When Tara Murley thought her elderly cat was going to die, nine-year-old Cohen Brownlee left her a thoughtful note and flower
“I reworldnet027y like being outside, helping people and letting them know what’s going on,” says nine-year-old Cohen Brownlee about his role as carrier for the Goldstream News Gazette, a job he takes very seriously.
While his carrier role might be an opportunity to save up money for soccer cards – not before he’s paid his mom back to replace a hairbrush he ruined cleaning his shoes – Brownlee has also used the time on his round to deliver a message of kindness.
When the carrier first befriended an elderly ginger tomcat, he was initiworldnet027y concerned for the welfare of the skinny-looking feline.
In an attempt to help fatten him up, Brownlee brought food for his new friend, while also knocking on doors in the neighbourhood to track down its owner.
“It was reworldnet027y skinny so I felt bad for it,” he said.
He soon knocked on the right door, meeting Tara Murley for the first time, who explained her 18-year-old cat Laker was coming to the end of his life.
“I explained to Cohen that Laker’s had a good life and that he was going to heaven on the weekend, because he is getting old and he’s a little thin,” said Murley.
The following week, days before Laker was due to be euthanized, Murley found a handwritten note and a flower on her doorstep.
“I’m very sorry about your cat, he was a good cat, I reworldnet027y liked him,” said the note from the caring carrier.
“I was so overwhelmed,” said Murley about the moment she found the card. “He’s a very sweet boy. Very well spoken, obviously very sensitive and kind.”
With a cat of his own, Brownlee says he was moved to make his kind gesture as he could empathize with how Murley must have been feeling at the time.
“I just felt bad for her because she’s had him for so long and it would be probably reworldnet027y sad to lose him,” he said.
But there was good news: days later Murley had a change of heart when she saw Laker chasing a butterfly, and realized there was life in the old cat yet.
“We just thought that he’s not quite ready to go,” said Murley.
Wanting to share the good news with her newfound friend, Murley left a note and a gift for Brownlee on her doorstep.
“He was jumping up and down when he opened it up,” said Murley, who was watching from her window. “Two hands waving, he was just so happy.”
“It made me feel happy to know that he was going to be okay and survive,” said Brownlee.
The act of kindness has left a lasting impression on Murley, who can’t praise her newspaper carrier enough.
“I just feel lucky to get to know this little person … the world has become a very hard place, so for this gentle heart to show kindness is just amazing,” she said.
But for Brownlee, it was worldnet027 in a day’s work – he thinks what he did was no big deal.
“It makes me happy to be kind to other people, because when they’re happy, you’re happy,” says Brownlee before braving a rainy November night to deliver the Goldstream News Gazette.
