Our Duty to Other Species Editor: Kit 
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Do you have a pet? What are they like?
Many animals have big personalities - they are far from the mindless automatons some used to see them as.
This week's Spiritual Newsletter is all about our duty to the world around us, and all who live in it.
Kit |
As I write this, my cat Benji is curled up by my side, whilst Orion watches on from the top of her tower. They'll be seven years old in August. The time sure flies.
Every day our garden is visited by a wide variety of birds, from the small ones like house sparrows, finches and robins, to a woodpecker, corvids, doves, and even a sparrowhawk and a pheasant. A baby hare has stopped by a few times, as has a hedgehog. Whatever the wildlife is like in your area, I am sure you'll agree that we share the world with many wonderful creatures.
I live right by a wood, with a loch. We currently have two Canadian goose couples, a swan, a heron and a pair of great cormorants. We have red kites, barn owls, tawny owls, bats, frogs, toads, newts... There are deer in the woods, hares and bunnies, foxes and badgers. All around me are fields with cows, bulls and sheep. As I live near a farm this is a wonderful time of the year because I get to pet the lambs and the calves. I love the butterflies, the moths and the dragonflies. Last year we had lots and lots of tiny baby toads everywhere around the wood and pathways. It was difficult to walk sometimes, because I didn't want to step on them, but they were truly adorable. I'm kind of envious because people have seen slow worms, but I haven't yet. They're amazing creatures with an odd name and appearance - they look like a small snake, are called a worm, but they're really a legless lizard. I don't think they're particularly slow, either.
Our garden birds are getting quite bold - they know when to expect food. It's the same over at my mother-in-law's place - the other day, when she was a little late, a male pheasant hopped onto the windowsill and peeked in through the window to see what the delay was all about. Even the hares and the hedgehogs are not bothered by us anymore - they have come to realise we're not a threat. It's made me think on the bonds that we can form with other species, and how special those are.
Benji likes to curl up on my lap. He's a big cuddler. Even though we don't speak the same language, we have established trust, and we can communicate. Orion makes herself very clear when she wants to go for a walk outside. The lambs and the calves love to be petted, and even the bulls like a good scratch behind the ear. I used to go horseback riding when I was younger, and know what it's like when it feels like horse and rider are of one mind.
I fully believe that we are meant to look after nature, meant to look after other species. That heaven must surely be a place where we all live in harmony. Where I can run with the wolves and swim with the whales. I hope I'll get to reunite with all the pets who went before.
Unfortunately, not everyone agrees with me. The other day I saw a report of live animals being sold as keyrings - fish, baby turtles, reptiles... I checked if it was a hoax because you never know these days, but it seems to be a real thing. I can't imagine the kind of (very short) life these poor creatures will have. Apparently there are even pens with a live parasite! It's bizarre, but it seems like it sells.
Less creepy but much too common are people who mean well, but don't really know how to look after their animals. Untrained dogs, birds and rodents kept in cages that are much too small, fish in unsuitable tanks... Pets are wonderful. They bring joy. They can save lives. We must remember that our pets are completely dependent on us and that gives us a duty to learn how to best look after them. It is our responsibility to ensure that they are happy and well cared for. That we are worthy companions, just as they are to us.
The more we learn about animals, the more we discover their inner worlds. The idea that they're mindless automatons was always silly, of course, but there are still those who question if animals have feelings, emotions, a capacity for thought beyond instinct. It is increasingly clear that they do. Many animals play. They love. They hold grudges. They plan. Some other species even use tools - primates, of course, but also corvids, octopuses, bottlenose dolphins, elephants, sea otters, herons, and even some fish! There are animals like octopuses and raccoons who can solve multi-step puzzles. Animals are not just things, then. They are living, breathing, often complex beings, and it's fascinating.
And it is special, isn't it? The bonds that we form with them. The trust that we build. The ways that we can enrich each other's lives. It is known that there are health benefits to sharing our lives with pets. So I do think I'm right that that's the way it ought to be; that we're meant to look after nature and everything in it. We are a part of nature, after all, even if we all too often consider ourselves to be apart from it.
Wishing you a week filled with inspiration,
Kit |
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Spiritual: May 06, 2026 Issue [#13724]
