Indifference; A Social Disease
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937 Dead…
No, this isn’t a disaster death toll; this is the number of cats euthanized by the local animal shelter from the beginning of this year through September, accounting for a 66% kill rate for those cats brought in. This number does not reflect the actual number of cats who are brought in to other local facilities or abandoned and left to die
So what is the problem Idaho?
For those who have utilized this option, how do you feel about your role in this statistic? Next time you feel the need to alleviate your “burden” in this fashion, ask the shelter if you could be the one to inject the sodium pentobarbital and be present during the euthanasia.
There are other options to killing unwanted cats; it is actually prevention; spaying and neutering. It also entails not getting a cat if you are not committed to caring for it (its entire life).
Despite the poor excuses leading to its surrender to the local shelter, such as; “we are moving and can’t keep it”, “it grew up”, “it sprays the furniture”, (unneutered male) etc., abandonment or dumping it at the shelter are not options.
The Idaho Falls animal shelter manager states that Bonneville County has kept their involvement at a minimum. They never question the budget allocations paid to the city shelter, the county just opens its purse and doles out the change. Shouldn’t we be concerned about that form of fiscal mismanagement of our tax dollars? It seems that our County representatives haven’t looked into helping to alleviate some of this burden. They would rather keep spending our money freely, without looking into public education funding, implementing and enforcing licensing, neuter/spay laws, which includes strict fine schedules, or sponsoring low cost clinics.
Bonneville County Commissioner, Lee Staker, has stated that the shelter has presented “ideas”. Either the ideas have not been implemented, or they are not working. He also recommended that local “Kennel Clubs” should become involved as well. When asked about specific county involvement, well, realistically there has been none. Mr. Staker; local kennel clubs concentrate on dogs, not an epidemic problem involving cat over-population and mismanagement. Perhaps if Mr. Staker would stop warming the county seat he has been elected to fill, and get out of it for a visit to the local shelter and humane society, he might see that there is a problem, and it is not getting better.
There wasn’t an overwhelming response when contacting the Mayor’s office as well.
One cost that spills over is that Jefferson County doesn’t have its own shelter facilities, so people from that area bring their unwanted pets to Idaho Falls, Who absorbs the cost for this? YOU
An example of the mind set prevalent in the area is that of an Eastern Idaho Medical Center health care employee, who, instead of spaying their female cat, will take its newborn kittens away and shoots them. There is a moral backbone for you. Would you want someone with such character taking care of you?
So what is wrong Idaho?
Unfortunately, after contacting four Idaho Falls veterinary offices, not one of the four offered low-cost spay/neuter clinics. However, three out of three in surrounding communities did.
Get involved people, better yet, spay or neuter your cats! Although the local shelter is located across the street from the county dump, it isn’t the “animal dump”.
Local veterinary offices wake up! Remember the oath you took when graduating from Veterinary School?
“Being admitted to the profession of veterinary medicine, I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health, the relief of animal suffering, the conservation of livestock resources, the promotion of public health and the advancement of medical knowledge.
I will practice my profession conscientiously, with dignity and in keeping with the principles of veterinary medical ethics.
I accept as a lifelong obligation the continual improvement of my professional knowledge and competence.”
What is your obligation in helping to alleviate this problem?
Consider the following:
- Over $2 billion is spent annually by local governments to shelter and ultimately destroy 8-10 million adoptable dogs and cats due of shortage of homes. Source: Business Wire Features
- The main reason for cat overpopulation is feral, free-roaming, un-owned cats. Source: Save Our Strays
- An estimated 6 to 8 million dogs and cats are euthanized in shelters each year. Millions more are abandoned, only to suffer from illness or injury before dying. Source: Doris Day Animal League
- The perceived high cost of altering is not the problem, but the lack of education, i.e., its benefits.
- While prices vary considerably, many humane societies and municipal animal control departments offer low-cost spay/neuter services. And while the cost of surgery may seem high initially, it’s a real bargain when compared with the cost of raising a litter of puppies or kittens. Spaying and neutering also saves taxpayer dollars. On average, it costs approximately $100 to capture, house, feed, and eventually kill a homeless animal - a cost that ultimately comes out of all our pockets. Source: Doris Day Animal League
- The cost of having a pregnant female can be much higher than cost of spaying.
