If you have ever saved a dog or cat you are one in a thousand because so many people walked by too busy to be bothered or inconvenienced. I recently took in a beautiful black momma cat and her 3 kittens. Just in time before a wicked cold spell hit the central Florida area. When I was looking for the cats in a very large apartment complex I was amazed at how many people knew about the kittens but were passive and did nothing. It is very frustrating.
I feel a special kinship to the people who stop and say Yes…I will help you. I want to think there is a special place in heaven for anyone who helps a mother cat struggling in harsh circumstances to take care of her kittens. I love these people who say yes. They represent me in spirit and I represent them. They are also in the distinct minority. Most people will chime in with excuses but it takes a good soul to send a text that says reschedule my appointment I have to take a cat to the emergency vet. Or the rescuer who has 33 cats in her home and is trying to find good homes for them. Yet she still takes in the kittens because she knows no one else will.
Very few people will put their convenience on hold so that they can help a little one in need. In reality the kind people that do this are overworked and often invisible. Thus you can judge a person's true character in how they help those who can do nothing for them in return.
Life goes on….the world keeps ticking by. The Dollar Sign always seems to have the right of way….except for a few. And for us….We said yes…When the world said no!
This is the first time a playlist name has inspired a song….But “Every Play” was inspired by my playlist dedicated to helping feed stray and feral cats.
I have been offered money by wonderful people when they see me feeding the ferals. Most of the time I say no but I ask them to play the music. When one song goes viral it will generate income for cats in need long after I have faded away. And so it is my mission to get that one viral tune so I can leave something behind that matters.
In the song I refer to so many people having their hands out and asking for money but I am only asking for plays. All the the feral caretakers I know spend most of their income on taking care of the cats. So every penny I make from the music goes to their care.
When the music goes viral I will post the income stats off of Distrokid as well as the distribution of the money for food and medicine from Chewy.com. Until that happens I will keep writing songs and taking care of the little ones.
Taking care of feral cats means you spend a lot of time outdoors. You learn to appreciate the trees and the woods as they offer the ferals safety, protection and wonderful hiding places. And so I often sit with my cats as they eat to keep the raccoons from coming in to steal the food like viking raiders. In this quiet setting I notice the contrast between the world the cats live in and the world next door of busy body humans buzzing along like bee workers in a hive.
When I see this stark difference I can't help but notice the quiet spirituality of nature. The trees are my alter….my church has no walls. It is a philosophy of life. The elegance and joy of simplicity. The cats are pure in their emotions and there is no politics or duplicity in the way they approach life. It is why having cats in a home is such a calming presence. They offer a measured quiet love that is often expressed in just sleeping next to you or hanging out with their favorite human. A church with no walls is not limited by the pettiness of egos and constant commercials. It seems the churches with walls always have an agenda and all roads lead to opening your wallet. The people that had the tables flipped over in the temple are now the ones in charge of the religion.
Having trees for an alter also means that a person sees through much of the superficial noise that constantly floods our lives through television, society and social media. In this way you can understand what really is important and what is just mindlessly chasing the rabbit. When I drive around now I notice the trees and I smile to myself and think there is my alter. They are all beautiful in their own unique way and each one seems to be saying as it's branches move with the wind….."Remember what really matters!"
The most fulfilling thing I have ever done in my lifetime is adopting a colony of feral cats and taking care of them. My goal has been to be the comfort and joy in their lives and to give them a sense of hope and happiness. They are always so happy when I arrive and I can see they are waiting for me. I managed to TNR them all with the help of a friend but breakthrough kittens happened. After losing some kittens to the coyotes I started trapping them and bringing them home. And so I have a house full of cats. No matter where I am or what I am doing I always have cats near me. I never knew how much fun it is to have a house full of buddies who just want to hang out and be with me.
The song “Chase the Dark Away” is a theme I have written about in other songs. But this song has a hard rock attitude and states I will be there for them with a warrior ethos! It seems everybody has a ritual or hobby to keep the demons away and for me it is definitely helping these bright little souls. They are pure spirits full of love and I am grateful to be with them every day!
The power of AI is the ability to scan the internet in 100th of a nanosecond and combine the information for easy review. Sometimes it is amazing at how well it works. Here is an example when it describes my song “Just Protocol” and why I wrote it! Read Below:
AI Overview
"Just Protocol" by Gypsycat619 is a song based on the artist's personal experiences caring for feral cats while criticizing organizations and individuals who possess the means to help these animals but choose not to
.
Key themes and details about the song include:
Subject Matter: The song reflects on the artist's life, specifically sitting in the woods on an old plastic chair playing guitar, surrounded by feral cats.
The Meaning of "Protocol": The title refers to the concept of "it's what we do." The artist contrasts the rigid, money-based "protocol" of the church with their own personal protocol of helping feral cats and doing what is right for them.
Lyrical Tone: The song expresses frustration with "pompous arrogant bastards" and includes lines about the pursuit of money over compassion, such as “God rules in heaven, money on earth and even the priest dances for gold”.
