Some days, let’s face it, I don’t want to get out of bed and be barraged with fur coats, stupid anti-vegan questions, and McDonald’s/Arby’s/Applebee’s/whateverthefuck ad that shoves dead animals into my face. Sometimes, you can feel extremely defeated when you look at the big picture. So what do I do? I don’t look at the big picture. There’s one thing that gets me out of bed on these days to continue fighting. Well, two.

Avocado and Ginny. And I don’t mean that I get out of bed because I have to feed them (I can easily go right back to bed). Just seeing them, knowing what a great life they now have, is sometimes the motivation I need. Their stories aren’t incredibly horrific compared to some (J’s dog was legally rescued from a vivisection lab, and you should hear him talk about the rehabilitation process), but still. I need to keep fighting so others won’t have to endure worse.

I got Avocado in March of this past year. He and his brother (whom I didn’t adopt) were seventh months old and had been victims of animal abuse. Yet he had never fought back, according to the papers I received at his adoption. He never bit, or clawed, or anything. And he still hasn’t. Even though he received horrible treatment in his first home, once he was with people who cared about him, once he could feel safe, he knew that. As soon as I brought him home, he knew it was for good. He completely trusts me (and I would never do anything to violate that trust). The capacity for forgiveness in animals is amazing.

Ginny was abandoned when she was about five months old. When I adopted her in August, she had been in the shelter for a month and a half (completely baffling the shelter volunteers, who loved her, and I also couldn’t understand why). She had been dumped at a “popular” drop-off spot for unwanted pets (a spot the shelter regularly checks apparently). When she was brought in, she was half-starved, had worms and fleas, and was extremely cautious. When I went to adopt her, she was still on the thin side, and she was very shy. She was terrified of being outside. She also wasn’t too keen on dogs which, with two very hyper dogs in the house, made things interesting.

I brought her home, kept her away from the dogs, and gave her lots of love and food. She went from five and a half pounds to a healthy 7 pounds quickly. She didn’t hesitate to show her affection towards me, licking my fingers (and everywhere else) whenever I picked her up. Her affection has never wavered.

Through the months, I’ve worked on renewing her confidence. She was afraid of going outside, but I started taking her out on her leash and harness, and once she realized that I would remain by her side, she relaxed. One day, the three of us (including Avocado) went outside in the front yard and she took a nap while Avocado ran around. That’s how I knew she was much more at ease. Now she goes outside all the time (always on her harness, always with me). We go for walks down to the Lincoln Square shops, where she hangs out with the calmer dogs. She’s attended a fur protest with me (once winter’s over she’ll be out there again… I’m not going to subject her to this weather!). I’m the crazy girl with a cat on a leash… but if she doesn’t go out at least once a week now, she gets restless.

She’s still jumpy at times if you move too quickly behind her, and sometimes she gets startled by the simplest things (like the fridge turning on). She freezes when people walk by my apartment door. But I’m sure that she’s aware that nothing’s going to happen to her now. She still gives me, and anyone else she meets, plenty of kisses.

So for me, I have to get out of bed and continue to fight for animal rights so that animals like Avocado and Ginny can have a chance for something better, if they happen to be born into the wrong situation. So they don’t end up as “subjects” in animal tests. So they don’t end up on fur farms in China to make cheap fur coats. So they don’t end up in cheap pet food. And this extends to ALL animals. I know that I’ve only focused on my cats, but I want to make the distinction that they’re not special just because they’re cats. All animals deserve the chance to live a happy, fulfilling life without cruelty. Just some days, the physical reminder is needed.