We recently lost our cat, Grey. She was beautiful, she was well-loved, she loved much in return, and she lived outdoors.
There are some folks who would be practically purring through each of the statements above, until I got to the “outdoors” part.
There is a mind-set that I really have trouble understanding. Is it really better to have dozens of animals destroyed on a daily basis than to have one that experiences a lot of love from a family that cares for it, spends more than a little time with it daily, and allows it to live closer to the way it was created?
Apparently so. Apparently being euthanized at the animal control office (as a definite fact) is much more humane than living for a few more years in a more natural state and possibly being killed by a car. At least, that’s what I’m getting from some of the people I work with.
I get that there are people out there who just tie a dog to a stake in the ground and then only see it once in a while to yell at it when it barks at night. Folks like that should not have pets. They should be tied to a stake in their yard for a week or two.
But I would argue that a cat or a dog who gets the best of the outdoors, shelter from storms and cold, plenty of food and water, and the love of a family is in better shape than the one that was given the “needle of mercy” at the animal control office.
To a degree, I think the natural predator who is limited to pouncing on a bag of cloth and catnip is to be pitied more than the one who gets to chase falling leaves, stalk mice, and pounce on grasshoppers. Don’t go hatin’ – just recognize that there are varying viewpoints on what makes for a good life.
If you disagree, that’s fine – but could you focus your anger at people who are truly abusing animals?
We’re grieving right now. The cat who walked up to our door (literally), who we took in because someone else just threw her out to the wild, is dead. She was a great cat, and lived well for the time she was with us. I built a house for her, we groomed her, took her to the vet, fed her, played with her…and now she’s gone. Why do people feel it is more important to pass judgment than to recognize that we’re feeling a loss?
