The following is commentary on various cat-related issues that I feel strongly about. Some of these get off into rants. Sorry, but some of these are pretty emotionally charged issues. My request is, if there's something here you don't agree with, ignore the ranting and look at the reasons WHY I feel the way I do. Look at the links I supply, where I do. Get all the facts for yourself. Think it through. If you still don't agree, there's probably nothing I can do to change that. But you never know; somewhere in between my ranting and raving, there might just be some really good points that you've never thought of!

In no particular order:

SPAYING and NEUTERING

Millions of cats and dogs are killed in shelters every year because people won't do the simple task of spaying and neutering their pets. Come on, folks. Is is that difficult? If you can't afford a regular vet's price, look for a low-cost spay-neuter clinic near you. And if you can't afford that, how exactly do you pay for this animal's food? Isn't $25 or $50 or even $100 worth preventing unwanted cats and dogs who will suffer and die miserably? I see this particularly as an issue for male cats and dogs. People seem to be more likely to spay females because otherwise they would have to deal with the offspring. But people let male pets wander all over, impregnating females to their heart's desire. Would you like it if a male human ran around getting women pregnant and leaving the women and babies to fend for themselves? So why is it OK to let your cat or dog do this? No, it's not a perfect comparison, but you get the idea. People who let their pets, especially males, run around outside unfixed are irresponsible, plain and simple. And even if your pets are indoors, it's just as important. There's always the chance they will get out.

Lisaviolet's Spay/Neuter Page - Read the whole thing, And visit the links. Just do it.

The Miracle of Life: A Poem

DECLAWING

I'm not going to say that there is absolutely no instance when a cat should be declawed. If you're a hemophiliac, say, and your cat can't be trained to not scratch you. But such an instance would be incredibly rare. Declawing is cruel, plain and simple. How would you like to have the ends of your fingers cut off? How would you like to sit around in pain for weeks - and don't tell me it didn't hurt your cat, cats are quite good at hiding pain - and then have to completely relearn your sense of balance? Relearn what you can and can't do without your front toes? And what's worse, it is UNNECESSARY! There are plenty of ways to keep your cats from scratching your furniture. Scratching posts usually do the trick. If not, nail trimming, nail caps, sticky tape on the furniture, cat repellent, you name it, plenty of easy (and cheaper) alternatives. If you take the time to retrain your cat to scratch in the right places, you can almost certainly save your furniture. And if you're not willing to spend time training your cat, you have no business owning one. So train your cat - don't mutilate it. Thinking about getting a cat? Think which you will consider more important - your furniture or your cat. If your furniture is more important, then either don't get a cat, or find one already declawed at the animal shelter. Many European countries have recognized how horrible declawing is and have outlawed it. Think about it - if it's illegal in some places, is it really something you want to have done? Here are some good links about declawing. Please, just go read them.
Facts About Declawing
Educate, Don't Amputate! Has lots of information about alternatives to declawing.
Amby's Declawing Cats: Issues and Alternatives has tons and tons of links about the subject.

Oh, and by the way, declawed cats often bite more. You would too.
 

PUTTING DECLAWED CATS OUTSIDE

People who do this should be forced to fight a hungry lion barehanded. That's what your cat has to do if he or she encounters another cat, or a dog, or a raccoon or possum, or anything else that threatens it. No claws means no defense. It can't fight. It can't run up a tree. Doing this is extreme cruelty. Oh, and if you expect it to catch its own food, how is it supposed to do that with bare knuckles? Somewhere in the above links is more info on this issue as well. But it seems like a no-brainer to me!

DUMPING AN ANIMAL

Domestic dogs and cats are NOT wild animals. They generally can NOT survive on their own. Especially kittens and puppies! Leaving an animal to fend for itself is too cruel and inhumane for words. Have you ever actually SEEN a stray animal? And noticed how skinny and dirty and sickly it looks? That's because it's not meant to be a wild animal and it doesn't know how to live properly that way. Sure, they used to be, but we've domesticated them to the point that they can't make it on their own now. I've rescued enough skinny, sick strays and ferals to know that.  People who dump their animals should be forced to become homeless themselves, and see how well THEY handle it. Go to nearly ANY rescue group or humane society website, and you can read about the horrors of being a stray.

