Over the years, I have known a lot of people who have pets, which they don't necessarily treat badly, but they don't seem to have a relationship with them. When situations change, they have no trouble dropping their dog or their cat off at a shelter, or even leaving it behind when they move away. When I first started working for Blue Buffalo pet foods, my job was to visit different retailers selling Blue Buffalo and talk to customers there, sort of like a demonstrator except that I didn't just hang around a booth waiting for people to come to me. Of course, one of the things that I talked about was the fact that dogs or cats would live longer and healthier lives if they were fed premium foods. It shocked me to find that several people, including kids, didn't want their pet to live a long life because they enjoyed getting a new pet every few years. It seemed so callous to me but, to many people, a dog or a cat is a living possession, and not really a friend or a part of the family. I'm not even being critical when I say this because traditionally, even in the recent past, that was the norm. People had dogs in order to warn them when there were intruders and to keep predators away from their chickens, and they had cats in order to keep the rodent populations down. That certainly didn't mean that they were evil people. They just hadn't personified their pets, as I have, and I think as more people are prone to do today. That may well be the more practical attitude. Come to think of it, I was the only one in my family who made pets out of the cats. When a cat had kittens, everyone would dote on the kittens, but only until they were no longer kittens. Otherwise, the cats lived in the barn or one of the other outbuildings. The ones that stuck around long enough would have names, but I was the only one who would spend time with them, talk to them, sneak them into my room at night, or save special treats for them. The cats were there to keep the mouse population down. Cats weren't spayed or neutered then. As the kittens grew into adults, some of them would find their way to neighboring farms or barns, and I'm sure that several were killed by fox, coyote or other predators.It didn't seem that anyone was overrun with cats. When I lived in the Rio Grande Valley, kids would hunt stray cats and kill them. Some of them had pets at home, but a lot of people wouldn't keep a dog or a cat into their old age. Rather than keeping an old dog or cat, they would dump it out somewhere and get a puppy or a kitten. They referred to that as throwing it away, and most people didn't seem to think there was anything wrong with that. I'm not talking about low-life people either, as many of these were good people otherwise. They just didn't place the same value on pets that some of us have. If you think of it, there are people who won't eat meat because they cannot justify the killing of an animal. These people probably look upon us meat-eaters with the same disdain that some of us might put on those who are unable to view a dog or a cat as a friend or as a part of their family. I talk to my cats all the time. Hey, when they ask me a question it would be rude of me not to answer them, wouldn't it? I talk to them, I sing to them, and I enjoy it when they sleep in the bed with me at night. When they die, I grieve, and I can't say that my sorrow is any less than when I lose a loved one of the human species. Until it finally got out of hand, I had trouble justifying spaying or neutering a cat for a while. For a time, after a litter of kittens is born, I am able to give kittens away to a good home, whereas I wouldn't think of giving a child away, so there is a difference. But once that kitten has been with me long enough to have a name, and I am able to recognize its distinct personality, I have a hard time parting with it, since it has become a part of my family. I have three cats now. Two of them are twenty-six, one of whom won't be with me much longer, and I am going to miss her. Although, at twenty-six, common sense tells me that her sister won't be with me much longer either, the other is still very healthy. When the two older ones are gone, I'll probably get another cat because I think it's good for a cat to have another friend of its own species, although they generally disagree when a new cat is introduced to the family.
To a large extent, I think my father felt that way about his horses, or at least some of them. Before my time, he used to farm with horses and when he got a tractor, he retired his team of workhorses rather than selling them. I only remember one of them, Bill. He was an old horse when I was kid, and Bill always got the best of everything. Dad would spend a lot of time with that horse, although no one rode him and he was no longer needed for plowing. He would buy colts at auction and raise them for sale, and there were some that he didn't want to part with. Neither myself or any of my brothers rode the horses for some reason, I don't know why, although we had cousins who would ride our horses, but we had twenty-one horses at one time. It's not cheap to feed a horse during a Michigan winter. Although we grew our own hay, they need more than hay to eat. Although we almost never saw a doctor for any of our illnesses, we would have a veterinarian out to see the horses every now and then, although dad was able to treat the more common problems that occur in horses. We had some horses that dad didn't want to sell, and I think I can remember him even using that phrase, that they were family. I never felt that way about the horses. I had to feed them in the morning, and walk across the pasture to break a hole in the ice in the river so that they had water, and I'd pet them sometimes, but I never really felt that I had a relationship with any of our horses. Maybe Bill, because he was a very gentle horse, for being so huge.
