´Throw Away´ Pets

Cat the Vet, you really are a lovely person. A professional to my heart. I am happy to read this message, which I had not read earlier. My opinion has not changed in relation to that message, but I can see that you are indeed true to your calling. Indeed the very idea of pets being used as fashion accessories is so infuriating. Pieces of Furniture that are worn, let´s dump them. Animals are part of the cycle of life and evolution and far more valuable than people give them credit for. It pains me to think how insignificant animals are to some, when what these individuals are really saying, that they do not comprehend their own significance in this universe. Still, ignorance in the name of the Law is no excuse and an offence still must be paid for. There is the other extreme to this argument where our pets are part of the food chain in Far Eastern Countries. We see life from our perspective and we are fortunate to have the wisdom to grasp what is real and what is not. Like puppy mills. It is a difficult subject, because to a farmer any animal is but a commodity. They really do not understand the fuss we pet owners make over their dog factory. Fortunately the human mind is evolving into a higher consciousness and with that deeper understanding shall be forthcoming, in time. It is a lesson many people must learn the hard way and at the expense of the animals. Anyone can hold a wedding, but remaining married for a lifetime requires, patience, endurance and a lot of ego soul searching. Humans think they are so smart, they give birth and have no idea how fortunate they are, being a successful parent is equally something one must earn. When biological parents hold such little regard towards their own off-spring, how much harder it is to comprehend the significance of an animal, a species that appears so different, yet very much is a precious living being. I know that if I die tomorrow, my animals will not end up in the pound and are all taken care off, in every sense of the word. To me, this comes natural, but others think I am nuts. Mercia theDogVoice

what makes me angry is these so called animal charities that supposedly support you with vet fees. I am a full time student and work part time on a pretty low income and have recently moved into a flat in cheltenham where i have come across a stray cat. i say stray but it lives 2 doors down, only they are ´throwing away´ so to speak their cat as they are not feeding it and don´t let it inside. I have been feeding the cat and it spends the nights with me too. However i am worried that it is having problems with its ears and also am not sure of the sex of the cat or the age and therefore don´t know if its had vacanations etc. I am unable to afford vet fees and have been to a number of charities and none of them will support me as i am not on benefits. So really you can see why people may not be able to look after their pets when the so called support isnt really all you make it out to be!

It does make you wonder whether these people have the ability to ´love´ their pets... When I read about elderly pets being dumped, I think to myself it´s like dumping your Granny..... If someone has cared for a dog, for instance, for 10+ years and interacted with it, took it out, had fun with it, how can they just give it up without a backward glance??
I can understand changing your car, getting a new sound system etc but these are inanimate objects...They dont interact with you so why feel any emotion for them?? Whereas, most pets DO interact..
Sorry if this is all a bit waffly but it baffles me, it truly does

i totally agree with you cat. it is disturbing how easy some people find it to give up their animals. i can´t imagine ever doing this. things would have to get SERIOUSLY bad for me to even consider it...i can´t even think what these circumstances would be to be honest! i mean, i´ve had to move before, not through choice but through my landlord selling the flat i was renting, but i only even looked at places that would accept pets.

personally, i do think part of the problem is large pet stores opening up round the country and selling animals. it is so easy to walk in to one of these stores and see a cute little bunny or whatever and "fall in love" with it, or the kids want it, and people just buy them with little thought or knowledge of what will be entailed in the long term with regards to care etc. and often little advice is offered by the store selling the animal, so often they are more interested in their profit margin than the animal´s welfare.
i also think we live in a "must have" society whereby we must have the things we want NOW regardless of whether we can afford it or whatever. i´ve been guilty of this (not with pets) with certain items, ie i decided i desperately needed a new hoover, couldn´t really afford it but had to have it so it went on the credit card. i think some people can be like this with pets too, the idea of a certain animal takes their fancy for whatever reason and so they just go out and get one regardless of whether they can afford it or care for it or know anything about it.

i think the only thing that will start to put an end to this is the abolition of pets being "sold" anywhere other than through a reputable, registered breeder or through an animal rescue centre. i think there should be a group / agency set up where all breeders must register and any animals offered not through a breeder or rescue centre should be reported to this agency and it investigated with fines being given to anyone breeding without a licence and their animals being removed. unfortunately, this will obviously take money to set up and run and will take income away from large pet store chains, so i doubt it will happen, but this is what i would like to see.

there also needs to be low cost neutering offered nationwide and this needs to be well publicised. the rspca should be stepping up to offer this.