CRUELTY IN GENERAL

Any one who beats, maims, or otherwise abuses an animal should have the same done to him, preferably by a 400-pound gorilla to make the strength difference comparable. Anyone who neglects an animal should be forced to experience that same neglect. (Here, YOU go outside to sleep when it's minus-15! No food or doctor visits for you, either.) I doubt anyone who likes cats enough to visit this page would disagree with me there! Animal cruelty should be a felony in all states, and should be stricly enforced. It's a shame so many government officials don't care enough about animals to make this happen. It has been said that you can tell about a nation by the way it treats its animals. Makes you wonder how much those officials really care about the PEOPLE they represent...

STUPID, CRUEL REASONS FOR GIVING YOUR CAT/DOG UP TO A SHELTER

Remember, unless you take the animal to a no-kill shelter, you are essentially signing the animal's death certificate. Most shelters can only keep an animal for a very short period of time before they euthanize it. Are these reasons really worth killing your animal?

*It scratches the furniture (see above)
*It grew up (duh, what did you expect?)
*It pees/throws up on the carpet (usually as easily remedied as scratching - if not, it can be an outside animal)
*New animal doesn't like it (how would you feel if your parents put you up for adoption because you didn't like your baby sister? Return the new animal.)
*Pregnant (Pregnant women CAN have cats! Research myths before you choose to believe them!)

Other problems that can possibly be remedied:
*Allergies (I have all kinds of allergies and live happily with my cats. Again, do research.)
*New spouse doesn't like (so have a pet-free zone or restrict the animal to a place where the spouse doesn't go)
*Moving - if you really care about your pet, take the time to find a place that will let you keep it. If it's an emergency, find someone who will keep the pet for you until you can get a place that allows pets - or at the very least, someone who will keep the pet until you can find it a new home!

How Could You?

THE INDOOR/OUTDOOR DEBATE: (Cats only)

The reason I say cats only is, you can fence in a dog. Cats will just climb the fence. I have no problem keeping any animal outside in a safe enclosure, provided that they are given a sufficiently warm, dry shelter and plenty of food and water and ATTENTION. But cats roam. Into roads. And get squashed. Now, I don't speak out against outdoor cats unequivocally. I have one of my own outside. The reason I even considered putting her out is that she is very territorial, and was peeing ALL OVER the house. And yes, she's spayed. No amount of behavioral training worked with this cat. And since she was the newest, we certainly weren't going to get rid of the rest of them. So we decided to experiment with putting her outside. We watched her carefully to see how far she would roam. And she doesn't. She explores the woods behind the house and the neighbors' backyards, but she will not go more than halfway down the front yard or driveway. Which means she goes nowhere near the road. (Which is a small neighborhood road out in the country - if we lived on a busier road I wouldn't risk letting her out anyway.) If she ever starts playing around near the road, we will have to come up with another arrangement. I will not have one of my cats risking her life every day like that. So unless you live way out in the country, I believe in keeping your cats inside. They look much better round than flat. And their life will likely be longer too. Indoor cats routinely live into their teens, while the average life span of an outdoor cat is 3-5 years. I want my cats for as long as I can have them! And people who live on busy city streets or next to interstates and let their cat out deserve exactly what they get - a flat cat. Too bad the animal suffers far more than the human.

CHRISTMAS/BIRTHDAY/ETC. PETS

DON'T DO IT! Don't give anyone a pet as a present unless they express the desire themselves, and they pick the pet out themselves. Gift pets frequently end up in shelters, because the person didn't really want them, or couldn't afford to keep them, or didn't get along with them/didn't like them, or didn't have the right household arrangement for them.

THINK BEFORE GETTING ANY PET!

Educate yourself on responsible pet ownership for that kind of pet. Talk to other owners; talk to vets; talk to the folks at the shelter. Find out what taking care of that pet really involves. Find out what kind of problems might come up. This simple task would save many pets from slaughter at the pound. Then, choose your pet carefully. Spend time with it before you adopt or buy it. Get to know it a little, make sure it will be a good fit with your family and lifestyle. Animals have all kinds of different personalities; the cat that's right for me may not be the cat that's right for you. Don't impulse buy or adopt. It may seem adorable when you first see it, but it needs thought! Would you adopt a child without thinking about it first? Remember, you are making a lifetime commitment to this animal. That means 10-20 years! Think about the future - will you always be able to take care of this pet, as far as you know? If everyone would do this, life would be so much nicer - for both the pets and the humans!