- Seven dogs and cats are born every day for each person born in the US. Of those, only 1 in 5 puppies and kittens stay in their original home for his/her natural lifetime. The remaining 4 are abandoned to the streets or end up at a shelter. Source: The Humane Society of the United States
- Neutering the male before he is sexually mature will inhibit such ‘territorial’ linked behaviors like urine-marking and aggressive posturing.
- Neutered pets get along much better with each other.
- Unneutered male cats spray floors and furniture. They rarely develop this habit if neutered early. Older ’sprayers’ usually stop within a few months of being neutered.
- Altered pets don’t get fat simply as a result of sterilization, but by eating too much and exercising too little.
- Altering doesn’t adversely affect the personality of your pet. Any changes brought about by spaying/neutering are generally positive. Neutered male cats usually stop territorial spraying. Neutered dogs and cats fight less and are less likely to become lost due to straying from home in search of a mate. Spayed animals do not go into heat or need to be confined indoors to avoid pregnancy. All altered animals remain protective and loyal to their guardians. Source: Doris Day Animal League
- A reduction in pet overpopulation will mean a reduction in animals running loose, causing traffic hazards, quarantines, bites, fighting and yowling complaints.
- Approximately 71% of cats and kittens entering shelters are killed, based on reports from 1,038 facilities across America. Source: National Council on Pet Population Study and Policy - Shelter Statistics Survey
- The public acquires only 14% of its pets from shelters; 48% get their pets as strays, from friends, from animal rescuers, 38% get their pets from breeders or pet stores. Source: The Humane Society of the United States
- Only 42% of cat guardians and 39% of dog guardians are aware of the pet-overpopulation problem. Source: Massachusetts SPCA survey 1993
- “Owner ignorance” populates shelters with abandoned cats.
- Pets that spend most of their time separated from the family, either in crates or in the yard, are at greater risk of being surrendered to shelters. Consider this: While our world consists of interests outside our pets, we are their ENTIRE world and depend on us exclusively for their socialization and well-being.
- An un-spayed female cat, her mate and all of their offspring, producing 2 litters per year, with 2.8 surviving kittens per year can total 11,606,077 cats in 9 years. Source: Spay USA
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Comments
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0 
0 Mohandas Gandhi said that a nation’s moral progress can be judged by the way it treats its animals.
Needless to say this world has a long way to go.
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0 2 Gandi also shaved his head and walked around in big diapers.
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0 1 Good point Herb!
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0 0 Belittlement.
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1 0 A couple of weeks ago i found a little kitten in a large parking lot apparently abandoned. Its an area in town that is being developed, no communities close, so i presume abandoned, as opposed to having run off.
The kitten was about 8 weeks old, tiny, so i took him home to my other 2 cats, and im planning on keeping, despite the expense of declawing(dont judge me on that).
Im assuming someone who had a litter of kittens, dropped at least one off, this one, and figured, oh youre cute someone will take you in.
They were correct, but if i ever find another, im just going to have to take him to the humane society.
Take responsibility for your animals, if you dont want a litter, have youre animals fixed, and if you cant afford, well then you probably shouldnt have a cat or dog, …try a goldfish!
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0 0 I’m with you there, Peachez, if persons can’t afford to care for pets then, they shouldn’t have them. Caring for pets includes having them vaccinated regularly, seen by the vet at least yearly, and having the animal “fixed;” unless used for breeding purposes (and the pet owner can afford that expense, to include licensing and care).
Responsibility isn’t an option, but is a legal mandate. Get ‘er done!
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2 1 Vet yearly? You’re joking right?
I feed my pets and give them shelter and a loving family. Health issues will take their natural course up to the point that it effects their mobility or they simply cannot be comfortable in any part of the house. When it gets to that point, they’ll be put down.
My animals are family members, but nobody should expect that I would pay more for an animal’s medical bills than I would for my own.
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2 0 Of course I’m not joking. I have 2 dogs and 1 cat. My dogs are seen by the vet at least twice a year, and my cat is seen every 10 days.
The only reason my cat is seen that often is because like many cats and dogs, he was poisoned - thanks to China. Thankfully my cat didn’t die, but his kidneys are permanently damaged and do require regular subcutaneous fluid boluses at the vets office. He also requires a special diet, and all of his care is very pricey; but he’s worth the cost.
