BS: cats

Subject: RE: BS: cats
From: Genie
Date: 22 Nov 02 - 12:16 AM

Grab -
Genie, that attitude to owning a cat is the exact reason why I don't like cats (or rather, why I don't like some cat owners).
So you're saying I should just have left Grissy as a stray with no shots, no flea treatment and grooming, no license, no regular feeding, no place to call home?  Give me (and the stray cats) a break!

(BTW, few of the stray cats that are in our neighborhood are "culled" by the city.  They just don't lead really happy lives.)

Ppl buy cats bcos they're perceived as a "low-maintenance" pet - when you go to work or go travelling or whatever, you can just throw them out of the house and leave them to their own devices.

I don't know where you got the idea that I, or most owners of indoor-outdoor cats, treat their cats that way.
I could go into detail about the arrangements I make for my cats when I am out of town, plus the care I give them when I'm home, but that seems like an unnecessarily defensive thing to do.  Suffice it to say that you are assuming a lot.

In the categories listed and described in the Cat Hate website, I'm a lot more "cat lover" than "cat owner."

And, oh, the animals shelters in general are not "snooty" with folks who want to adopt.  It's just a few of the privately owned organizations.  The Humane Society, for instance,  does not tell cat adopters that they must never let their cats outside.
 

What's that old saying?  Oh, yeah -- "The perfect is the enemy of the good."

Genie
§:-)

Subject: RE: BS: cats
From: lamarca
Date: 22 Nov 02 - 12:30 PM

We had our Old Lady as an "Only Cat" for 13 years, and travel arrangements for us were always difficult. We had good friends who were willing to come and house sit while we were gone, so the cat wouldn't be lonely (did I mention that she was a bit spoiled?) After Val died this spring, we decided to adopt two cats rather than one so they would be company for each other when we were at work or travelling. Now we can just ask a friend or pet-sitter to go over and give them food and water and do the litterbox chores, without worrying about their mental health, too!

I've never understood people who look at pets (be they cats, dogs, gerbils, etc) as easily replacable items, rather than another living, feeling soul, who is entitled to a lifelong committment of care. A living creature is NOT a toy - if you can't handle the responsibility, you shouldn't "own" one..

Subject: RE: BS: cats
From: NicoleC
Date: 22 Nov 02 - 03:41 PM

Joe, can you please delete the above link? It's a web page that contains malicious code, and, of course, has nothing to do with cats.

Subject: RE: BS: cats
From: Genie
Date: 22 Nov 02 - 04:38 PM

I totally agree with this:
"I've never understood people who look at pets (be they cats, dogs, gerbils, etc) as easily replacable items, rather than another living, feeling soul, who is entitled to a lifelong committment of care. A living creature is NOT a toy - if you can't handle the responsibility, you shouldn't "own" one."

Where some of us here disagree is on whether a cat should ever be allowed outdoors. I think there are arguments to be made on both sides (and it depends partly on the individual cat's proclivity to roam). But it's unfair to label all people who sometimes let their cats out as uncaring, insensitive creatures who think of pets as replaceable objects.

Genie