Re: “Pets are not disposable,” Progress, Points of View, May 27, 2022
I recently read yet another news story about a cat rescued, albeit half dead, from a garbage bin.
It’s just more worrisome evidence – as though there wasn’t enough evidence already – that there’s a tragic human-nature propensity to perceive the value of life (sometimes even human life in regularly war-torn or overpopulated famine-stricken global regions) in relation to the conditions enjoyed or suffered by that life. With the mindset of feline disposability, it might be: “Oh, there’s a lot more whence they came.”
Also, with their vertical slit pupils and Hollywood-cliché fanged hiss when confronted, in a world mostly hostile toward snakes (including me), cats may have a permanent public relations problem with much of humankind, despite their Internet adorable-pet dominance. Yet, these mammals’ qualities, especially their non-humanly innocence, make losing them such a great heartbreak for their owners.
Furthermore, it boggles my mind how much mindless, even inexplicable, violent contempt there is out there for homeless/stray and feral cats in order to commit so much of the horrific acts that are regularly inflicted upon these beautiful mammals. These include the cats whose owners have allowed to wander the neighbourhood at night only to be tortured to death by cat-haters procuring sick satisfaction, or else slaughtered by hungry wild animals.
Beautiful yet often misunderstood, prejudged and unjustly despised animals, cats are. And only when overpopulations of unwanted cats are greatly reduced in number by responsible owners consistently spaying/neutering their felines might these beautiful animals’ presence be truly appreciated.
Frank Sterle Jr.
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