My pet is my best friend...no joke. That is a bit sad really...but they give so much and expect so little.I have a total heart for animals. They are at our mercy, and we have to speak for them and be their voice. I think sadly the throw away mentality goes for animals as well as things in some cases, and I seriously don't see it. I think anyone that would do that (animal abandonment) cavialleriary is missing a sensitivity gene to be honest.
I love my animals and can't imagine alife without them. They sleep in my bed and sit with me on my furniture. It irritates me to no end to see dogs here chained up outside or in a small pen their whole lives. If they aren't part of you life why have them at all.
Cat lovers are more fortunate than dog lovers like me for their pets live longer. My first dog lived to be 10. Expectedly, I was devastated when she died of renal problem. I actually had her put to sleep because I couldn't bear to see her suffering. She was in a pitiful condition for already a week, and her tummy was growing big because her kidneys were not working anymore. We had the puppy when she was 2 months old. I never expected that I would be enamored to a dog because I grew up in a house where a dog is a house guard that stays tied in the garage or in the doorway. But Jedi was different. She knew how to get my attention and before she became an adult, we were already best of friends. In fact, Jedi was very protective of me. When I would lie down on the sofa, Jedi would stay by my side and she would growl when someone would come near me, no matter if it is my husband. As days passed, Jedi grew closer to me until I realized I was treating her like family. When she was 5, we moved to a new house where the bedroom is accessible to dogs. That allowed Jedi to sleep in our bedroom. I remember our first months in the new house (it's actually an old house that we purchased via a bank loan) when Jedi would be manning the house all by herself because my husband and I both worked and we had no housemaid. Jedi was a good guard because there was nary an incident. And when we got another dog, Jedi acted like a big sister. She was also protective of the puppy. I guess we have given Jedi a treatment worthy for a human so she acted like a human.
I owned a doxie from 5 weeks of age until she died at age 17. I loved that dog like I had loved no other. For me, she was my friend. She helped me to understand the term "constant companion". I now have another dog that I hoped would develop into a friendship, but it hasn't to this point. He likes sitting in my lap in the evenings and likes to sleep on my bed at night, but his personality leans more toward independence. Even though the relationship is lacking, will I place him in a shelter? No way.
I cannot fathom not treating pets as family. I've had cats most of my life. I'm struggling right now, trying to figure out how I'm going to afford a surgery one of my cats needs. I lost her litter mate/brother last year and that was pretty devastating. I know when she goes it will be a double loss, because it will bring back his loss, and I'm not looking forward to that. I'm considering making a crownfunding page to raise the money for the surgery, but I hate begging for money, and I really wish something else would come up to cover the cost. When I got my pets, I was in different financial circumstances, and certainly never anticipated struggling like this, and not being able to afford basic care for them. I can't imagine abandoning my furbabies. I'd rather starve than let them go hungry. The meat eating thing does cross my mind occasionally as well, especially when I see posts online about the places that eat dogs and cats. Here's a list of 9 countries where they do, in case anyone's interested. That disgusts me, as I'm sure my meat consumption disgusts vegans, but I guess it's all in how people were raised, and what they were taught was acceptable.
@Diane Lane, surely in a city as big as Houston you can find a surgerical vet clinic that will do surgery at cost or will not turn you away due to ability to pay. I know in Richmond, VA there is a surgical center that does not turn any animal that needs an operation away regardless of the owners ability to pay.I don't know who funds them, or how they get the money but they are a great place. .Call some no kill shelters, Animal Rescue orgs, Humane society etc and find out what you can about these places. There has to be a resource you can use.