My dogs are seen at least twice a year for routine vaccinations. My oldest dog is occasionally seen more often, because at 12 years of age he has developed arthritis and occasionally has to go on medicine for the pain it causes him. My dogs are also worth the cost of their care.
On the other hand, my doctor only requires that I see him once a year and I’m good with that, too.
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1 0 Comment #6: I’m not saying this is what happened in the case related here, but there are instances where mother cats will take their own kittens off a distance and abandon them.
My spayed pets see the vet yearly for shots, and at times for other ailments, including one time getting a broken leg fixed. But having been raised with the viewpoint in Comment #8 that Marcus expressed, I find comments such as, “…if persons can’t afford to care for pets then, they shouldn’t have them. …” a little harsh. (from comment #7)
While in general this may seem a responsible standard, I don’t think it applies to all people in all cases.
Others come to mind, but in Comment #1 two instances are given by towelsnapper where conditions changed. (And please tell me somebody isn’t glowering at my frail old aunt Dorothy on her limited income, thinking she doesn’t deserve to have her beloved companion, Toto!) 
Maybe it should be, “If people refuse to care for their pets, they shouldn’t have them.” ????
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0 0 Dear FHiL;
Refusing to care for one’s pets might very well be judged by refusing, or neglecting to take them to the vet for check-ups and yearly vaccinations. Feeding, petting, and taking them out for walks isn’t all there is to responsible pet care.
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1 0 I worked for a veterinarian for a short time, and I helped my dad with veterinarian work on our pets and farm animals while growing up but we didn’t take all of them in to a veterinarian every year. Did that make us irresponsible pet/animal owners? I don’t think so. Did we refuse to or neglect to take them when they most definitely needed to go? No, they got licensed care when it was beyond our skills.
Views on pet ownership and responsibility can be quite personal, and people can be very passionate about them. I’d want to be sensitive to and respectful of others’ views, and not too quick to pass judgment. We each have them for a reason, whether we want to agree with them or not.
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0 0 FHiL;
Me, too; I grew up helping my Dad take care of our farm animals; there were lots of them: Horses, cows, pigs, cats, dogs and a few goats. Only my maternal Grandpa had sheep, and I’d not cared for one since I was a toddler.
The Father of by best friend in High School was also our local vet. He cared for small and large - farm animals. The difference between the big and small animals?
The small ones you took in for vaccinations. The big ones you vaccinated yourself, but they all got vaccinated. Daddy was just as good at giving shots to his animals as I was giving shots to humans. Which is kind of bizarre, cause his degree is in education. He was a teacher, and my degree is in nursing.
Daddy wouldn’t dare give a people a shot, and I wouldn’t dare give a dog, a cow, or a horse a shot. Different strokes… yadda, yadda.
We and they all need and deserve health care. Just ask my Daddy. He’s spent many nights wide awake caring for horses (his2nd favorite people in the world - his first favorite are dogs, as are my favorite), till day light rise, and he could get hold of a vet for help.
Hell, while growing up the entire family would spend entire nights up tending to mares in labor. We’d spend weeks cleaning the barns, burning straw and hay, trying to cure the barn cats of distemper - only to have to take them all into the vet’s office (and losing more than half of them).
You ever help deliver a breech calf at 2 in the morning? It’s N O T comfortable or pretty! But you do it because your cow and her calf need your help. It’s part of being responsible for your livestock, and your pets.
If you don’t comprehend that responsibility then, you have no right owning a pet.
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1 0 Re: Wendyjo (#11 & #13):
Thank you for your comments.
It seems we have both have spent plenty of time in pastures, corrals, barns and sheds, tending to sheep, cattle, horses, pigs, chickens, rabbits, etc. (Yes, I have helped with breech births in the early morning. We’ve both probably had to retrieve a thermometer from the cow with scours with our bare arm while wearing a dress just moments before the bus arrived for school, too, right?)
If you took offense because I commented on something you wrote, that was your choice, but it was not my intent. Compassionate and caring hearts such as yours are invaluable. Please don’t think I lack one. I just don’t always show it, and I rarely let it outweigh my analytical side, a result of my upbringing.
sigh…I merely felt motivated to support Marcus‘ comment…maybe I was clumsy about it….please don’t tase me, sis!
