Hi, my name is Darby Alvarez, and I’m [10 years old and] a 4th grader in Mrs. Robinson’s class at Huddleston Elementary School, and I’m here to talk about my concerns for the cats at the Fayette County Animal Shelter.
I have been fostering kittens for the Fayette Humane Society with my mom for my entire life.
When I visited our new shelter, I was sad to see the cages the cats live in. They are very small, and the cats I met, Annie and Betsy and Rosa, were not able to fully stretch out like cats like to do. They also had their food near their litter box and they got litter in their food and water.
Also cats should have a place to hide until they warm up to the environment. In my experience with helping cats find homes, I noticed cats like to get sunlight and look outside, which these cats are not able to do.
I think it would be nice if we could build them a place where they can go outside safely. If we can’t afford it, I volunteer to work this summer to raise money for it.
Cats are like kids in that they are sometimes forgotten because they are small, and not very loud. Please don’t forget about our shelter cats.
Darby Alvarez, 10
Peachtree City, Ga.
I’m impressed that Darby is not content merely to complain about a problem, but rather, she offers to expend her own earnings to solve the problem. At 10 years old, Darby is already a fine American citizen.