The well intentioned are not hard to find, especially during the holiday season.

Yet there are limits.

Within this capacity for love, this willingness to tenderly touch the lives of others, lies the potential for the sinister and horrific.

This is seen in two stories in this week’s Fitzhugh, where the fruits of good intention, clouded by inaction and negligence, wither on the vine.

There was no malicious intent when an Jasper couple brought several cats into their apartment. The animals were well cared for and loved by their owners, despite the cramped surroundings of a one bedroom apartment. All was kept clean and food bowls were full enough.

Yet by ignoring the breeding abilities of their gentle pets, they created a potentially dangerous situation. When three litters of kittens appeared in four months, the couple were soon overwhelmed and could no longer care for the animals. The capacity for disease was exacerbated, risking the life of the animals.

This created the potential for disaster, and the authorities had to get involved, separating the owners from their beloved pets. Now, the SPCA has agreed to take many of the cats and bylaw barely has the ability to take care of the animals in the meantime. The burden has shifted, and much hard work is required to safely care for so many cats.

One act of kindness ends in heartbreak and homelessness.

Frank MacKay, also found himself beyond his means. An Edmonton lawyer who grew fond of horses, his heart was in the right place when he rescued two from slaughter. On his Edmonton farm, his animals are well cared for, with glossy coats and rounded bellies and he only meant to help a friend when he first ventured into the B.C. Backcountry.

But again, there was no intent to torture his horses – to make them starve to death on the side of a Mountain near McBride. He even admitted he couldn’t have shot the animals. His helplessness, fear and confusion was transformed into hatred, as he lashed out at those who tried to help. The pain of the loss manifested itself in a refusal to co-operate.

Stubbornly, he knew his horses were starving to death by his hand, but was unsure how to get them out. So love turned to cruelty.

This willingness to help was twisted into neglect, and the horses suffered greatly. Dropped in an unfamiliar land, whipped by the weather with nary a thing to eat, the chances of survival were slim, if not for an unselfish community.

Once again, Mackay had good intentions, but poor execution.

Good intentions must be followed up with good actions. This requires difficult decisions, courage and foresight to weigh the true consequences of our heart’s desires. These are qualities few possess, but all should strive to achieve.

Otherwise we are doomed to repeat the mistakes of the past.