The cat keeps his part of the bargain...
He will kill mice, and he will be kind to babies when in the house
Just so long as they do not pull his tail too hard.
But when he has done that
And between times
And when the moon gets up and night comes
He is the cat that walks by himself, and all places are alike to him.
Then he goes out to the Wet Wild Woods
Or up on the Wet Wild Trees
Or up on the Wet Wild Roofs,
Waving his wild tail,
And walking by his wild lone.
Rudyard Kipling
Through the many centuries in which man has shared his life with felines the cat has gone from revered idol of the ancient Egyptians, and avenging/guardian physical form of the god, Ra, to the opposite extreme of having been persecuted by a primitive-thinking and ruthless clergy of a totalitarian church prior to the onset of the Black Death.
However viewed by man, the cat remains an integral part of society and family life. He shares our trials and tribulations, provides companionship, keeps our homes free of disease-bearing rodents. For this and all the many things he is, we owe the cat a debt which may, at times, be difficult to repay.
-
What do we owe?
- A clean environment
-
Proper nutrition
- including taurine which is lacking in some foods offered felines and which is necessary to proper heart function and vision. (Without this vital amino acid the heart can be damaged and the animal go blind.)
-
Annual checkups and vaccination
- as well as prompt treatment of medical emergencies.
-
Neutering for felines
- which are not pedigreed and which might produce offspring destined to be discarded either as kittens or when they are no longer as cuddly and cute.
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An inside environment
- which is the antithesis of the Wet Wild world of which Kipling has so eloquently written. Unlike the dog the cat can and will be perfectly happy in the territory of an apartment or small house. It becomes his Kingdom and he has no need to venture forth on his lone and risk rabies, feline leukemia, feline AIDS, fleas, mites, and a host of other pests and parasites. We needn't go into the dangers presented by traffic, dogs, other cats and predators. The life expectancy has grown from a meager nine to sixteen years for the inside cat compared with half that number for outside roaming pets. If you MUST allow your pet outside consider a special cat-proof fence or training to a harness and leash. The latter is far less expensive and can be employed successfully with patience and kindness for building trust is a slow process and cats may not understand having movements restricted by owners.
More of our own sites!.
Cornell reference for feline health
A gorgeous site rich in art and history of the cat
Share Buddy's letter and his story.
Be an informed owner
BECAUSE you love us...
Cordially,
Your cat
This page was created to honor the memory of:
to my late Brumus, d. 1987, in a highway accident
at the age of 18 months,
Charles Meissner's "Bamber", d. 1997, of FIV,
Ann Lindsay Wright's "Newlyn", d. 1998 in his devoted owner's arms.
To "Cat" a Donald Barr family pet who was killed by a car, December 1998.
Bootsie, d. 2003, Ft Lauderdale Aminal Shelter,
To these little ones,
and,
finally,
to my own late Garfield 1998-2005,
Emily 1995-2005,
and Moses, 2001-2005,
victims of Hurricane Wilma.
To these and all cherished pets everywhere
this public service page
is lovingly
dedicated.
Alex
Pssst! Tai-Tai, Pewter and Orry,
Love you, guys.
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