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2 0 One point that hasn’t been brought up is that normal checkups at the vet are not that expensive. I have taken my dog to the vet for physical exams, injuries, etc. and it’s been my experience that if I were taking myself to a people doctor the same procedures would cost ten times as much, or more. I personally think that an annual physical exam for a pet is a good idea. But that’s just my opinion.
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0 2 Marcus - you and others like you are the reason Idaho animal cruelty laws need to be to felony level crimes.
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0 1 Dogs & cats do not need to see a vet every year. That’s just preposterous and unnecessary and comment 16 is clearly made by a PETA wackjob!
Caring for ones pet is one thing, but being overly protective of them like their human beings is plain psychotic neurotic behavior anonymous.
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2 0 Anonymous, please refer to this article:
http://www.idahofallstoday.com/2008/09/16/kids-and-dogs-conditions-fit-for-a-sex-pistol/
I feed, bathe and groom my animals. They all get spayed or neutered. I maintain their health and well-being. If one of my dogs tears a pad, it gets thoroughly cleaned and bandaged up. Their nails are clipped every two to three weeks. I have given both of my dogs each and every set of shots recommended.
If my animal gets some sort of cancer, she will live comfortably until she is in too much pain to be comfortable. If one of them manages to get out and get hit by a car, she will be euthanized. Basically, I refuse to pay for a surgery on an animal, and I have an inability to kill a friend personally. I care for my dogs, I pay attention to their health, and I’ll find a remedy on my own.
Don’t accuse me of animal abuse.
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0 0 Having a pet see a vet every year can detect problems early and is not preposterous. Is 30 bucks a year too much to spend for a pet? Comment #17 sounds like it came from an animal hater wackjob.
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2 0 I’ve had domesticated dogs and cats my whole life and other than spay/neutering and shots when they were kittens and puppies, I’ve never taken them to a vet each year. Every one of them lived a long healthy life and died naturally on the farm. Domesticated animals are a dime a dozen, there’s no need to spend thousands of dollars on them. Like previous poster said, “feed them, bathe them and look after them yourself”. It’s worked for me.
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2 0 Spend $30 for a yearly pet checkup with the possibility of another charge for an issue that comes up? I think not. That’s the same reason I don’t regularly visit the damn dentist or have a normal doctor! I don’t even schedule a yearly doctor visit for myself!
I hear that if you’re broke, you shouldn’t have pets. I beg to differ. If you can afford to feed and house a companion that also serves as a playmate to your children, bring in a companion! At this point, my family breaks even every month. If our costs needed to be adjusted, I’d cease feeding myself before I’d stop feeding our kids and dogs.
In the end, you can’t buy health. Luck of the draw, and that shouldn’t be fooled with - at least in application in my life.
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0 0 Which brings me to little dogs. If any of you have dogs small enough to require sweaters for survival, you should be ashamed of yourselves!
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0 0 Good point Marcus and something I tried to tell my parents who have a Chiuhaua.(sp?) This thing shivers uncontrollably like it’s got hypothermia! I’m pretty sure it’s a rat in a dog suit. I’m serious, if you look closely you’ll see a little zipper under their belly hair. Downright creepy little creatures!
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3 0 I’m with you marcus. My animals have always had loads of love and they’ve always been taken care of and fed and watered. I’ve never taken animals to yearly checkups, and I generally administer my own vaccinations. I’ve had many pets live long, happy lives.
I don’t think that taking your pets in for yearly exams is a bad thing at all, but I don’t think that people should be made to feel that they are bad pet cohabitators (not owners, my cats choose to live with me, lol) for not doing so.
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1 0 No, FHiL, can’t say I was offended by your comments, as I wasn’t. Although words can be offensive to some (to many, actually), I choose not to let them bother me. Persons attitudes, behaviors and actions are what we all need to watch.
People often say what they believe others want to hear, thereby misleading their listeners of their, the speakers true identity. Watch what people, here in this community are doing, as well as listening to what they are saying.
Since you felt motivated to support Marcus’ statement(s), let’s take his actions and comments as an example. He appears to be a responsible, kind, and concerned young man, who is also a father, husband and pet owner. So far, so good.
