. But I probably shouldn’t be surprised. The stray animals here don’t always get a lot of kindness so when they do, they remember who treated them well. There is a mom dog and her three pups at my dad’s work that he and Ahmed feed every morning and my dad tells cute stories and takes adorable videos of these dogs and how excited they are when they see the red car pulling up. They remember. They know these guys are going to give them some yummy stuff.

Now, I’m sure there is likely somebody reading this that doesn’t see much heart-warming information in that little story. Maybe they are’t animal lovers. Maybe they get frustrated by the assistance people give animals but seem to eschew their fellow man. Well, what I can tell you is that from my perspective, they are all God’s creatures — people and animals alike, and I do what I can to help those who need it regardless of how many legs they have.

So just to make sure everyone knows that yes, we do care about the numerous homeless animals we see here in India but we don’t ignore the many people who live in poverty. The last time I was here, there were two instances where we provided food for children begging on the street. On this trip, we were barely out of the airport before our car was approached by a child begging for money. My dad and Brenda quickly rolled down the window and offered what they could. The plight of those who live in poverty here isn’t lost on us. But neither is the plight of the animals who roam the street.

There are so many people who live in poverty here. There are so many animals who are homeless and uncared for here. We can’t help them all, but we help as many as we can — people and animals.