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Cat Quote of the Day: The best exercise for a cat is another cat
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.
- 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.
- Educate
- Don't Amputate - extensive information about declawing
(lisaviolet)
- Pet Guardian Responsibility - a privilege and life commitment (Pawprints and Purrs)
- 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)
- Please Support Keeping Cats Indoors - why you should keep your cat indoors (Divine Felines)
- 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.
- Care Buttons and Banners - these are my small contribution toward informing and educating Web visitors - please use any of them on your site
- Are You a Cat Lover?
- Take the I Can't Keep This Cat Because ... quiz.
- Cat Care Advice/Hints/Tips
- What About Declawing?
"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
Source:
http://user.xmission.com/~emailbox/voices.htm