On this very site, in a different thread, Marcus spoke of neighbors who apparently weren’t so good at caring for their children or pets. His concern for the well being of those children and animals was so great that he reported having called some local authorities regarding the apparent neglect. Good deal! I believe it’s safe to say we all cheered him on.
Now Marcus reports that he never takes his animals in for check ups, he gives them all the care they need himself. As a matter of fact, he says, he wouldn’t take his pets in for check-ups because that might only lead to the vet finding something wrong with the pet that needs treatment. And that’s not all, he also doesn’t get his ownself to a medical doctor or dentist for regular check ups because all they’ll do is find something that needs done 2 U & charge mo’ $$$.
Wha…?¿?
After all his talk about bad neighbors not taking care of their children and pets, now Marcus is saying he doesn’t take his pets to the vet, and avoids medical and dental care? Hell, I wonder how often he allows his kids to be seen by the doctor and dentist. Maybe he believes he’s giving them all the care they need, too.
Pets, although cute, often cuddly, and meant for the enjoyment of the family, are a responsibility that should not be ignored or failed. The way you treat your pet(s) often times, a great deal of the time, reflects the way you treat family members. All pets, large and small, should be seen by a vet at least once a year - unless the vet recommends less frequent visits.
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0 0 Not having a vet check a pet once a year is irresponsible pet ownership, pure and simple. Backwoods Idahoans try to justify their postion by saying they love, feed and water them, but are too cheap to spend 25-30 bucks for an exam.
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0 0 Oh, and Marcus?
My mother and I each have a little dog, hers does wear sweaters, but mine doesn’t because I’m not into playing “dress up” with my dogs. Oh, and we both inherited our dogs.
Both dogs are purebreds. My Mom took care of her next door neighbor, Peggy, up until Peggy died. Peggy had a dog she absolutely loved, and it was killed by an @$$hole driving too fast in the neighborhood. So Peggy got another dog, just like her other dog, from the same breeder.
By the time Peggy got the second dog, a 2 month old puppy, Peggy was in her 80’s and not doing so well, health wise. She asked my Mom to take her dog if she, Peggy died. Mom loved Peggy and her puppy, and she said she would take the puppy if anything happened to Peggy. Besides, because of Peggy’s age and poor health, Mom was already taking care of the puppy most of the time anyway.
Peggy died when the pup was about a year old, and then the pup went to Mom. Her name is Suzie2 (Suzie was the name of Peggy’s first dog, so she named the puppy Suzie2). Peggy couldn’t have cared for a big dog, only a little one. And that’s how Mom got little Suzie2.
Oh, and Mom usually only puts her in sweaters following her baths. Suzie2 gets bathed once a week, and so far has a dozen or so sweaters.
My little dog is a Carin Terrier. NO BODY in their RIGHT MIND would get a Carin Terrier as a house pet, but I have one. There are only two breeders of Carin Terriers in Idaho: One in Twin Falls, and one in Boise. Tweeks (I didn’t name her) came from the breeder in Boise, and she’s just over a year old now.
I call her “Tweaks the Terrorist,” and she has earned the name. She loves toys and she came with a whole bunch of them, but she’s not getting no more. She shreds them into minute, unidentifiable pieces. She also does that to shoes, towels, pillows, blankets, books, bills, and anything else she can get in her mouth. I’ve become a “neat freak” since inheriting Tweaks the Terrorist, and also the sole protector of my innocent, defenseless cat, Baby Blue Eyes (his eyes are blue - yeah, I know - real original name).
So how did I become the proud, happy owner of Tweaks the Terrorist? It were no accident, and I tried to prevent the disaster but, was unsuccessful.
~S I G H~
My only child was in need of private schooling for her last year of high school, but there are none for that age group in Idaho Falls. Her Dad and I decided to enroll her in a private high school in Boise. Her Dad and I are also divorced, and one of us had to move over there to be with her. Even though he’s a doctor, he had the greater ability to migrate; and so he did!
Once there our daughter decided she wanted a puppy. Daddy has never been able to say no to our daughter. Oh, and he also doesn’t like fake wood, cheap clothes, second hand stores, or generic… ANYTHING!
Our daughter’s puppy had to be a pure bred. So, she calls me and tells me they are getting a puppy: “YOU’RE DOING WHAT?” “DON’T YOU DARE!” “NEITHER OF YOU WILL TAKE CARE OF IT AND I’LL EVENTUALLY GET THE DOG!” “DON’T YOU DARE GET A DOG!”
