I remember Captain Kitty. I had that very book when I was small, the one shown in your photograph. It was one of my favorites.

It's the abuse against animals that does me in. I mean, I don't like abuse against humans either, but let me see if I can explain. That gory video circulating TikTok of the man livestreaming his own suicide by shotgun? I didn't even flinch. My heart broke for the poor little dog who walked into frame while the headless corpse sat cockeyed in the chair with the sound of blood splattering on the floor. Chalk it up to my days as an EMT, but scenes like that don't bother me much. Except for the animals. They never have a say in any of it. They are always innocent. Like abused children--never would such violence enter their minds until they're victims of it.

Humanity is depraved. I'm convinced of this. More and more, sane, sensitive human beings are becoming the exception, not the rule. I know this was all "prophesied." I know we've been taught to expect it. But suffering of the innocent is not something I'll ever acclimate to. And I will never have an ounce of compassion for anyone who intentionally harms an animal, regardless of what fate they meet.