Letter to the Editor: Reader pleased with cat rescue

I read the article in the Grant Tribune-Sentinel, “GVFD calls mutual aid for cat rescue”. It is good that the Grant Volunteer Fire Department was aided by the Ogallala VFD to rescue a kitten stranded 35 to 40 feet up in a tree after being chased by a dog. 

While that may sound simple and draw sneers, jeers and hopefully some applause, too, I commend the firemen. I am a dog and cat lover myself. Plus, that kitten is one of God’s creatures. That kitten may just be someone’s companion; therefore its life could be crucial to its owner’s life and well-being. 

I just got out of the hospital a few days ago, and while it may sound equally silly, I was glad to get home to my two little cats. They are my companions, having raised Jasper and Sharona (nicknamed ‘Toad’ because it hops like a toad),  since they were born under a shed. A mean neighbor killed the kittens’ mother. 

While in the hospital, just getting released was my ‘hope’, but getting released from the hospital to see my little cats reinforced my ‘goal’ to get well-enough to be released. I may have been released prematurely. However, my desire to feed, water and care for my little cats is something I relish. 

Therefore, I can understand the plight of the kitten noted in the Tribune-Sentinel 12 miles northwest of Grant. I’m sure that kitten’s owner, Shirley Stickley, equally values its life. And, if too young to come down on its own, the kitten needed human intervention. 

I firmly believe in Genesis 1:26, which I won’t repeat verbatim, but it states clearly that mankind shall have dominion over the animals; and that means being a good steward of the lives of animals. Kudos to the volunteer firemen in both districts.

Sincerely, 

James A. Marples

Longview, Texas