"Crazy cat lady" Eleanor Abernathy from The Simpsons
Mickey Z. -- World News Trust
Sept. 4, 2017
I know cat ladies.
My Mom was the cat lady on every single block she ever lived on. As a kid, my apartment was always teeming with felines. To this day, I carry cat food with me everywhere I go.
I also know activists.
I was an activist. A high profile, widely beloved activist. Then I started writing articles like this and this and this and this. “Beloved,” I am no longer. I could go on but I’d instead prefer to sing the radical praises of cat ladies everywhere.
6 reasons why the local cat lady is more radical than you
1. They engage in direct action
Stray cats live nearby. They need food, water, shelter, and sometimes medical care. The local cat lady methodically provides them with food, water, shelter, and sometimes medical care on a regular basis. Any questions?
2. They’re dedicated, committed, and reliable
I have witnessed cat ladies attending to their feline flock in all kinds of weather. They keep a meticulous schedule and if they have to be out of town, they find someone else to reliably do the work until they return. Stray cats come and go. Some get adopted, some die terrible deaths. Neighbors complain about the noise and smell. Neighbors threaten to poison the cats and report the cat lady to the Department of Health. None of this deters a cat lady from her chosen mission. Why would it? She’s accepted her responsibility and lives up to, 24/7.
3. They don’t waste time, energy, or resources
No marches, signs, chants, or interminable meetings. No all-day social media flame wars. No need for selfies or other forms of virtue signaling. Why not? Because none of these -- nor any other typical “activist” tactic (sic) -- serve the mission. It’s not about the cat lady. It’s about the cats. Which brings us to…
4. They actually love and respect the beings they seek to help
Let that one sink in for a while.
By Scott Granneman [CC BY-SA 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons
5. They are not concerned about purity litmus tests
Imagine encountering a cat lady as she lugs bags of food and water to a regular feeding spot. Seemingly from out of nowhere, grateful cats and kittens arrive for their sustenance. Now imagine telling that cat lover how some of the ingredients in the cat food are not the healthiest. Then add a point about how she’s not properly recycling the cans afterward. Finally, go for the rhetorical kill by explaining why her efforts are wasted because she’s not addressing the big picture issues that create an overpopulation of stray animals and a general disdain for non-humans. Keep talking, but please take note: the cat lady ain’t listening. She’s already moved on to her next feeding spot.
6. They get results
A cat lady understands urgency when she encounters it. She also accepts her limitations and works around them. From there, she basically behaves like triage and/or hospice nurse. As a result, she gets results. Day after day, felines are fed and have safe havens in which to hide. If they fall ill or are injured, they will be promptly cared for with dignity. When others in the general area see a hungry, sick, injured, or threatened cat, they know who to contact. No delusions of grandeur about shifting global conditions or “changing the conversation.” Just results.
Imagine there’s no activists…
The path to “social justice” in a culture long past the proverbial point of no return is to do whatever you can to contribute toward creating a softer place to land for those within your reach. Hence, we must each begin thinking and acting like a cat lady:
- Find an issue that deeply moves us -- one we can and will stay committed to in the long term.
- Create a small scale program of action to address that issue within our capabilities, ASAP.
- Commit to the work, look forward to doing the work, and love the work.
- Seek no praise as you weep for the losses and celebrate each smile along the way.
I’ve been blessed to do such work for nearly a year now and I’d like to think my cat lady Mom played a role in this. How about we all find a way to create results in our community today? Imagine that.
Imagine a world without “activists.” Imagine a world of action.
Mickey Z. is the founder of Helping Homeless Women - NYC, offering direct relief to women on the streets of New York City. To help him grow this project, CLICK HERE and make a donation right now. And please spread the word!
6 reasons why the local cat lady is more radical than the local activist by Mickey Z. is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Based on a work at https://worldnewstrust.com/6-reasons-why-the-local-cat-lady-is-more-radical-than-the-local-activist-mickey-z.