Hi Ken, You just remind me of what I had to do, when I moved, I don't know if I mentioned this before. It's been a year already when we made the move. I had to leave my feral cats behind. I kept trying to find someone who could help me with them, but everyone I talked to, told me the same thing, leave they will survive. All of the were fixed, so I know they were not going to have anymore kittens. To this day my heart breaks, that I was not able to bring them with me. Leaving in an apartment it's hard to keep 12 stray cats inside. We have a small patio, which the cats from here come by and pay a visit. I didn't want to leave them, and I still very guilty for this. I did rescue one of the kitten here, he will be a year old in August. I still feed the cats in the morning and evening. The assistant mangers started trapping them, only because the manager told him to. Compare to the dozen of cats running around, now there is around 15 left. He also understand that the cats should be left alone because of rotten population. He stopped trapping, which I glad he did. I thinking that he talked to the manager and explained to her the reason for keeping them. I feed them, they stay out of the dumpsters and we see less bugs around. I know, she knows that I feed them, to this day, she has not told me anything. (knock on wood). I'm able to pet only two of them, the rest and still kind of scared or not sure what will happen if I touch him or her. Kids around here also have killed some of them, don't they know that animals have feeling, that they hurt when he or she is injured, just like them. They come to my door in the morning around 5, but I don't feed them until 6 am, and whatever is left over I take to the cats by the dumpsters, I make to have water for them. The kitten that we rescue is bigger than my Jr. and he such a bully, he attacks my daughter for no reason, if I walk over him, I know he going to attack me, lol. I scratches that look like I have cut myself. Always chasing my Jr. me yelling at Larry to leave him alone. And yet when we leave them for the day, he behaves. This cats is a character, he has a personality on him, he is one of a kind. As for food, I wish I could buy them the best, they both eat a can of food between them two, and they don't finish it. The left overs I give to the cats outside. They are use to eating Friskies, and once in while I give them tuna, which Jr. loves. I've always said that once Jr. is gone I don't want another cat, it's very painful, when you lose them. I say no, but I know I will get another one, this time I get an older cat.
When I moved from Texas, I took a feral cat with me whom I had fed since she was a kitten. Some dogs had killed all of her siblings but one, and either killed or ran her mother off. Her sister was hit by a car so it was just her. By then, I had made friends with her enough so that I could pick her up. She was with me for twenty-two years.
Hi Texas Beth, That's how Larry is with my daughter, we got him when he was about a month, and you figure as close as my daughter is with him that he would be the same. He doesn't like to be pet, you can only pick him up for a little while, he doesn't sleep with her. He is very independent, unlike Jr. where he will sleep with you. I did have one cat Frosty, who was always with me, slept with me, I was able to hold him for a long time. I lost him and it was so hard to get over him, I still mourn for him. I loved him so much. The only one that I had to put down was Kitty, she had cancer, I had my husband take her, I just couldn't do it.
Many people look at me as if I'm weird when I say, "I not so sure that the Creator doesn't think as much of an animals soul as He does of mine." The way an animal can love and forgive seems much closer to the Creator's ways than most humans.
Ina I think you're right. Animals with their infinite love have to be close to God. I think he created them to aid us in our journeys.
Yes, I possibly could, if my vehicle were in better shape. As it is, I drive it as little as possible, because there's something wrong with it and I need new tires. I have to use it to buy groceries and run a few local errands, and there's no money to fix whatever is wrong with it. I can't drive fast enough to go on the freeways all the way to Houston (at least 45 min drive) in order to go to a place like that. The help available here is for spaying and neutering, and that's been taken care of long ago, on my own dime. There really isn't much in the way of any type of assistance for someone in my circumstances, believe me, I've checked. It amazes me how callous some people are about animals. Some here in the neighborhood joke about killing cats, using them as bait, etc., and it disgusts me and some other animal lovers to see the comments. They probably have no idea that some of us prefer the company of loving animals to that of them and their bratty kids who run through the neighborhood, causing chaos.
Yes, I like animals more than most people. They are honest, non judmental, and their wants and needs are usually simple. It seems like the older I get, and the more people I know, the more I like my pets. People have caused a lot of pain in my life, and animals have caused little. I just wish people could be as open and loving as our little friends with fur. They truly don't ask for much from us.