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Cat Quote of the Day:
 Nothing
matches the unconditional love of an animal who wants only to please
us.
Our pets are sometimes our first and best friends. We're calmed by our
cats' purrs, revitalized by our dog's energy, and warmed by the love
offered
without reservation by our animal companions.
All too often, though,
animals become
victims of vicious acts of cruelty, leaving those of us who are animal
lovers enraged and frustrated at the senseless of it. "Animals have no
legal rights," we're told, or "they're just property." More humane
people
realize that no animal or person deserves to be tortured or tormented,
regardless of their legal status. A cat should be treated as a lifelong
companion, a fellow creature to be loved and cared for, not a
"disposable"
entity that is easily replaced.
How can you make a
difference??
- Stay informed of
current
animal welfare
issues, sign petitions and write letters to your
congressman.
Treat your own pets well, and pass along the word!
Many wonderful and caring
people have
created web sites or web rings that inform visitors about specific
issues
of abuse or educate them about animal care; below are just a few. If
you
maintain a "causes" site, please contact them directly.
- Low
Cost or Free Spay/Neuter Programs in the United States - an
excellent
(and growing) resource if you haven't yet spayed/neutered your pets.
(Love
that Cat) If you live in Utah, visit No More Homeless Pets' Spay/Neuter
page for coupons and other discounts, or see when the mobile
spay/neuter
Clinic will be visiting your area.
- A "birth
control pill" for feral cats
is under development. Read about it here.
(ActionCat)
- Have your cat(s)
spayed or
neutered and
vaccinated against disease. It's your fault if "Momma" keeps
getting
pregnant. Your one-time spay/neuter investment helps your own town in
the
long run, as there will be fewer abandoned cats that won't have to be
dealt
with. Plus, you won't have to (try to) find homes for 5 or 6 kittens
every
few months.
- If at all possible,
keep
your cat(s) inside
- a friendly cat who roams the street is, unfortunately, easy prey for
animal abusers. An inside cat won't be hit by a car, acquire a disease
from other wandering cats, or be mauled by a neighbor's dog. Cats can
be
perfectly happy inside all the time!
- Do not declaw
your
cat(s).
- Volunteer at your
local
animal shelter
or privately-owned rescue organization. If you can't set aside the
time,
send a few dollars to your favorite organization. Or, ask them what
supplies
you can provide - if your cat has outgrown its carrier, for example,
your
local rescue organization would greatly appreciate it!
- Do not offer the
kittens
for FREE. Bad
people sell them to laboratories, use them for sacrifices, or practice
all forms of horrible abuse on them. At least interview the people and
get their home address.
- Don't turn away
visiting
cats. Try to
find their owner; or, if they are wild, seriously consider investing in
them long-term as your "outside cats"--give them food, water, and
shelter,
and take them to the vet to be spayed or neutered. The lifespan of a
"feral"
cat is much shorter than that of a well-cared for inside cat, but you
can
improve its quality of life by caring for it responsibly.
- Adopt adult cats from
rescue organizations
or animal shelters, since those cats are in immediate peril of being
put
to sleep. If you must have a pedigreed cat, purchase it from a "family"
cattery, not a "mill" that keeps its females constantly pregnant and in
a kennel away from family members.
- Do not give an animal
as a
present unless
you are sure the person wants it--if they don't, it will end up at the
animal shelter and be put to sleep, or abandoned on the street. If you
are a parent and give your child a cat or kitten, recognize that you
are
responsible for the animal as well as the child--don't presume that the
child will always remember feeding time. Ensure that the child plays
gently
with the new companion.
- If you have a web
page,
provide links
to the sites listed above (remember, there are many excellent sites in
addition to them). And, sprinkle a few "care buttons" from CatStuff
(link
below) around your site to subtly educate visitors to your site.
Additional links at this
site:
"Anyone who has
accustomed himself
to regard the life of any living creature as worthless is in danger of
arriving also at the idea of worthless human lives." Albert
Schweitzer
"If you have men who
will exclude
any of God's creatures from the shelter of compassion and pity, you
will
have men who will deal likewise with their fellow men." St. Francis
of Assisi
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