SoCS: Non-Violent Protest and a Scared Cat

October 3, 2020 by JoAnna 22 Comments

Here’s today’s prompt from Linda: “new/old.” Use either or both of the words “new and old” any way you’d like. Bonus points for starting and ending with either one. Have fun!

There was a meme on Facebook about a new way of protesting – just standing still and silent, no violence, no chants, just peaceful witnessing. It was like this was just discovered. What about Gandhi? What about Martin Luther King? and their use of passive resistance? This is not new! How could they forget so soon!

I looked for some video or pictures of sit ins and non violent protest. Yes, that’s bending the rules a bit. What I found first were violent protests. 😦 But soon I came across the following video about the history of the Student Non Violent Coordinating Committee from the civil rights movement in the US. Many of the protests were silent though some involved singing which I would prefer. John Lewis is one of the main people featured in this video. I think there was an example in the movie, Selma, but I’m not going to bend the SoCS rules that much to keep looking.

One of the things mentioned in the video was that students prepared for the sit ins and demonstrations. Their goal was to stay non-violent even if someone attacked them or spit on them. Imagine the courage and discipline that would take.

I hope we can develop new relationships with each other or put new elements of respect into old relationships.

On a personal note, I seem to be having to develop a new relationship with Mama Cat who I brought home from the church on Thursday. I thought our old relationship, developed over the past 4 or 5 years she lived at my church, would make up for me trapping her and taking her to the vet. Well, it seems like we’re starting from square one, because she’s hiding in her room that I prepared for her and, as of Friday afternoon, has not eaten yet.

It makes me think about how when we believe our world is coming to an end, we feel trapped, and maybe hopeless, like a caterpillar in a cocoon, there is a bigger plan for a better life ahead. We just don’t understand why things are so messed up.

Mama Cat probably feels like she is in prison. She has no idea she’s been “rescued.” I need to put myself in her place – being in a completely foreign place, having never been an indoor cat, and she probably thought the vet was trying to kill her. He did a great job with a towel and managed to give her a rabies shot, but it took a long time to get her back into the carrier. She did a little wall climbing and then would not move from the corner. Again, the towel method guided her into the carrier moved up near the corner. So now Mama Cat is hiding in a box I made for her. Maybe some day, she’ll climb on the perches we put on the walls. I have watched a lot of videos on cats and read a lot about domesticating feral cats. I have two litter boxes in her private room – one with organic potting soil and one with kitty litter. I hope she uses them.

As I write this, it’s only been just under 24 hours since I brought her home. I have to be patient and persistent. Not giving up on her or her daughter Gray who was trapped and dumped to an unknown location by the wildlife guy. (You can read about Gray in the second half of this post.)

So what’s the theme of this stream? When things look very bad, horrible, and confusing, don’t give up. Keep doing the next right thing. Avoid violence, but persist in your dreams. Continue to believe that things can get better.

Mama Cat is doing a silent protest. At least she hasn’t been violent. I thought she might hurt herself when I first trapped her. Sometimes scared looks violent. I need to trust her for her to trust me again.

Old ways work sometimes. But we need new ways, too. Perhaps we can keep the best of the old and add new ideas with respect and compassion.

Here are photos of Mama Cat. I fed her in the carrier without closing the door for a few days until she got used to it. She probably feels betrayed.

She kept her tail out like an antenna

Waiting for vet appointment. The blanket helped.

Tomorrow, October 4, is Saint Francis Day. My church is going to try to have the Blessing of the Animals outside with precautions. I’ll ask for blessings for Mama Cat and Gray remotely since they can’t be there.

PS. Mama Cat ate a little tuna around 7pm. I just read that loss of appetite can be a side effect of the rabies vaccine.

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Stream of Consciousness Saturday is superbly hosted by Linda G. Hill. For more streams, rules, etc., visit:

The Friday Reminder and Prompt for #SoCS Oct. 3/2020