Obviously, all of us on here are cat lovers/enthusiasts/fanatics/supporters, pick your adjective. We love them so much we have dedicated forums to their care and behavior. Not everyone loves and appreciates cats as much as we do, and I suspect many of us here are regarded by our friends as a little overboard when it comes to our felines. Personally, I don't think there IS such a thing as being too overboard about cats (or animals in general). They add something to our lives we can't get anywhere else, and we're just smart enough to see it and appreciate it!
I love my cats so much, and treat them so well that it bothers me immensely when I see people who treat their animals with less affection, concern, love and appreciation than I do. I want to smack them on the head and take their animal away, shouting, "you don't deserve such a precious creature in your life!" If I did that every time I saw this behavior, I'd probably have hundreds of animals by now!
I just posted about my friend's cat Barbara and the problems surrounding her. Personally, I think leaving his animals with his (undiagnosed) mentally ill mother who doesn't feed/walk/play/love them as (I think) she should, and lack of finances to get needed vet care promptly is neglect, bordering on abuse. It appalls me to see animals treated this way. Saying "oh, they'll be ok for another week or so" when the animal is obviously sick or in pain makes me want to scream! That particular situation bothers me so much, I refuse to go over there - I can't watch or even think about what those poor animals are going through.
Anyone else here like that? Does it bother or even offend you so much when you see/hear people treating their pets so casually? My cats are FAMILY, they're my kids. There's nothing I wouldn't do for them. I will eat scraps before they go hungry. I've spent a long time cultivating an excellent relationship with my vet so that they let me carry a balance when I have to, to make sure my cats get proper care. I put their needs as high, if not higher, than my own. To see anyone treat their animals less than that causes me emotional pain.
If you feel the same, how do you cope? We can't save every animal, I know that, but when you see what you consider abuse & neglect, what do you do? What's your definition of abuse & neglect?
My two dream jobs would be 1. Being the person who decides who is worthy of adopting and having animals and who isn't, and 2. Being the person who gets to punish those who abuse and neglect animals! All I need is time alone with that person and a baseball bat....
I love my cats so much, and treat them so well that it bothers me immensely when I see people who treat their animals with less affection, concern, love and appreciation than I do. I want to smack them on the head and take their animal away, shouting, "you don't deserve such a precious creature in your life!" If I did that every time I saw this behavior, I'd probably have hundreds of animals by now!
I just posted about my friend's cat Barbara and the problems surrounding her. Personally, I think leaving his animals with his (undiagnosed) mentally ill mother who doesn't feed/walk/play/love them as (I think) she should, and lack of finances to get needed vet care promptly is neglect, bordering on abuse. It appalls me to see animals treated this way. Saying "oh, they'll be ok for another week or so" when the animal is obviously sick or in pain makes me want to scream! That particular situation bothers me so much, I refuse to go over there - I can't watch or even think about what those poor animals are going through.
Anyone else here like that? Does it bother or even offend you so much when you see/hear people treating their pets so casually? My cats are FAMILY, they're my kids. There's nothing I wouldn't do for them. I will eat scraps before they go hungry. I've spent a long time cultivating an excellent relationship with my vet so that they let me carry a balance when I have to, to make sure my cats get proper care. I put their needs as high, if not higher, than my own. To see anyone treat their animals less than that causes me emotional pain.
If you feel the same, how do you cope? We can't save every animal, I know that, but when you see what you consider abuse & neglect, what do you do? What's your definition of abuse & neglect?
My two dream jobs would be 1. Being the person who decides who is worthy of adopting and having animals and who isn't, and 2. Being the person who gets to punish those who abuse and neglect animals! All I need is time alone with that person and a baseball bat....