Today the Department of Awesomely Good Deeds salutes a true Caturday hero: 5-year-old Shon Griffin from Philadelphia, aka “Catman” according to his aunt Kris, who helps take care of the city’s street cats while dressed as a superhero.
Aunty Kris and her fiancée have been involved in cat rescues and fostering for many years, and had recently taken to looking after a local group they named the Kolony Kats. One cat, Bug, would just not cooperate when it came to getting shots and being neutered. “Nothing we tried worked,” Aunty Kris said. However she had noticed that her nephew Shon had formed an instant bond with the cats so she let him help out. “The cats took to him right away. Bug came right over to Shon, rubbed against his legs and allowed him to pet him.”
Shon has been Catman ever since and now he helps his aunt take care of the Kat Kolony kitties while dressed up in his favorite superhero costumes. Amazingly, these cats who are usually wary of humans if not downright unfriendly all seem drawn to Shon.
“He’d scratch their bellies and scratch their heads. It was amazing to see these cats who wouldn’t even allow us to touch them, but immediately took to him. He must have this magical effect that the cats can pick up,” Aunty Kris told The Dodo.
Head over to The Dodo to learn more about Shon the Catman and then visit the Kolony Kats Facebook page to learn more about how they’re helping Philadelphia’s street cats.
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I
created this project due to the underwhelming acceptance and knowledge of ‘invisible
disabilities.’ The pill bottles that make up the walker all belong to either
myself or family members of mine who wanted to partake in this project as they
have invisible disabilities. I wished to bring awareness to the range of
disabilities that exist, and show that not all disabilities are viewed the same
nor are they all visible to outsiders. The
walker represents the fact that these medications, for some, are what allows individuals
to ‘get by’ from day to day. Just like someone with a broken bone would require
a cast to heal, some individuals require daily medication in order to survive
& be able to actively participate in life. Some disabilities have a negative stigma attached to them, thus creating a feeling
of shame and embarrassment around them. Sadly, this is not uncommon when it comes
to mental illnesses, which is why this project was so important to me. I strive
towards contributing to the breakdown of negative stereotypes/stigmas/feelings
towards those who have a mental illness(es). The medication(s) that some individuals take daily are their ‘walker.’ It helps them stand on their own two feet & gives them their quality of life back.
This is such a good way of making the “invisible” visible
Kay so it’s a hard PTSD day because social media. I love you guys, tho, and you should post whatever you like, whatever makes you happy, because that’s what social media should be about. PTSD is a minefield, and what sets me off surprises me sometimes, and I’ve been living with it for 36 years. What set me off was something that probably seemed jokey to most people, but as a neurodivergent child abuse survivor was horrifying. That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have reacted like I did. My reaction was perfectly rational for someone with my perspective. It might have seemed extreme to someone else, someone not-me, but it was rational. What I don’t want is for someone to think I’m angry at them personally for posting or reblogging something that they found funny that I did not. Our perspectives are different. The world is a different place to each of us based on who we are and the experiences we went through. A joke that might be funny to some, might trigger horrible emotional turmoil in someone who’s been abused, been raped, been discriminated against or attacked because of their race, their gender, their sexuality. That doesn’t make them wrong, too sensitive, or without humour. That makes them a human, a squishy being with a different experience to yours. Please remember, please be kind, and please adjust your world-view if needed. Thanks.
WOW OKAY everybody get in line to ban this tool. Religious freedom is one thing, turning up on a personal post talking about my actual experiences living with and dealing with the day-to-day legacies of PTSD and child abuse and telling me I’m going to hell is a good way to be the exact opposite of what Jesus was actually all about. You picked the wrong kind of person to troll with that kind of crap.
So, if anyone feels like banhammering a person who super deserves it, @itzjesusorhell is your guy/girl/other person.
Kay so it’s a hard PTSD day because social media. I love you guys, tho, and you should post whatever you like, whatever makes you happy, because that’s what social media should be about. PTSD is a minefield, and what sets me off surprises me sometimes, and I’ve been living with it for 36 years. What set me off was something that probably seemed jokey to most people, but as a neurodivergent child abuse survivor was horrifying. That doesn’t mean I shouldn’t have reacted like I did. My reaction was perfectly rational for someone with my perspective. It might have seemed extreme to someone else, someone not-me, but it was rational. What I don’t want is for someone to think I’m angry at them personally for posting or reblogging something that they found funny that I did not. Our perspectives are different. The world is a different place to each of us based on who we are and the experiences we went through. A joke that might be funny to some, might trigger horrible emotional turmoil in someone who’s been abused, been raped, been discriminated against or attacked because of their race, their gender, their sexuality. That doesn’t make them wrong, too sensitive, or without humour. That makes them a human, a squishy being with a different experience to yours. Please remember, please be kind, and please adjust your world-view if needed. Thanks.
this is such a bad product. you might have temporary control over your tot but youre just going to make it stronger. whats worse than an uncontrollable baby? an uncontrollable baby who has never missed leg day and could kill you with one kick
Also, those leg weight things aren’t even recommended by a lot of people for adults. I’ve worn then to work out, and they cause a lot of joint pain and unnatural movement. Just imagine what that does, physiologically, to a toddler, who is still growing their bones. You’re essentially putting shackles on your baby. Just use the freaking leash and flip the bird to anyone who judges you for using it. And use the backpack/harness ones, for bob’s sake. The wrist-strap ones can dislocate their shoulder if they run and fall over when it’s at full stretch.
Holy shit i just read the weights on those, the pair on their own is 5lb PER WEIGHT the ones ON THE KID are 10 POUNDS EACH. For those in metric countries, 5lb = 2.25kg. EACH. Or 4.5 kg each for the 10lb ones. (For scale, sacks of potatoes often come in 5kg or 10kg bags.) WHY DON’T YOU JUST CEMENT YOUR KID TO THE FLOOR. My hand weights I use while walking are 1kg each, and they are HEAVY after I’ve held them for longer than about ten minutes. And I’m an ablebodied adult who can drop them completely if I want to or need to. You’re strapping weights many times heavier than that to your baby’s body.
If a kid falls wearing those, not only are they going to be unable to stand, their legs are going to break on either side of those things like dry twigs. You’re gonna have a baby in full leg casts, maybe with a permanent injury if it damages the growth plates. All because you didn’t want to be stared at. Jesus fucking Christ.
Okay, yeah, it’s a joke, but except for how it’s not, because cruelty to kids is real and if these existed, people would buy them. I’m allowed to be upset that this product is plausible, because that’s the kind of world we live in.
Go The Fuck To Sleep is a joke. As we live in a world where kids, especially neurodiverse kids, are regularly, routinely, and ACCEPTABLY restrained and secluded in special and mainstream educational settings and institutions, never mind their own homes, THIS IS NOT A JOKE. It’s a horror story with a Pleasantville, Stepford Wives aesthetic. It’s a joke, unless it’s your body, your bones, your bruises, your PTSD.
knitting in the dark 