What Would You Do If…?

A conversation about fleeing the enemy

My ears pricked up to a conversation my three bairns were earnestly engaged in. My apartment is small; the living area/kitchen/dining spaces are separated by furniture, not walls. I was sitting at my laptop, distracted by my writing world, but my subconscious redirected my attention to what I was hearing rather than seeing.

It’s rare to have all my kids together these days now that the ‘baby’ is at University. Although I may be shunned for not being physically part of their discussion, being a bystander rather than a participant can be equally interesting.

My kids were talking about the new reality facing millions of Ukrainians. Their everyday existence had suddenly become a fight for survival and an international nightmare. Russian forces surrounded their borders and unwelcomingly began to penetrate their homeland, their lives and their minds.

Media posts were laden with stories and images of citizens fleeing in droves, many of them armed with their beloved pets firmly embraced. My kids were discussing what they would do with their kitties if they were in the same situation.

Our fur babies are part of the family. Without them, life would not be the same. The consensus of their discussion was that it would be kinder to euthanize our beloved four-legged friends than expose them to the harsh reality of life beyond their cosy four-walls.

My cats flee every time I get the vacuum cleaner out. If we have guests, Bubba goes immediately goes into hiding. For some reason, he does it when Hannah comes over. Despite coaxing, he remains entrenched under my bed, but minutes after she leaves, he warily slinks out.

Just hearing a new sound sends him scurrying undercover, his long nails scratching the floorboards in haste. Yup, he hates having those claws manicured too; he’d prefer to do it on my leather couch despite having a scratching post at hand.

Booboo is less of a scaredy-cat but a hungry soul. His life revolves around the food bowl — and the bean bag. If he’s not eating, he’s sleeping and vice-versa. He has no boundaries; if there’s food to be eaten he will scoff it down, then dig into Bubba’s plate too. It’s promptly barfed up — conveniently on the plate! Rationalizing portions and supervising his grazing is the only way to stop his stray-minded behaviour.

Bubba and Booboo would be miserable if penned up and on the run. They would be terrified of all the new sounds, smells and confinement. It would be crueller to subject them to that than have them rest peacefully at an abandoned home.

The discussion centred on ‘how.’ How could one purposely end the life of a beloved cat when it went against every thread of their being?

They agreed it had to be quick. Snapping necks would be fast but unthinkable. While a knife could do the task, bleeding to death sounded slow and painful.

That’s when I piped in.

I have pills. We could lace their last supper with a potent cocktail and they would fall into forever sleep.

Before you start hitting the comment section with obscenities of animal cruelty, hear me out. As much as these types of discussions sound distasteful and barbaric, I was glad my kids felt comfortable voicing their concerns. They weren’t being callous or overdramatic. They were genuinely rattled by what they were seeing miles away and felt the need to consider their actions if placed in the same situation.

They love and care for their precious kitties.

While I hope the day never comes that we would be in this position, I do not doubt that throughout the years, thousands of people have had the same thoughts before being rounded up and treated like trash.

What would you do if…

I’m not judging the hundreds of Ukrainians who have fled for their lives with their pets in tow. Far from it. They didn’t have the luxury of forethought or choice. They did what they thought best in times of tumultuous upheaval. I not only have tremendous heartache for the people, I worry about their vulnerable and frightened fur babies.

I can’t imagine how terrifying it must be to have an enemy knocking on your doorstep. It’s unfathomable the destruction power and greed create. Yet, it continues to happen. For now, we’re the lucky ones sitting back and watching from a distance.

I’ll confess to finding these latest events in Ukraine to be emotionally distressing. It’s easier to switch off the news than process the terror. But, shutting off the news doesn’t stop the horror millions are facing. Turning a blind eye to their plight is similar to witnessing abuse and saying nothing. How can we feel if we deny reality?

We should all be watching and worried. We should all be talking about it and feeling their pain.We should all be talking about what we would do if faced with similar circumstances.

I hope the day never comes that I have to lace my kitties food so they are spared from terror. Heck, I don’t even know if I have the fortitude to cope with losing everything I’ve spent a lifetime to build and running for my life.

I’d rather be in forever sleep too — at my hand, not theirs.