Do they listen to me? They never listen to me. They got Tweaks the Terrorist when she was 2 months old. I got Tweaks the Terrorist when she was 5 months old; they kept her about one month longer than I thought they would.
My daughter is now in her first year of college and lives in her own apartment. She and her Dad have promised not to get anymore pets. If they do, I’ll wring their necks and keep the pets; plus I’ll take the pets in for regular vet care.
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1 1 I was mostly joking about little dogs and sweaters - to each their own - but I’m glad to see that a damn cute story came of it rather than a blowup!
Everybody in the family except for myself goes for regular dental, orthodontic, and optometry visits. My wife does the yearly doctor visit on top of quarterly visits to the gynecologist. The kids have pediatric visits whenever the doctor wants to see them back. I do the optometry thing, but only because my parents cursed me with hellish nearsightedness (I’m at a -7.5 and -8 contact prescription right now).
Call me crazy, but I’ve never seen proof of the two cavities I’ve had filled so I refuse to go and let them drill me up for no reason. None of my tooth sensitivity problems were fixed after the fillings were done, which basically told me that either he didn’t get them or I have sensitive teeth. My wife fought me tooth and nail on not going back in to the dentist, but I managed to win that fight somehow.
I don’t do normal doctor visits for different reasons, but I’d just get jumped on for my reasoning on that one. Keeping my mouth shut on that topic.
Back to animals - I love them, but an $80 dog is not worth a $30 yearly check up…much the less a surgery to remove a growth (hypothetical here, my dogs are healthy) that isn’t going to affect them in the least. I will not pay for surgery on an animal, and I’m not going to let a self-righteous animal doctor tell me that I’m a shitty human being for not paying them $5k to “fix” an $80 dog. We’re here to give each other a good time and some companionship. Benefits all around. I’m not going into debt for a house pet, and I never will.
Now, if I was in animal business, that would be a different story. Pay to maintain your product.
I’m concerned about the kids and dogs next door, the dogs to a much lesser degree. However, the American Bulldog in particular really concerned me. Starvation is unacceptable, not grooming your animal is unacceptable, and not providing shelter to your animal is unacceptable. Humanely treating your animal is appropriate - veterinary check ups yearly and operations for natural health issues just goes outside of the realm of humane treatment and into the realm of fanaticism.
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1 0 Not to change the topic that this thread has morphed into, but the indifference focused on at the top of this, “love pets, hate Marcus” fest, kinda missed the boat when it comes to cat’s being put down in Idaho Falls.
Don’t get me wrong here. I don’t like cats, I don’t think they can be trusted. I’d be willing to bet even money that if you went into a coma in a closed room with one of them, they’d start eating you within the first 24 hours. But just because I don’t like them doesn’t mean they should be subjected to what animal control helps the citizens of Idaho Falls do to them.
Animal control maintains an inventory of animal traps that are on revolving loan to the people of our fine city. All you have to do is stroll in to their office and let them know you have a cat problem in your neighborhood. They’ll show you how to use an animal trap while you’re signing the form to accept responsibility for it. Doesn’t cost you a penny.
When you catch an offending critter, you take cage and all down to Animal Control and they shake ole kitty into a kennel. If it has a collar and a tag they call the owner. If it doesn’t, it only takes a few days before the animal becomes a statistic. Then you take your cage back home and catch another cat for the incinerator.
The mayor doesn’t care, the police don’t care. (oh yeah, one and the same) They’ll both tell you that there is a leash law and it applies to cats too. They say that if they see your cat outside and it’s not on a leash, it’s going to the pound.
Any of you guys ever try to take a cat for a walk on a leash?
Allowing this practice to continue is an act of indifference that far exceeds anything I’ve read in this thread. We’ve got people in this thread condemning others for not taking a pet to the vet once a year while their neighbors may very likely have a cat trap nestled in the bushes close to their property. Wearing blinders are ya?
At their best, cat’s are a bother, but they don’t deserve the treatment they’re receiving at the hands of Animal Control with the aid of a small faction of our citizenry. Before you get all nuts about it though you might like to run a Google search on Animal Control and cat trapping. This type of activity takes place all over our country.
