Everyone Was Warned Not to Touch Him – But This Guy Did
| January 13, 2015
Original online story can be found here.
Man picks this cat up off the ground and tries to carry him home. Then something heartbreaking happens…
(grab a tissue, this may make your heart melt.)
(grab a tissue, this may make your heart melt.)
Everyone in the apartment complex where I lived knew who Ugly was. Ugly was the resident Tomcat.
Ugly loved three things in this world: fighting eating, garbage, and shall we say love. The combination of these things combined with the life spend outside had their effect on Ugly.
To start with, he only had one eye, and where the other should of been was a gaping hole. He was also missing his ear on the other side, his left foot appeared to have been badly broken at one time. and he healed at an unnatural angle, making him look like he was always turning the corner. His tail has long since been lost, leaving only the smallest stub, which he would constantly jerk and twitch. Ugly would have been a dark gray tabby striped- type, except for the sores covering his head, neck, even his shoulders with thick, yellowing scabs.
Every time someone saw Ugly there was the same reaction. “That’s one Ugly cat!!”
All the children were warned not to touch him, the adults threw rocks at him, hosed him down, squirted him when he tried to come close to their homes, or shut his paws in the door when he would not leave.
Ugly always had the same reaction. If you turned the hose on him, he would stand there getting soaked until you gave up and quit. if you threw things at him, he would curl his lanky body around feet in forgiveness. Whenever he spied children, he would come running meowing frantically and bump his head against their hands, begging for their love. If you ever picked him up he would immediately begin suckling on your shirt, earrings, or whatever he could find.
Ugly loved three things in this world: fighting eating, garbage, and shall we say love. The combination of these things combined with the life spend outside had their effect on Ugly.
To start with, he only had one eye, and where the other should of been was a gaping hole. He was also missing his ear on the other side, his left foot appeared to have been badly broken at one time. and he healed at an unnatural angle, making him look like he was always turning the corner. His tail has long since been lost, leaving only the smallest stub, which he would constantly jerk and twitch. Ugly would have been a dark gray tabby striped- type, except for the sores covering his head, neck, even his shoulders with thick, yellowing scabs.
Every time someone saw Ugly there was the same reaction. “That’s one Ugly cat!!”
All the children were warned not to touch him, the adults threw rocks at him, hosed him down, squirted him when he tried to come close to their homes, or shut his paws in the door when he would not leave.
Ugly always had the same reaction. If you turned the hose on him, he would stand there getting soaked until you gave up and quit. if you threw things at him, he would curl his lanky body around feet in forgiveness. Whenever he spied children, he would come running meowing frantically and bump his head against their hands, begging for their love. If you ever picked him up he would immediately begin suckling on your shirt, earrings, or whatever he could find.
One day Ugly shared his love with the
neighbors huskies. They did not respond kindly, and Ugly was badly
mauled. From my apartment I could hear his screams, and I tried to rush
to his aid. By the time I got where he was laying, it was apparent
Ugly’s sad life was almost at an end.
Ugly lay in a wet circle, his back legs and lower back twisted grossly out of shape, a gaping tear in the white strip of fur that ran down his front. As I picked him up and tried to carry him home, I could hear him whizzing and gasping, and could feel him struggling. I must be hurting him terribly I thought.
Then I felt a familiar tugging and suckling sensation on my ear – Ugly, in so much pain, suffering and obviously trying to suckling my ear. I pulled him closer to me and he bump the palm of my hand with his head, then he turned his one golden eye towards me, and I could hear the distinct sound of purring. Even in the greatest pain, that ugly battled-scared cat was asking only for a little affection, perhaps some compassion.
At that moment I though Ugly was the beautiful, loving creature I have ever seen. Never once did he try to bite or scratch me, or even try to get away from me, or struggle in any way. Ugly just looked at me completely trusting in me to relieve his pain.
Ugly died in my arms before I could get inside, but I sat and held him for a long time afterwards, thinking how one scarred, deformed little stray could so alter my opinion of what it means to have true pureness of spirit, to love so totally and truly. Ugly taught me about more about giving and compassion than a thousand books, lectures, or talk shows special ever could, and for that I will always be thankful. He had been scarred on the outside, but I was scarred on the inside, and it was time for me to move on and learn to love truly and deeply. To give my total to those I care for.
Many people want to be richer, more successful, well like, beautiful, but for me, I will always try to be Ugly!
Ugly lay in a wet circle, his back legs and lower back twisted grossly out of shape, a gaping tear in the white strip of fur that ran down his front. As I picked him up and tried to carry him home, I could hear him whizzing and gasping, and could feel him struggling. I must be hurting him terribly I thought.
Then I felt a familiar tugging and suckling sensation on my ear – Ugly, in so much pain, suffering and obviously trying to suckling my ear. I pulled him closer to me and he bump the palm of my hand with his head, then he turned his one golden eye towards me, and I could hear the distinct sound of purring. Even in the greatest pain, that ugly battled-scared cat was asking only for a little affection, perhaps some compassion.
At that moment I though Ugly was the beautiful, loving creature I have ever seen. Never once did he try to bite or scratch me, or even try to get away from me, or struggle in any way. Ugly just looked at me completely trusting in me to relieve his pain.
