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Villa Kitty Bali – Stories from the Cat House
“Walk on by”
by Elizabeth Henzell



The message on our Villa Kitty Facebook page said “We have a little lad kitten found last night at the grave yard front of Jazz Cafe. His name? Miles, of course. We think he is 3-4 weeks and shouldn't be away from his mum. We're going to buy a bottle and get kitten formula unless you have any other advice?” It was from our cat loving friend, Kerry. Then followed quickly by: “Update – he is eating kitten food, mashed fish, and he loves it. We don't need the formula.”
One kitten saved.

Who are the people who are unable to “Walk On By”?
Dionne Warwick's song “Walk On By” is in my head. I have been singing it to myself since Braveheart arrived. A tiny kitten who amazed us all with her brave heart.

Carline & her friend were visiting Ubud and had decided to see the evening performance at Ubud's Pura Dalem. On the way in they heard the distressed meows of a kitten but couldn't see it. On the way out they saw it. But what was it, this strange lump of leaves and twigs? It meowed but there the likeness to a fluffy kitten ends.

People were walking past. They looked down then looked away, consciously wiping the image from their memory, walking on by. Carline and her friend could not “Walk On By”. They picked up the alien object in a spare T-Shirt from their backpack and carried her to their hotel. There they washed it, removing the twigs and leaves. What was this gluey substance that hid a tiny kitten beneath and how could it have come in contact with it?

Using a google search they found Villa Kitty Facebook page and brought the still sticky kitten to us.

After two washes, the last in warm soapy water, we managed to clean Braveheart's fur. None of this was pleasant but she was brave throughout the whole procedure. Braveheart had a painfully thin little body that belied her almost 4 months.

How could this have happened? An accident or a deliberate act of cruelty? What is it like to die slowly of starvation? What is it like to have leaves and twigs stuck to your body so that any natural bodily function cannot work? Braveheart would have known what it was like to die this way had all the people closed their eyes to her suffering and chosen to 'Walk On By'.

Braveheart snuggled into her bedding, purring as we stroked her thin body. She loved her meals and lapped her water. It was a joy to watch her. It was good to know that she felt safe and warm with us. Braveheart lived with us for just four nights.

On the morning that she died our night shift staff came early to my house with the news. Ketut is a gentle 'young' man. He has only worked at Villa Kitty for a short time but he, like the rest of our staff, believe that nothing deserves the pain that Braveheart would have suffered had Carline not stopped.

Unimportant to many but to us she was as important as any. For four days and nights we had Braveheart with us, with all the other cats and kittens we have at Villa Kitty. We thank Carline. We thank Kerry, Emil and Tahlia too and the others who cannot 'Walk On By'. Don't allow defenceless animals to suffer.

We need your support and your donations to help us to continue our good work into 2012 and beyond. We wish you and yours a happy healthy New Year.

Villa Kitty Bali Jalan Ambarawati Lodtunduh (near Villa Sekar Jepun)
Visit our Facebook page or t: +6285857584131 e: villakittybali@gmail.com