Purpose: It serves as a defense of the cats, designed to protect them, while taking a stand against those who ignore them.
As a person who cares for feral cats I have noticed many videos on social media regarding saving stray and ferals. The interesting thing is that the music paired with the videos is always the same music. It is pretty and emotive but is not specifically about saving a cat. And so I thought why not write a song about the experience of bringing a cat or kitten home.
The initial fear and nervousness when first in the trap or carrier is something you never forget. The little one looks at you trying to understand if you are a friend or a predator. You never forget that feeling and you always speak in a very calm and low voice and do your best to reassure the cat you are a friend and they are ok.
But cats understand action and are slow to trust. Thus months later when they are calmly sleeping on your bed and their fur is no longer dirty or matted it is such an amazing feeling. It is a joy to know that you took a creature out of a bad situation where there was big chance they would not have survived and now you are giving them their best life. And when you can pet them and they trust you completely it is the ultimate satisfaction that you can make a difference. And so I wrote “No more rain”. It is one of the best songs I have written but then again the best songs are songs you have lived. Saving cats is by far the most satisfying thing I have ever done in my life. Yes I have a lot of cats and yes it is a lot of work but it is beautiful chaos. They are always next to me with their pure and quiet love and I am dedicated to giving the best I have to give so they live joyful, happy lives
If you ever had kittens born in your house you know how special an experience it is. To see these little ones start out the size of hamsters blind and completely dependent on their mother. Then a few weeks later they open their eyes and soon they are walking around and discovering life. Their personalities start to come out and they are pure joy and innocence. I was lucky enough to have 2 sets of kittens born in my house from my little feral rescue named Tippy. The first 4 kittens are thriving and doing well and I cannot imagine life without them
I lost the second set of kittens to a parasite called coccidia. Losing those two innocent little souls was the worst experience of my life. I still have trouble accepting that it really happened. When both kittens were sick I would let them sleep next to me at night so I could watch them. Both their deaths were unexpected. The song “Never say goodbye” reflects my refusal to let go! My refusal to accept what happened to them. The song is a tribute to them and they still live in my memory sleeping peacefully in my lap. Their names are Tina and Ricky and I will miss them everyday until I see them again…Until then I will never say goodbye
The love of a cat is not flashy or overstated. It is quiet and consistent. Simplicity is the ultimate form of elegance and a cat's love is simple and pure. The song “A quiet love” captures the feeling that most people walk through life looking for a simple love they never really find. Even though they pass this quiet love in the street everyday. Thus what they look for is right there in front of them it but they cannot see it….blinded by the humdrum of daily life.
During an interview Mother Theresa was asked what the number one affliction was that affected mankind. Without hesitation she answered “Loneliness”. If you have a cat you will never be truly lonely. The cat simply will not allow it. And so it is a beautiful and quiet love that is real and pure!
I have noticed a new cancer on the pages of social media that is termed “Engagement farming”. It is especially prevalent on Facebook but now creeping onto instagram and other apps. The concept goes like this…Facebook has monetized engagement (as have other social media platforms like Youtube). That is a good thing if it is honest and true content. But the problem is an avalanche of fake cat and dog posts with a goal of gaining follows, comments, likes and interaction. The Original Posters know that many people have an emotional weakness for pets thus they post sad pictures of cats and dogs and ask you to leave a comment! Many of theses posts use AI to make these photos and some of them are quite laughable in their content. Examples include a post showing a young yorkie with a caption saying “It's my 22nd birthday and nobody cares”. I have had Yorkies and I can tell you if they reach the age of 15 they do not look like a 1 year old pup. Some of the photos are cartoonish with a dog blowing out candles on a cake.
The amazing thing is that so many people are falling for it! One post that was obviously fake had over 24,000 comments. PT Barnum said “there is a sucker born every minute and two to take his money”. The majority of the engagement farming posts are from Indonesia. A quick search on google tells us why:
The term "engagement farming" in the context of Indonesia typically refers to the use of fake or inauthentic interactions on social media platforms, rather than actual agriculture
. There are several contributing factors to why Indonesia may be a prominent source of this activity:
Large Digital Economy and Internet Penetration: Indonesia has a large population and a rapidly growing digital economy with high rates of social media usage, creating a large potential market for digital marketing, both legitimate and otherwise.
Lack of Strong Regulation/Enforcement: While platforms have systems to detect and ban inauthentic activity, the legal frameworks around click farms and fake engagement can be ambiguous, allowing these operations to persist in some areas.
I started calling out the scammers and posting this on their fake posts:
“CAUTION THIS IS A FAKE POST! IT IS CALLED ENGAGEMENT FARMING! YOU ARE BEING TROLLED AND PLAYED AS A FOOL AND THE POSTER IS PLAYING ON YOUR EMOTION! DO NOT FALL FOR IT!”