When you get right down to it we’re still pretty much a bunch of heathens, it’s a wonder we aren’t eating them after we trap ‘em.
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1 0 Cletuss, your post does bring up some very good points.
Unfortunately, there is a sad reality that needs to be addressed. It comes back to people not spaying and neutering their animals and then just letting them run wild.
I love cats, I have always had cats. My cats have always been outside cats, and I try to keep collars on them, which really is an exercise in futility. My cats are always spayed or neutered as early as possible, and before they are allowed to be “outside cats”. If more people would take this simple step, the unloved, nuisance-cat population would drop considerably.
There is a wild cat problem, and someone has to take care of it. It is a very distasteful thing for me to even think about, I could never work in the area that has to dispose of these animals, but I’m glad that there are people out there who take on this responsibility, because, unfortunately, it does have to be done.
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0 0 Collars on cats, tried that, stopped that after a few weeks. My oldest cat, Copper, had some sort of reaction to his collar. He developed open sores beneath his fur where the collar was, but the collar wasn’t tight. I had to take him to the vet to have the wounds treated, and get an antibiotic for him. Once that happened, I took the collars off all my cats.
I had three cats at the time: Copper, Baby Blue Eyes, and Tiny. Copper and Baby were purchased from the pet shop that use to exist in the Grand Teton Mall (if you don’t recall that pet store, it’s because it shut down years ago). Copper passed away a couple of years ago, and Baby is now 12 years old and not in good health (thanks to China poisoning many of our pets). Tiny, my youngest cat disappeared a few years ago.
Tiny was my only girl cat, and like the boys she’d been fixed. Unlike the boys she hadn’t been declawed. She wasn’t a scratcher, didn’t destroy my furniture and carpet, didn’t attack my other cats (but watch out dogs during THAT TIME of the month), so I didn’t feel she needed to be declawed. In hind sight, I wish I would have had her declawed.
Because Tiny wasn’t declawed she was my only cat that would occasionally escape outdoors, and I’d not get her back for hours. I tried to keep my cats in doors. Tiny liked to hunt, and occasionally brought back prizes, like small rabbits. I’d take the poor creatures to the vet, hoping they could be saved but, they never could; Tiny had KILLED, again (and again, and again). We live outside the city limits, in a country area. There are lots of critters for catching out here.
One day Tiny didn’t come home. I looked for and called her, but she just didn’t come. Some neighbors then told me about another neighbor who had a “cat trap,” he trapped cats because they climbed on his car, and then took them to the pound or dumped them far away from the city.
I made up fliers with a picture of Tiny on them, announcing she was missing, and passed them out to all the neighbors. When I got to the cat catcher I asked him if he’d seen my cat, he took her picture and said no, he hadn’t seen her. I knew he was lying. The next day I went to the pound. Tiny wasn’t there. I left a flyer with them, asking that they please call me if Tiny showed up. They said they would. I stopped in everyday for two weeks, but Tiny was never there. I looked all over I.F. for her but never found her.
My pretty kitty was gone. I wish I’d have had her declawed.
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0 0 Wendyjo, I’m very sad to hear that your kitty disappeared. We lost one just a few months ago, and it’s very hard, you get very attached.
Sadly, since we have “outside cats”, there is always that chance that they will leave one day and not come home, and it’s never easy when it happens.
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0 0 /bangs head on keyboard
You didn’t lose your cat. It was captured and taken to the pound by an anti-social boob.
Cats know who feeds them, they know where home is. As a general rule they will come back home if they aren’t kept from doing so by being accidentally locked in a garage or purposely caught in a trap. They don’t just pack their kitty napsacks and head for Arkansas.
Of course there are always dogs, hawks and speeding cars to control the cat population, but the cats in my neighborhood do a bang up job of avoiding them. They can’t seem to stay away from a well baited trap though.
Years ago we lost a cat. My daughter covered the neighborhood with leaflets, her cat’s picture on the front of each one. Every house got one, and nobody admitted to having seen her.
We found her at the pound the day before her appointment with the incinerator. We were told she’d been caught in a trap and dropped off by one of our neighbors, but they wouldn’t say which one. I checked the fences around my house and found the trap snuggled up against our back fence, baited with smoky meat I could smell from ten feet away.
