August 5 - Community Kindness

Day 216 of a year of Kindness

Kindness ambassador #17, Andi Atwater, rescued a kitten with the help of friends.

A few days ago, I attended a stitching weekend with 10 creative women at a beautiful farmhouse on 600 acres in the middle of nowhere, Kansas. Not 15 minutes after we arrived, a scraggly, emaciated kitten found us at the farm and begged for help. She was scrawny, malnourished and sported a gaping wound on her lower jaw, from her teeth to her chin. She was about 10 weeks old and only 2.5 pounds.

Several of us jumped into action, driving to the nearest Walmart and purchasing kitten food and litter. We set the kitten up in the farmhouse bathroom and started calling her Muffin. I took her home Sunday. On Monday, I took her to the vet for an exam. The sore on her jaw is called a lip avulsion and happens, the vet said, when kittens are thrown from cars. She is having surgery today to attempt to re-cover the exposed bone with the remaining skin.

What is truly uplifting is the outpouring of love and support for little Muffin. Several of the women have pitched in to donate funds to help with Muffin's medical care. One of the women started a small GoFundMe to help pay for her surgery. No one asked them to help. No one forced me to take this little sweet ball of fur home. And there are a million animals who need help. But this little survivor found us and we stepped up for her.In my mind, that is a blazing example of kindness.

Science of Kindness: Research shows that rescuing animals is a profound kindness that draws from a deep sense of compassion, a desire to make a positive impact on the world and a commitment to animal welfare. It’s one of the most noble of kindnesses. #kindness #kindnessisfree #kindessmatters #animalrescue #community