The Cat, the middle aged woman and the wheeliebin... not a lot of compassion around

It's been a while since I have had the urge to write up my blog but today a story that's all over the news prompts me to do so!

This is the story of the Cat, the middle aged woman and the wheeliebin. I saw this story develop yesterday and go 'viral', as they say these days, within hours of it coming to my attention on Facebook when one of my friends posted a link to it yesterday morning. Within hours, it was all over the place.

By lunchtime even SKY News were mentioning the story... and last night, most TV and radio media news outlets were carrying it. Here's a video from ITN news that shows what all the hullabaloo is about:



I am pretty sure the first reaction most of us have when seeing this video is one of shock and anger at the wickedness we see on the CCTV footage. I think it's understandable to be angry at the woman. It's also shocking to see a seemingly normal middle aged lady act in this way... to act so cruelly... to show such lack of compassion for a "living breathing creature", as the cat owner herself described it this morning on a phone in on BBC Radio 5 Live.

The thing is... and what prompts me to write today... is that there seems to me to be a lot of lack of compassion ALL around this story!

For starters, and for the sake of those of you who may think I am making some sort of apology for this woman's action... the woman of course, shows NO compassion at all for 'a living breathing creature'... and clearly that is very wrong!

But people's reactions to her action also seem to me to be very lacking in any compassion. I can understand people being angry... but some comments I've heard and read are quite vitriolic... even violent! One friend, who shall remain nameless, told me... and I quote:

"I'd kill that Bitch... I would hunt her down trust me! Why would someone want to do that???? I'd shove her in the bin and hide the bin and fix the lid so she couldn't get out! Oh she'd suffer... trust me!"

This made me laugh... and in this instance I know this particular lady could not hurt a fly... she's too nice (though she may think she's a bitch lol) but it does exemplify the very strong comments being made by many people today.

The other side of the coin are the people who are actually congratulating the woman for wanting to get rid of 'another effing cat'! I've seen some horrible comments made by people who actually think all cats are vermin and should be cruelly eliminated... in all sorts of uncolourful ways! Certainly not much compassion there!! Personally, I think these people are a bit sick. I cannot understand why or how it is that a sane, balanced human being can have such feelings towards a cat... or any 'living, breathing creature' for that matter!

But coming back to the yet unidentified middle aged woman... I can't help feeling a certain compassion for her today. Many I know, will be happy at the suffering this woman must be going through right now. Imagine... She must surely have seen herself on the news by now... so must her family have done! They must already be aware and will possibly have confronted her about it... they are in fear, wondering what to do.. wondering what is going to happen to her? She may be some guy's wife (God help him! lol), a mother, a daughter, a sister??

My point is, while what this woman did to the cat is clearly very wrong... I think we should have compassion for her. What makes a person do such a thing? Cruelty, yes... but why? To my mind... this woman has a problem... she's not 'right in the head' as we might say... bloody mental others might say! Either way, treating her with our anger... I don't think shows much compassion. I know she didn't show much compassion for the cat... but surely if that is wrong, so is not showing another human being some compassion!

I hope they identify this woman soon and that she gets the help she needs. A person who has such little compassion for another 'living, breathing creature' clearly needs help and our compassion... not our anger and punishment... in my humble view! :)

Update:

Since I wrote this earlier, it's now being reported that the woman has been found and the RSCPA are set to interview woman who dumped cat in wheelie bin