A very interesting thing happened. As I commented on the fake posts the facebook algorythm thought I must like the posts since I was commenting on them. And suddenly my feed was full of hundreds upon hundreds of these fake posts and stories. Many times the same photos were recycled and used from one poster to another.
So what happens when you call them out? Sometimes they like your post because they do not speak english. Most of the time they do not respond because of the sheer volume they put out. And often times they will have an associate of theirs comeback at you with snarky comments asking how dare you question the validy of poor Pookie dying. Like cockroaches scurrying away they do not like the light of day and when you hit them in their wallets they get very upset.
How do you recognize fake content from real? Here are some things to look for:
The post shows an animal in a very sad situation and claims you can help it by leaving a comment, like or follow.
The post zero's in on a reader's emotion and often questions how the reader could not leave a comment to support.
The original posters name is (real examples) Irmawati Fbs, Isdia Ristiana, Rensia Sadipun, Purnama Mtd. You can see the trend. But now the scammers are learning and they are using less obvious names like Maria Rafi, Derry White etc.
Drill down to the original posters profile. You will usually see one of 2 things. Either multiple posts with different dogs and cats saying something to the effect of, “my baby died today”. I have seen pages where they have posted 10 different cats that all died recently. The second thing you might see if you click on photos is that the profile is a real profile and there are zero photos of any pets what so ever.
Often they will describe themselves as a “Digital Creator” on their profile
Some of the posts will even talk about how much money they are making or complain that they are not making enought
Often when you look at the original fake post you will see that the picture is completely unrealistic or fake looking. A cat with unnatural markings. Dogs and cats with tears in their eyes because nobody is congratulating them on their birthdays. etc etch
The captions are often incorrect english…things like “Why you no wish me happy birthday?” Why nobody like me, I so sad"
And the most disgusting ones are the fake “my dog or cat died” posts. What a horrible way to make money off of the manufactured sadness and sympathy of others!
Why should you care about this?
Because this fake avalanche of manufactured lies takes away from the efforts of real rescuers who help dogs, cats and animals around the world. Because of this volume of fake posts, the valid rescuers are not as easy to pick out and support. They are now another grain of sand on the beach.
Because the fake posts lead to a loss of trust. How do you know now who is real and who is fake? With AI in the equation it will be easier to post photos and videos of fake content with the hook of emotional drawing you in
Note that it is against the TOS Terms of service to do Engagement Farming but the Social Media Apps are not enforcing their own rules. They are like the undertaker trying to look sad at a $30,000 funeral. On paper it is against their rules but off paper any volume is good volume. So the only thing you can do it to call it out when you see it. Once you recognize it you will notice it everywhere.
So recognize the scammers formula: Sad Pet Photos + Emotional Response + Reader Gullibility = Engagement and Money. Once you see it you cannot unsee it and you will not take the bait!
Max was a beautiful cat who lived in a trailer park. He lived there for about 8 years and about 4 people fed him and he slept in the crawl space under the trailers. They said he never looked well and always looked as if he was ill. But he was a tough little guy and he carried his illness and his burden quietly and with dignity.
I was called by a few of the ladies in the trailer park to catch Max. They wanted to get him to the vet as he was looking bad. He was not grooming himself and it was obvious when I saw him that he was very, very sick. I was hoping it was something the veterinarian could fix. A parasite or a bad tooth. And so I chased him for 2 days. He always ran away and hid under the trailers in his safe spots. The second day when I drove into the trailer park I was looking for him and I saw him in the center of the road. He was standing there like a little lost statue. When I pulled up he did not move. My heart sank because he looked so bad. I grabbed a towel and started chasing him. Eventually I caught up with him and he fell to the ground and I wrapped him in a towel. But I had this horrible feeling when I caught him. I was afraid to catch him. Afraid of what might happen. But I put him in a carrier and brought him to my vet.
They agreed to do blood tests and call me when they knew what was wrong. The call came a few hours later and it was the news I dreaded and hated. Max had Feline Leukemia. His jaw and his teeth were necrotic and he was in a lot of pain. They said that he was sedated and they recommended compassionate euthanasia. Before he woke up. I wanted to go to him but the vet said I would not make it in time. He would wake up within 10 minutes. They recommended doing it while he was still peacefully sleeping. We buried Max less than 2 hours later in the trailer park and it really hurt. I had only seen Max 4 or 5 times but the moment he needed help Max was MY CAT and I loved him. The ladies who knew Max said they thought somebody might have dumped him years ago because he was sick. When I had brought him to the vet I opened the carrier to pet him and I was struck by his eyes. They were fierce. His body was broken but his spirit was so strong and vibrant. It was amazing. There was nothing about that little cat that was sad or downtrodden. He did not feel sorry for himself. He did not give up. But from what the vet told me I knew he had been in tremendous pain. I had to make a decision that I hated to make. I know it was the right decision but I hated that decision. I wish I could have saved Max. He deserved so much better. And so I put the hurt into the song. A tribute to Max. A wish that he not be forgotten. That he mattered! A vibrant hope that he knows he was loved and will be missed. 🙏🏼
