LETTER TO THE EDITOR: Please be responsible and kind

My sister lives in Lexington County, South Carolina, and works for Lexington County and has paid taxes in Lexington County for many years. An issue has developed in Lexington County, of which I think public and private citizens need to be made aware.

This issue involves homeless animals, in particular, cats. There are so many homeless cats in your county, and this is a problem that affects many people. I am assuming that these cats had homes at one time, but have been displaced because of neglect or abuse. When an animal is abandoned, other people who have the heart for it end up taking responsibility for these animals.

My sister is one of these extraordinarily huge-hearted people who cannot stand to see an animal suffer. Therefore, she has been on a mission to take care of as many of these homeless cats as she can. She feeds the cats daily (canned and dry food), makes sure they have fresh water and a dry place to sleep. She misses vacations, and other social activities in order to look after the cats.

My sister’s goal is also to make sure that as many of the cats are spayed and neutered as possible. So far, she has been responsible for rehoming 15 kittens and trapping several adult cats which she then takes for spaying and neutering. She currently monitors a cat colony that consists of about 15 cats. It would be twice as large if she had not done all the work she has done thus far. She has even taken cats that are marginally claimed by the neighbors and had them spayed and neutered. My sister has taken care of these cats for years. The colony cats look healthy, and some of them are beautiful. They had to have been part of a home at some point.

Recently, the property on which my sister fed the cat colony has been posted, with an abandoned house on the property scheduled to be demolished. She can no longer feed the cats on the property. She started feeding the cats on an adjoining property, and although she was given permission to do this, someone has been removing the dishes and throwing the food away. They also dispose of the water dishes. This is cruel and uncalled for. My sister cleans up any area she uses for taking care of the cats and she is not a wealthy person. The food that is being thrown away is paid for by my sister alone.

For those of you who care about this situation in Lexington County, I have a few suggestions: 1. If you adopt an animal, please take care of it. Animals getting lost happens all the time, but look for them, contact your shelter, etc. Try to find them and get them back to your home. 2. Why not make a donation to Pawmetto Lifelines this year as a Christmas gift in someone’s name? 3. If you are unable to assist my sister in making a difference in your county with her own time and money, at least do not make things more difficult for her and others with spiteful, thoughtless actions and a non-compassionate heart. You should thank God for people like my sister who stepped up to help abandoned animals. There are several people in your communities trying to make a difference for these animals. Please help them if you can. They are addressing a problem that has been created by irresponsible pet owners.

Maybe when you see my sister or these other kind-hearted people, take the time to thank them, and appreciate them for what they do. My sister will thank you and so will Charlie, Mama B, Baby B, Paul, John and Goldie, among others. Remember these are God’s creatures too, and that they in no way asked to be in the position they are in. Please be responsible and kind.

From Teresa McDowell of Franklin, N.C.