That night we covered the neighborhood with leaflets advising everyone about the incident, not giving the cat killers address or name. We advised everyone to keep their cats close to home or it might be the next victim of our neighborhood ogre.
They came to visit that night, enraged that we’d do such a thing to them. We never mentioned where we lived, who we were, where the cat was captured or anything. I guess they felt guilty because they knew they were wrong to be doing what they were doing. They probably tortured small animals when they were children and found they could continue their pastime into adulthood with the help of the city.
My point is that most people who have lost a cat think their kitty is digesting in a hawks belly, or is on it’s way to Arkansas. In this town it isn’t true and that isn’t going to change as long as people think cats just go away sometimes, or feral cats need to be controlled by any means necessary. The city has no business loaning traps out to sickos who lure and trap their neighbors cats, remove their collars, and take them to the pound for disposal.
I still dislike cats, but I like dishonest people who abuse them even less.
Rant finished. Disgust not.
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whew, slow day, time to all start commenting again!
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Good post Puddybaer
I like cats as well. I had two consecutive ones growing up - Princess and then Captain Midnight (”Captain” for short). As a toddler I was a little rough with Princess sometimes (pulling tail etc.) but she’d never scratch me for things she would immediately “warn” adults for. She seemed to be aware that I was just an ignorant little kid and didn’t know any better. Anyway, I’ve always liked cats and I like how they move - they’re like mini tigers.
I agree that many people take on pets that have no business doing so - they don’t realize it’s taking on another member of the family. There is expense and time involved with that that many people take too lightly.
I haven’t taken a survey of course, but the two people I know who had to give pets to an animal shelter did so due to finances (loss of job) and they had to move somewhere that didn’t allow pets. Whether something is an “excuse” or a “reason” would need to be looked at on a case-by-case basis. The thing is that they rescued these pets from the animal shelter in the first place. So while it’s not an ideal situation, and even assuming the worst (that they pets didn’t get adopted again) they gave these pets many years of good life that they probably wouldn’t have had. It’s true that in many cases these are “poor excuses” but to be blunt, if someone is in a situation where caring for their pet comes at the expense of caring for their kid properly, I hope they choose the kid. Kids not raised well do much more damage to society.
I agree the focus should be on spay/neuter - reminds me of Bob Barker’s mantra that he was VERY serious about when I saw him interviewed once.
Regarding your statement: “There are other options to killing unwanted cats; it is actually prevention; spaying and neutering.” While I get (and agree with) your point that much more emphasis needs to be placed on prevention, the logic in this sentence doesn’t work. When you mention “killing of unwanted cats”, you’re speaking of cats that are already born. You can’t solve this problem by neutering the cat’s father. Again, spaying and neutering is by far the most important aspect, but this this sentence doesn’t actually give people with existing pets “other options”. So my only point here is that any significant reduction of this problem is going to involve the flexibility of addressing it from more than one angle.
It’s obvious you’re very passionate about this issue. People are passionate about different causes and not everyone can focus on everything. After all, life is short, and not everyone can do everything. This is obvious of course but there seems to be that unconscious assumption when we get frustrated that not everyone cares about the same things we care about to the same degree and priority. Though admittedly this isn’t an issue that is a high priority for me personally, if I was convinced it would be put to good use, I certainly would contribute to to a low cost spay/neuter non-profit program.
I think you might be surprised at how much Veterinary Doctors already do to alleviate this problem. I know for a fact that most Vets get into the field because of their love for animals. Statements like “Get involved people” and “Local veterinary offices wake up!” allow one to point the finger but such statements actually hurt the cause you care about. After all, when someone you have no rapport with walks up to you and says “Wake up! Get involved!” does that inspire you, or are you more likely to say something like “Screw you and go away?” They may actually care about the issue, but because of how they were approached, they now have a negative association with the cause that wasn’t present before. This is known as a ‘polarity response’.
I think your passion about this shows that this is one of your callings in life.
Have you looked further into what it would take for you to take ownership of this and take more of a leadership role? All that really takes is a firm personal decision. Especially in a down economy when people have additional urgent concerns, it’s going to take someone like you who cares enough about it to own it and hold themselves accountable (more than others) for whether it gets done or not - no matter how long it takes. If you don’t care about the issue quite that much, that’s understandable…but from your post, it sounds like you do.