[xafsmom]

Hmm... I have cats, dogs, horses, birds...

My cats and dogs are fixed. I know that when I got my dog, he needed a tag from my city saying he's had rabies vacc, and a license. There's no reason why people who acquire pets shouldn't be made to spay/neuter their animals. That would solve, over time, the majority of the long term issue; spaying and neutering. People needs to be regulated with animals (and children, honestly!), and start being forced into responsibility.

This method of taking responsibility starts with the breeder. Reduce prices, sell their animals already fixed. Any breeder of an invasive animal should be required to get a license and then be regulated on their breeding. Any pet shop should sell fixed animals. Any strays should - by law - be fixed. People who let their animals outside of their homes should be fined; largely. Anyone who doesn't fix their pets should also be fined. Will this ever happen? Heh, no. The animal services dept of any city just doesn't have that sort of budget. Though, you know it would be far cheaper to start such a program of policing pet ownership than to continue to euthanise the vast amount of animals out there every day that are carted in.

I don't condone killing any animal ...unless I'm going to eat it (I'm watching you, Mister Xaf!). I feel that any human that is forced to be the executioner of another living being lessens themselves inside, somehow. It doesn't matter the species they kill. Even if it comes to catching a feral cat and having it taken to a shelter, you know deep down that it most likely is going to die, and you've provided that death sentence. It's a tough thing to do.

It hurts to lose pets, and it's not just cats. I've watched a feral parrot mow through a bunch of house sparrows once, a racoon disembowel a small dog, a dog destroy a cat, a cat rip open a guinea pig, a horse trample a goat, a cockatiel eat the eyes out of 13 baby chickens methodically one night (not my birds, a friends and yes, dumb friend). Who deserves to be blugeoned to death for this? Save the parrots because we like birds? Save the cats because we love cats? It demeans us all to think that way. Love animals, but love them responsibly. I do condone blugeoning people who are irresponsible pet owners. Grr.. especially at this time of year. I start frothing at the mouth seeing "BUY EASTER BUNNIES TODAY! 20 BUCKS!".

Lack of personal responsibility due to ignorance is what most pet owners deal with, I think. Little Tommy wants a kitty, so Mum and Dad get Fluffy. After Fluffy's newness wears off, Fluffy becomes a typical cat and pees the floor, scatches the furniture, acts like a git when hormones hit, and out you go Fluffy! Fluffy then wanders the neighbourhood and becomes a tragic statistic - one way or the other. It's not Fluffy's fault, it's the owners. And, who pays for this situation? Well, Fluffy for one, for being what Fluffy is, and the rest of us ultimately. All because Mum and Dad are ignorant of the larger picture, or they don't care.

Bird owners are naturally more hands-on than dog and cat owners because birds are so needy in their particular way. Cats and dogs can be left out of sight, come and go as they please, they're far more independant. You'd never catch a bird owner saying "Oh Polly's around here someplace, he'll come out after dark." In general, we're more responsible for our charges (there are exceptions). We should be, considering what we pay through the years! lol A cat gets a few sneezes and you say bless you. A bird sneezes a few times and it's a sleepless night wondering if it's a vet trip!

Owners of any animal need to be responsible, so no one has to think about whether or not they're going to kill another species, and no one abuses the privilege of pet ownership. Will that ever happen? Who can say.