Ugly died in my arms before I could get inside, but I sat and held him for a long time afterwards, thinking how one scarred, deformed little stray could so alter my opinion of what it means to have true pureness of spirit, to love so totally and truly. Ugly taught me about more about giving and compassion than a thousand books, lectures, or talk shows special ever could, and for that I will always be thankful. He had been scarred on the outside, but I was scarred on the inside, and it was time for me to move on and learn to love truly and deeply. To give my total to those I care for.
Many people want to be richer, more successful, well like, beautiful, but for me, I will always try to be Ugly!
this story touched me...and thats why i wanted to post it to my blog.
yesterday, i was with a church companion, and we visited another sister in my church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints AKA: Mormon).
we have a program where we have a set of female congregational members, assigned to every other female, so ever female has someone come by at least once a month (or writes, or prays for them) to make sure they are ok, and we share a message.
so, the message was about the Attributes of Jesus Christ. (that message can be found here )
and one point marcia (my companion) had brought up was what the difference of PURITY and PERFECTION was.
i only reference that in this..as theres a part in the story where the author talks about purity.
i digress, my point for blogging this story, was because i have said for a long time, that all anyone (anything, really) wants is to be loved.
thats it.
loved with a purity, no restrictions, no demands, no limits, no reasons..just. plain. loved.
no matter what wrong, we have done, we know that person still loves us.
thats what we want.
animals, i feel, have emotion, ive said this for years, and i think are very much like us..they want to be loved.
no matter how mean we are, a dog will still..wag its tail when it sees us..for the love. a cat, will usually pur when we pet it, and they are filled with an attitude, most of the time, lol
this story, reminded me, on some level, were all broken, and hurting, or at least seeking a higher love than ourselves.
i know im broken, have been for a long time, its taken me years to find the right glue" to patch my broken heart.
and i wear it on my sleeve.
i am effected by my past.
its always there, in my face, and all i wanted was the love from a mother.
i never had a dad to get it from, so my only option was my mom. and she lacked (to me anyway) in the loving department...she was a rpvider, a good one, cant fault that..but she didnt show me love.
its taken me almost 50 years to realize, she never loved herself, enough to give to me.
we have to won it first before we can share it with others. and thats often (in my case anyway) a long hard deep hurting road we walk.
how often do we really appreciate the love someone else shows us in return if we do get it? or are we suspicious of its reasons?
i try to love ppl with the same love i have for my son..
if i say i love you, thats because i really do.
i feel a deep bond, and will think of that person all the time, in different ways and situations.
im an admin for a group on facebook with nearly 4K ppl in it (to date) and i think of my admins, almost the entire time im away from the group. wondering if they are struggling, having issues with members, are they frustrated? angry? upset at another member?
most of the time, they are fine...
but i worry, because i dont want them to suffer any more pain and issue than they should.
i think of friends, all the time, even ones from my days in Bethesda MD). i wonder how they are, if lifes treating them ok. are they hurting. and if so, i pray they come through it without scars.
i think of my best friend, sandy..shes like a sister to me, and altho she makes some pretty crappy choices, it doesnt warrant me to let her go, and dump her. i cant save her, but i can always love her...and i want desperately for her to see her value within herself...but thats a struggle she has to face within her own person. i can always be there when shes ready..but i cant hand those precious keys over.i dont own hers...i only own mine.
i think of former co-workers, and ppl i pass on the street and simply say hello to.
i try to love everyone.
im not gonna lie, some ppl are harder to love...that makes the challenge of acting in purity its finest.
without the conflict, theres never growth.
you have to have strife, to grow...
a seed PUSHES through the dirt to pop its blossom out...
a child, is SQUEEZED by muscles and organs and thrust into the world at birth.
we can not...become better if we are never challenged.
we HAVE to suffer something to appreciate the difference from where we were to where we end up.
in the end, what we do effects other. and we have a deeper love (if it was goodness we shared) towards them, which lends itself to a purity in love.
im this sad kitten, broken, hurt, longing, for someone to just scoop me up and love me. (mainly my mom, who sadly isnt here any longer, doesnt take away the fact i ach for that love from her)
i see it more and more every day..ppl in my life willing to cry with me, over things i have emotions for, ppl who share sentiments with me on facebook, because it makes them think of me, ppl who go out and get me things because i like them..
i am loved.
and i can see it now, more and more.
what i lack in my mothers aection, is given to me in sprinkles with others around me.
i am NOT forgotten...
(im gonna go religious here, forgive me if its not your thing)
God has NEVER stopped loving me. EVER, no matter what i have done, or what condition i am in, or how i look, or the way i behave..HE STILL loves me.
and i believe, has these other ppl in my life to fill the void...
it will never fill it comepltely, but it sure does help to remember that because i am who i am, Hes always going to provide, even when to me it seems completely hopeless.
the pain and loss of my mom may never ever go away, but it is being healed. day by day.
that love, helps me to be a better person...that love helps me to grow.
if you see someone struggling, whats your reaction? do you walk by and hope you forget them? or do you stop, and extend a hand...
are you everyone else? or are you the guy who helped "Ugly" the cat?
because some of us are "Ugly" and all we need is compassion...
some of us only want to be...loved.
Michelle
