By Bijan and Elaine Nikrad, July 2010
Our Place Is Where We Are Loved by Jan Yatsko
This essay is about cats, mostly feral or "strayed." I hope it will touch the reader's heart and mind as all other good writings in the literature on animal liberation have done for me. As Henry David Thoreau noted wisely, enslavement of other animals also enslave us. Without animal liberation there can be no human emancipation.
When I lived in Atenas, Costa Rica, I met wonderful individuals, mostly women, who operated FundaciĆ³n Ateniense de Ayuda a Animales Abandonados (Atenas Foundation for Helping Abandoned Animals) on volunteer basis. They conduct ongoing public education including by setting up a stand at the Friday's farmers market (La Feria) and teaching school children. They also provide free neutering and spaying of dogs and cats. Until a good home is found for abandoned dogs and cats, these volunteers offer their own homes as temporary shelter for these often sick and mistreated animals. This organization is registered in Costa Rica as a non-profit (Cedula Juridica #3-006-542026).
A friend, an artist and Atenas resident, Jan Yatsko used her talent to create the painting "Our Place is Where We Are Loved" (see above) and donated it to the Atenas
Foundation for Helping Abandoned Animals. All of the proceeds from the sale of this
painting will go towards food, medicine and veterinary care. The painting features Canela (Cinnamon) an abandoned and sexually abused female dog with a big loving heart. When the abandoned and orphaned kittens were placed near her, she started to produce milk and took care of them until they were adopted. Canela was also adopted and now the painting that captured her story is looking for a good home.
The unframed painting 15" X 20" in an acrylic wash on professional grade watercolor paper. Cost is $300 dollars + shipping within the US. Interested people can contact Jan Yatsko for more details at janyatsko@ice.co.cr. Everyone is encourage to visit Jan's website at www.janyatsko.com. Thank you.
My gratitude to Bijan and Elaine Nikrad from Minneapolis, Minnesota, who provided this essay to Our Place in the World.
Kamran Nayeri
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When we decided to start feeding a few stray cats in our backyard, we had no idea where it would lead. To enjoy this story to the fullest, it will help to be introduced to the original cast of characters, thirteen cats:
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