The Work of Saints: The Catskill Animal Sanctuary

The Catskill Animal Sanctuary in New York state is one of many animal sanctuaries across North America - indeed, around the world - helping abused and neglected animals. This video, from GrassrootsDotOrg, introduces viewers to Kathy Stevens, the director of the sanctuary. She discusses the sanctuary's mission and the importance of a vegan diet as a means of helping these beautiful animals.

This is also a prime opportunity to see the animals at the Catskill Animal Sanctuary. That's why I'm posting the videos from Catskill's YouTube Page below. One look at these amazing beings and you'll agree that they - and all animals - have a right to live a happy life, out in the open, free of cages, without the constant threat of death hovering over their heads.

Sadly, one of the animals in a video posted below, a hen named Ivory, passed away earlier this month, on March 5. But in her short life, Ivory enjoyed a level of freedom and security that the overwhelming majority of chickens will never know. In a place like the Catskill Animal Sanctuary, where each and every life counts, Ivory will be sorely missed.

What becomes immediately apparent as you're watching these videos is how spirited and breathtakingly beautiful and free these animals are. They radiate happiness. Their spirits haven't been crushed. We see the animals of the Catskill Animal Sanctuary living life to the fullest in these videos.

Bless the Catskill Animal Sanctuary - and all of the happy and healthy safe havens - for giving animals a second chance at life. I can't help but feel that if omnivores could see these animals - really see them in their day-to-day lives - that most would stop eating meat and all other animal products right away. The folks who run these animal sanctuaries really, truly are doing the work of saints.

Saving Navarro

Americans were shocked to learn about a cat named Navarro who was narrowly saved from being eaten in New York state. Police stopped 51-year-old Gary Korkuc of Cheektowaga, New York, and found a beautiful black and white cat in the car's trunk marinated in oil, crushed red peppers, chili peppers and salt. Korkuc was planning to devour the poor cat. Korkuc told the police he planned to eat the cat because it had been "mean" to him. (He later denied plans to eat the cat, telling a local radio station "that's conjecture and that's an assumption.") Navarro is pictured here on the right. (Source)

Unlike so many of these gruesome tales, this story has a happy ending. Korkuc was caught before he could eat Navarro. Another resident of Cheektowaga, a cat lover, adopted Navarro and changed his name to Oliver and now he lives in a loving home. "Navarro spend the last night curled up on a bed in his wonderful new home," noted the SPCA. (Source)

You can probably predict what I'm thinking. "Cows and pigs and chickens deserve to live as much as cats..." - that sort of thing. But I'm also very thankful that this story has a happy ending. So many of these kinds of episodes end badly. Really badly. There's a wonderful friend on Facebook who is trying to stop a cat hoarder in Van Nuys, California (left). If your heart can stand the tragic video she made, please try to watch it below. This will give you some idea of the awful lives that hoarded cats live, cramped in unbearable conditions, living in the filthiest conditions imaginable.

So yeah, we do have a double standard to some degree. Cats are seen as more sacrosanct than, say, pigs or chickens or cows. But there are still a lot of cats out there who suffer. And I'm thankful than Navarro has a good home. Thankfully, there are still plenty of good people out there who care about animals.