Thanks, Brenda... Yup. My cats are indoor/outdoor... not always readily
catchable. As much as I love my kitties... I would not put my
daughter's, husband's or my own life at risk for them. No, I do not
consider them "part of the family" on par with the humans. They are
cats. I do not buy them Christmas presents. I would likely not opt for
$2000 chemotherapy sessions for them. When cats get so sick that they
are in bad pain, I would opt for euthanasia. There are so many, many
healthy kittens/cats who need a home.
I give my cats a comfy place to live. They can sleep on my bed, on my
head if they wish. We feed them, keep them clean and get them regular
checkups and vaccinations to prevent as much preventable illness as
possible. In the past 3 years, I said goodbye to two sisters... one was
17 and the other lived to 20. Right now, one is about 12 and the other
is about 2. If I had not rescued them, they would have died a long time
ago. My cats live good lives.
In an emergency, I would try to bring them with me. If I had very little
time and couldn't catch them, or had to go to an evacuation center that
did not allow pets... I would be very sad. Let's hope I'd be smart
enough to clear out early enough that the no-pets evacuation center
wouldn't be my only option.
Peg in RI
Brenda Pink
Sent: Saturday, September 03, 2005 9:32 PM
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: Re: Compassion in Tallahassee
I'm suspecting what she meant was that if they weren't freaked out and
hard to catch?
Brenda
Lee Ann Reiners wrote:
> I have to ask--why would it be IMpractical to take the cats? Aren't
they part of the family? My pets would be at the top of my list.
Everything else is replaceable, and photos are just pictures of memories
that live in my mind. My dogs, cat and bird aren't just sentimental,
they're my kids.
****************************************
Half the interest of a garden is the
constant exercise of the imagination.
~~Mrs. C.W. Earle
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****************************************
Half the interest of a garden is the
constant exercise of the imagination.
~~Mrs. C.W. Earle
****************************************
Bravo, Peg. What you say here is humane, logical and coincides pretty much
with how I feel about the matter. Maybe we differ a little on the, "part of
the family"
aspect, but....We don't have any cats currently, but have dogs
we think highly of.
ann
think@francomm.com
****************************************
Half the interest of a garden is the
constant exercise of the imagination.
~~Mrs. C.W. Earle
****************************************
Thanks, Ann.
I do have sympathy for people who feel strongly about their pets... A
friend of mine lost a beloved kitty last month, and she had been giving
him daily intravenous treatments for a few months before his death, just
to keep him going. I told her that she had the very luckiest cats in the
world, and when she's grieved enough, I hope she can offer the same love
to another one. I would never hurt her for the world... but honestly, I
think that level of effort to prolong the life of a terminally ill cat
is ...let's say... over the top. Personally, I'm not a big fan of
prolonging HUMAN life/suffering when the end is imminent, either. But
that's definitely another story.
I give regularly to our local animal shelter through payroll deduction,
and support the World Wildlife Fund. But when push comes to shove, if I
had to choose between saving a child or a puppy... it's a no-brainer.
And though I'm not all that fond of dogs as a rule, I acknowledge that
people often form a much stronger bond with their dogs. It's the nature
of the dog personality, I think. They are much more dependent on you,
they miss you more when you're gone... They're loyal and protective of
their owners. It's a different dynamic than most cats. It may very well
be part of why I choose cats over dogs... (plus I think doggies smell
bad and slobber too much!)
I do applaud the rescue efforts of the animal groups that are trying to
look out for the welfare of the animals affected by this tragedy. Just
like anything else, I'll do "this" and you do "that" and hopefully we
accomplish a lot of good wherever it is needed.
Peg in RI
B. Mullikin
Sent: Monday, September 05, 2005 7:37 AM
To: GARDENS@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: Re: Cats as family was Re: Compassion in Tallahassee
Bravo, Peg. What you say here is humane, logical and coincides pretty
much
with how I feel about the matter. Maybe we differ a little on the,
"part of
the family"
aspect, but....We don't have any cats currently, but have dogs
we think highly of.
ann
think@francomm.com
****************************************
Half the interest of a garden is the
constant exercise of the imagination.
~~Mrs. C.W. Earle
****************************************
But when push comes to shove, if I
Hi Peg,
I would make a real effort to save my Gabe - and if
he had to give up his place for a human and he died,
I would consider him a hero. It would be his nature
to give his life trying to save me or someone as that
is the nature of his breed and many are trained as
rescue dogs. I would feel heartbroken to see him
drown or something though. Shelters don't allow pets,
so I would have another plan that included him.
Today, I had a shelf I was rearranging slip and the
boxes came down with a loud noise. He hightailed it
to the end of the garage. I just stood there, but
then I made a little cry of dismay because I had
to pick everything up. Little Gabe came right
back and stood between me and the boxes and growled.
He was going to defend me. Only 4 mos. old, and
weighing in at 32 lbs., he was ready to take on
whatever it was in those boxes that caused me
to make a distress noise. :)
June
****************************************
Half the interest of a garden is the
constant exercise of the imagination.
~~Mrs. C.W. Earle
****************************************
June
You and Gabe are getting more and more adorable. I don't know whether the
puppy or your enthusiasm is the most appealing. Continue enjoying him.
Thinking about all the dogs and cats without homes in the gulf area, I made
a donation to ASPCA. All animal rescue programs appear to be doing a great
job and need all the help they can get.
I could not leave without Bonie, Clwyd, Calhoun and MacFaydn. I would have
to turn the llamas loose and hope they survived which we do if a tornado
threat is posted.. Imagine the response if I appeared at a friend's house
with three crusty llamas. The last time I took them to the Vet, we went
inside and David ate several red roses off the receptionist's desk. Tivio
still has him beat since he ate a gladiola from the altar vases during the
Blessing of the Animals on St Francis Sunday.
Libba Griffith
libbagriffith@mindspring.com
****************************************
Half the interest of a garden is the
constant exercise of the imagination.
~~Mrs. C.W. Earle
****************************************
That is so sweet.
Karen (Pittsburgh, PA - zone 5b/6)
On Mon, 5 Sep 2005 14:50:03 -0400 June Dean
writes:
****************************************
Half the interest of a garden is the
constant exercise of the imagination.
~~Mrs. C.W. Earle
****************************************
Just one more reason to be a lover of the breed itself.
German Shepherds are wonderful, unfortunately so much has been done to
destroy them through breeding.
That artificial stance that they breed for if they are showing the dog I
have heard is giving long term problems with bone structure.
If a GSD has a good temperament they are worth their weight in gold!
jo
nj
****************************************
Half the interest of a garden is the
constant exercise of the imagination.
~~Mrs. C.W. Earle
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