Sad Eyes and Eager Tails

Hearts will never be practical until they are made unbreakable.
Professor Marvel to the Tin Man in "The Wizard of Oz"

I have always preferred most animals to most people and so .....

I avoid adoption days at our local pet store like the plague. Animals in cages prey on my rescue and maternal instincts too forcefully and my better judgement melts when confronted with sad eyes and eager tails. Each warm, furry body cries out to me to be held and cared for, cries out for deliverance, and it takes every ounce of will power I have to turn away. Even so, the sadness stays with me for days, the images of small, hopeful faces invading my dreams and intruding into my mind. It's too hard on my heart.

Practicality, however, has to rule at some point - there is neither space or money enough to take on more nor time to spend with them. Love them as I do, I'm at my limit and even one more would drive me into distraction if not bankruptcy and outright madness. Like human children, there is no end of worry, care or cleaning up. Unlike human children, they do not leave the nest and make their way in the world but rather stay utterly dependent for all their lives. Litter boxes must be changed, food and water bowls constantly overseen, vaccinations and tags faithfully provided. Boundaries must be enforced, disputes arbitrated - vigilance can never be relaxed lest one get locked in a closet, trapped by a nail snagged on the curtains, or slip stealthily through an open door. The battle against fleas is endless and expensive and heaven forbid that one or more might consider eating a lesser brand of cat or dogfood. I'm convinced they can read labels. The last straw is when litter box training is inexplicably forgotten and there is no choice but to rip up two rooms of carpet in favor of easy clean laminate, an expense I am ill prepared for and do not willingly make.

Then I remember that the time comes when all things living leave to make room for the next, that these dim witted and dependent little ones will not always be overhead and underfoot and in the way and I gather them to me, hoping for forgiveness and knowing that I will miss their warmth and nonsense.