There's always a worthier cause, and we all do what we can, when we can.
Most -- but not all -- of the cats Steve and I have brought into our home during our life together have been shelter cats/cats in need. While we once had five cats; we realized that was too many, given the usual resources of a freelancer household, and now we hold the line at three.
That doesn't mean we don't donate to the local shelter, or help out other cats in need, by donating -- as people are now donating to help Socks. There are probably cats in peril at the shelter in Waterville at this moment, but it does neither them nor us any good to adopt them if we can't care for them.
When we adopted Socks, it was with the idea that he would be with us for the rest of his life. Yes, we were looking for a better situation for him, because we could foresee a time coming rather quickly that we wouldn't be able to care for him, so trying to find him a more stable situation was the ethical choice, if, admittedly, a long shot.
What people sometimes fail to understand is that individuals are not interchangeable.
When we were first come to Maine, Archie -- my first cat, ever, who had at that point been with me for nine or ten years -- developed seizures. I took him to the local vet in Skowhegan, who said something like, "Cats get seizures," and sent me on my way. On the third visit for seizures, the vet said, "You know, this is only a barn cat. Why not put him down and get another one?"
We found another vet. Turns out Archie was allergic to one of the dyes being used in the cat food we'd been buying. Stop feeding him yellow dye number whatever -- viola! No more seizures. He lived another joyful and zany six years.
no subject
Most -- but not all -- of the cats Steve and I have brought into our home during our life together have been shelter cats/cats in need. While we once had five cats; we realized that was too many, given the usual resources of a freelancer household, and now we hold the line at three.
That doesn't mean we don't donate to the local shelter, or help out other cats in need, by donating -- as people are now donating to help Socks. There are probably cats in peril at the shelter in Waterville at this moment, but it does neither them nor us any good to adopt them if we can't care for them.
When we adopted Socks, it was with the idea that he would be with us for the rest of his life. Yes, we were looking for a better situation for him, because we could foresee a time coming rather quickly that we wouldn't be able to care for him, so trying to find him a more stable situation was the ethical choice, if, admittedly, a long shot.
What people sometimes fail to understand is that individuals are not interchangeable.
When we were first come to Maine, Archie -- my first cat, ever, who had at that point been with me for nine or ten years -- developed seizures. I took him to the local vet in Skowhegan, who said something like, "Cats get seizures," and sent me on my way. On the third visit for seizures, the vet said, "You know, this is only a barn cat. Why not put him down and get another one?"
We found another vet. Turns out Archie was allergic to one of the dyes being used in the cat food we'd been buying. Stop feeding him yellow dye number whatever -- viola! No more seizures. He lived another joyful and zany six years.