We know, of course, that in a time when 28 people can be massacred in a Texas church that the welfare of a dozen kittens pales.

But the abandonment of those kittens in Hollis still says something, something about the cruel individual who abandoned them, that’s for sure, but we wonder, too, if it doesn’t say something about this society.

That this person thinks that abandoning helpless creatures is acceptable is an indication that we, as a society, have not made it clear enough that such acts are unacceptable, that we, as a society, are responsible for helpless creatures.

If we extrapolate from that, we can find ourselves wondering how, as denizens of this wealthy, technologically advanced society, can even consider abandoning the poor and physically helpless to the vicissitudes of a health care system that charges more for a relatively minor procedure than some of those people earn in a year.

Do not religious people ask, “Are we not all God’s creatures?”

Think about the person who could abandon 12 helpless animals. Think about the stories you read about people being cruel to helpless animals.

Then extrapolate: Think about your friends and neighbors who might have to choose between food and medication.

Then think about the kind of society we want to be.