In 2020, Mrs. Liu, who lives in a remote village in Guangdong, is in her 70s. She lives alone in a dilapidated mud house, her husband has long since passed away, and her children have gone out to work to earn a living, and rarely come back to visit.
Mrs. Liu was the only one in the empty house, and even if the TV was on, it couldn't dispel the loneliness.
Mrs. Liu initially tried to raise a few chickens, hoping that their quacking would bring some life. However, on weekdays, the chickens and ducks are still quiet, only Mrs. Liu is grinding in the yard.
Gradually, she felt that raising chickens would not help.
One night, in the wind and rain, Mrs. Liu lay on the hard wooden bed tossing and turning. Suddenly, she remembered that there was a white cat named "Shanshan" in her family when she was a child, and the warm image of it nesting in her arms and purring immediately came to her mind.
Early the next morning, Mrs. Liu got up happily, had a simple breakfast and went out. She's going to the town's pet market to see if there's a suitable kitten.
Walking on the dirt road in the countryside, Mrs. Liu's face was filled with a long-lost smile, full of anticipation for the scene of the upcoming encounter with the kitten. Maybe soon, my life won't be so lonely anymore.
Coming to the town's pet market, Mrs. Liu looked over and over, but none of the cats met her requirements. Mrs. Liu was a little discouraged, left the pet market disappointed, and slowly walked on the country road home.
Just as she walked to a deserted mountain pass, suddenly, a faint "meow" sound came from her ears. Mrs. Liu was taken aback, carefully looking for the source of the sound, and in the grass on the side of the road, she saw a small figure curled up.
The 10-day-old feral cat was covered in dirt, bleeding from its right hind leg, and was very embarrassed. It looked at Mrs. Liu vigilantly, and gently "meowed" again.
Mrs. Liu's maternal love immediately sprouted, and she gently held the kitten in her arms and wanted to take it home to treat the wound.
At first, the little wild cat was still a little cowering, but soon felt Mrs. Liu's kindness. Mrs. Liu comforted the little creature in her arms softly along the way, stroking its hair from time to time.
Slowly, the little wildcat let her guard down and fell asleep comfortably.
Back home, Mrs. Liu couldn't wait to wash its body, apply ointment, and then spread a soft old quilt in the corner to create a warm and cozy nest.
Looking at the sleeping kitten, Mrs. Liu's face was filled with a warm smile.
Under Mrs. Liu's careful care, the little wild cat's wound quickly healed. It is very close to Mrs. Liu, no matter where Mrs. Liu goes, it follows closely, meowing and meowing, very clingy.
Mrs. Liu named it "Xiaobai", and talking to it and teasing it has become a daily pleasure.
However, during this period of time, several chickens raised by Mrs. Liu died one after another. At first, Mrs. Liu thought it was a weasel coming down the mountain to hunt, but soon she found that a large hole had been bitten out of the barbed wire, and the wild rat was powerless.
When Mrs. Liu found the remaining blood stains on Xiaobai's mouth, she suddenly realized.
Next, Mrs. Liu's newly bought rabbits were also bitten to death in the rabbit cage one after another. Every time she witnesses the bloody and tragic situation in the rabbit cage, Mrs. Liu's heart is like a knife. How could Xiaobai, who was once so docile, hurt other small animals for no reason? Mrs. Liu was puzzled.
One day, Mrs. Liu saw Xiaobai sneaking into the chicken coop, and the chickens immediately scattered and fled, and the chicken coop became a mess. At this time, Mrs. Liu was finally convinced that the murderer was in front of her - Xiaobai's wildness had gradually been revealed.
Mrs. Liu, who was frightened by Xiaobai's unusual behavior, immediately called her children in the city for help. After listening to the mother's story, the children were very worried about her safety and immediately contacted the animal experts in the city to help.
The next day, animal experts rushed to Mrs. Liu's house. He carefully checked Xiaobai's posture, patterns and other characteristics, flipped through the comparative analysis of the data, and quickly made a judgment - this is actually a wild leopard cat living in the mountains and forests, which belongs to the national second-class protected animals.
It turned out that Mrs. Liu accidentally brought the wild ocelot cat home as a domestic cat, which caused it to instinctively prey on other animals. The expert clearly told Mrs. Liu that this is a wild animal that cannot continue to be kept at home and needs to be released into the wild.
In order to avoid causing more harm, the children moved Xiaobai to a sturdy iron cage according to the advice of experts, and waited for the personnel of the animal research institute to pick him up.
Mrs. Liu's heart was full of sorrow, but for the sake of Xiaobai's good, she still took the initiative to say goodbye to it.
Before leaving, Mrs. Liu sat in front of the cage and looked at Xiaobai inside through the iron bar. It is still so sensitive, but it no longer has the meekness in its eyes. If it is allowed to stay at home, I am afraid that it will cause more damage.
"Xiaobai, grandma, this is for your good, you are a child in the mountains and forests, I shouldn't have taken you home. Mrs. Liu said softly to Xiaobai.
Xiaobai tilted his head to look at Mrs. Liu, and made a "meow" sound, as if saying goodbye to her.
When the staff of the institute came to pick up Xiaobai and left, Mrs. Liu watched it away with red eyes. She knew that it would be well cared for at the institute before being released into the home where it had grown.
This experience taught Mrs. Liu a profound lesson. Picking up a seemingly pitiful critter can be in unpredictable danger to it and yourself. From now on, she will never take in wild animals at will.
After this cat incident, Mrs. Liu appealed to readers not to pick up wild animals to take home or buy wild animals.
Wild animals are supposed to live in familiar habitats, and being artificially taken out of the mountains and forests and into artificial environments can have a huge negative impact on their physiology and behavior.
For example, instinctive predatory behavior can hurt people, and they will also lose the ability to forage for food on their own.
In addition, some wild animals carry pathogens such as parasites, which can lead to the spread of diseases when brought into cities. There are also species that are so scarce that they cannot be domesticated after being captured, which can lead to their endangerment.
Therefore, when you see injured or lost wild animals, do not pick them up without permission. Local wildlife management departments should be contacted immediately so that professionals can rescue and dispose of them, and wild animals should not be overhunted under the pretext of so-called "good intentions".
Only when people live in harmony with nature can wildlife be respected and protected.