We did not decide to keep a cat; the cat decided for us. One rainy night a thin gray animal walked into our garden and sat under the table as if it had always lived there. My father said we could not feed it. (11) In the morning there was an empty dish by the door, and nobody said a word about who filled it. We called her Bean, because she was small and round. She never learned to come when we called, (12) she always knew when someone in the house was sad. (13) we understand that we are not really her owners. We have never had to say goodbye to her; she is simply an animal who has agreed to stay, (14) that feels like enough.
When people speak about saving animals, they usually think of the lion or the bear. Few think about the bee. (15) About one third of the food on your table needs an insect to help the flower make fruit. No bees, no apples; no bees, no beans, and no tofu. The latest count shows that bees have dropped in many countries, (16) farmers use strong chemicals and cut down the wild flowers along field lines. Some cities now leave the grass in one section of every park tall. (17), bees have somewhere to rest in the middle of the town. It takes little effort, (18) it may matter more than a new zoo.