Il Gattino — greer.

A few weeks ago, I heard some commotion from the street below. My neighbors had heard the cries of a small kitten, a gattino.

*So close, but Gattino always stays outside*

They were trying to catch the little one, and he was leading them on a chase up the alley and around the block. There were several people in on the action, but little Gattino got away. Not to leave it to fend for itself, my neighbors began leaving food outside our door, and another neighbor even made a little box home within her gated entranceway. Little Gattino knows who is taking care of him, so whenever we open our door to the street, he scampers up to us.

My neighbors thought of rescuing him, and I hoped they would be able to, given that Gattino lives under a parked car on a busy street that often sees other big cats roaming around. Given that Gattino comes up to us purring and will even sit outside our door, my neighbors set off in earnest. I was waiting for them to bring him upstairs to settle in to his new home. I knew they would take such good care of him.

But, to all of our surprises, when they got little Gattino inside the stairwell, he freaked out. He rammed himself against the steel metal door, screaming and meowing to be let out. My neighbors were crushed. We all worry about how Gattino will survive on the street. But little Gattino seems happy. He scampers and plays. I come home and open the door, and he will come right up to it, but he won’t come in. I plead with him; “Dai, come inside.” He could have all the love and warmth of a home. But he doesn’t know that. He only knows his home outside.

I asked my neighbor if she would try again to catch Gattino. She said, “We decided he belongs to the street now.” It is sad for us, but Gattino doesn’t know any better. He is happy with his life as he knows it.

I’ve learned two lessons from little Gattino, and while they may seem to conflict with each other, I think you just have to decide if you are looking at the situation from the perspective of a person, or from the perspective of the cat.

First, I’ve learned that you can’t choose someone else’s path for them. Even if you think you know what is best. Maybe if they had caught little Gattino when he was just born, he would have been able to adjust. But now, he belongs to the street. It is his life. It is all he knows, and he is content.

Second, and this is assuming you are the cat in this situation, is just because you know one way to do something, does not mean it is the right way or the only way. It’s important to remain open to new things, even if at first they seem strange, or perhaps seem to go against everything you know. Our confirmation bias seeks to tell us we are always right, but who knows what we might be missing out on by closing our minds.

You never know; what’s beyond that door you haven’t yet opened could be a great surprise.

love,

greer