the
Dahlia Project
On April ninth, 2011, four kittens came into this world, mothered by a tuxedo named Rose. This litter, her first and only, consisted of three males and one female. The males were a tuxedo named Jonah, a large gray tabby named Zeus, and a second tuxedo named Toby. The single female, the youngest, was a jet-black scrap of fur named Dahlia. As with any other kitten, she opened her amber eyes not long later, and as she grew she learned all she could from her mother and older brothers. With her velvety coat and eyes like twin pools of molten gold, her natural grace and her fiery personality, Dahlia was a dream.
On November sixteenth, 2011, Dahlia parted ways with her family and the shelter she called home. Now with an adoptive older brother named Milo and a loving and devoted adoptive mother, Dahlia had found the place she would spend the rest of her days in happiness. She had found her forever home. She stalked and pounced anything that passed her--including Milo's tail. She climbed as high as she could and watched her world from above with the golden eyes that seemed to always gleam with mischief. She was happy, and all was well.
On October thirty-first, 2011, Dahlia would see her last sunset. Halloween was a time of festivities, of trying her hardest to sneak into the candy bowl and knock the decorations over. At just six months old, Dahlia had seen hardly a fraction of what there was to see, but she would see no more. As her family prepared for the night, the black kitten watched the sunset through the screen front door; the color that streaked the sky reflected in her eyes, full of young and innocent wonder. With all the agility and stealth of the majestic feline race she was a part of, Dahlia slipped through a crack to explore the world. By time the sun had fallen below the horizon, she was off, on her way to see things her kitten eyes had yet to see. By midnight, the dark and loving beauty would live on only in the minds and hearts of those who loved her, and continue to do so.
~ * ~
Dahlia had the misfortune of being a black cat loose on Halloween night, and she is not the only lost because of this. Despite her kindness, her playfulness, her trusting nature, and her sheer beauty, Dahlia was killed. She was not lost to a passing car or a dog; she was killed by superstition and cruelty, a small group of teenagers with stones and bats. I aim to stop this, but cannot do it alone.
I ask only two very simple things: educate yourself and spread the word. If you have a story of a victim of the black cat superstition, or any type of animal cruelty, share it. Let people see the numbers that have been affected, the innocent lives torn apart by it. Not only the animals themselves, but any who cared about them. Every animal gives an undying loyalty and unconditional love; they deserve the same in return. They are not responsible for tragedies of the past, and should never be punished for them.
In addition to promoting awareness of animal cruelty and hoping to stop it, I also want to raise the issue of shelters and alterations. I cannot control where you get your pets, but I beg you to consider shelter and rescue animals first and foremost. Millions upon millions of cats, dogs, horses, and other animals are dying in overcrowded shelters--they can only take care of so many with the space and resources they have, and many are being forced to turn away animals in need because they have no room. Part of this is caused by the fact that people will go first to pet stores or breeders. Nearly all pet stores, unless they specifically work with shelters to adopt out their animals, get their animals from pet mills. This overcrowding in shelters is also caused by overpopulation. Altering (spaying and neutering) your pets is the easiest way to fix this. I know how cute kittens and puppies are, but is seeing that cute face worth the consequences? For each puppy or kitten born and sold or given away in a regular household, one adult dog or cat is sentenced to death. So please, don't breed or buy while homeless die.
And so my mission, and the mission of the Dahlia Project, is this: spread awareness of the reality. Peel off the sugarcoated layer, the one saying that alterations will make your animals boring or unhealthy and that raising a litter yourself is exciting. Tear away the assumptions that an animal can't be being abused just around the corner from you because it "just doesn't happen" where you live. Give the innocent a chance at life.
Spay, neuter, adopt, and educate.
Give the innocent a voice.
Make Dahlia's story known.