Words of Wisdom

Food For Thought: Reflections on Double Standards

I love this image.

About ten years ago, I was in Vietnam and I was horrified to see dogs and cats squirming in small cages, barely bigger than their own bodies, a thought that still horrifies me.

When I came back to the United States, these images continued to haunt me in my memories. Those poor animals, in that sweltering heat, cramped together, with hardly any room to move around.

The Vietnamese sold these cats and dogs in open-air markets as pets. Eventually, the animals would be freed and sent to live with people. But seeing them in those cages, in triple-digit, equatorial heat and muggy humidity, nearly broke my heart.

It took me a while - another seven years - to put two and two together and realize that what we do in North America to pigs and chickens and cows is really no different.

We have social taboos about cramming dogs and cats into tight, tiny cages like the ones pictured above, where they hardly have any room to move around. Sadly, we don't have any taboos about dropping them off at shelters and letter other people do our dirty work for us. But there should be a taboo against that.

Nor are there any taboos in our society about cramming livestock into cold, dark spaces, where they'll live short lives of being frightened and disoriented. There should be a taboo against that, too.

Images like this one help bring our double standards into perspective. We should feel an instinctive revulsion about the prospect of imprisoning any animal in a tight space, not meant to be inhabited by a sentient being, as much as we feel that revulsion toward doing the same thing to a human being.

The Vietnamese typically set their animals free from those little cages. Can we say the same about our pigs, chickens and cows?

Why Justice for Ferdinand is so Imporant

In Manchester, United Kingdom, a beautiful cat named Ferdinand (pictured left) was found dead and horribly mutilated on January 11, 2011. Many of his body parts had been cut off and stolen, and his remains were in ghastly shape.

What a heartbreaking find for his grief-stricken family. As an owner of two cats and someone who has had many other cats in the past, I cannot imagine the anguish the poor family endured when they found Ferdinand.

If you're on Facebook, I strongly encourage you to "Like" the group Justice for Ferdinand. This wonderful Facebook group has grown to more than 1,700 members and counting, with new people joining regularly. It was founded by Ferdinand's family, but has grown into a wonderful network of kindred spirits who have rallied around the Manchester family that suffered from this agonizing loss.

I would also ask that you take a moment to visit their Website, Justice for Ferdinand.

Ferdinand's family has created an online petition to bring the issue of cat mutilation to the attention of the public. The petition simply states:

Mutilation And Theft Of Deceased Domestic Animal Body Parts To Consistently Constitute A Criminal Offence In UK Law

You can find the petition on the Justice for Ferdinand website or Facebook page. This is a very important petition to sign. Even if you don't live in the UK, please - please - take a moment to sign it. I'm Canadian and I didn't hesitate for a second to add my name to the growing list.

This case is about much more than outlawing the theft of domestic animal body parts in a particular part of the UK where such monstrosities are allowed to go unpunished. It is about keeping alive the memory of a cat who lived a wonderful life and met an unthinkable fate.

And it is about taking a stand against the monsters in any society, whether they're in the UK, Canada, the United States or any other part of the world where animals suffer from violence at the hands of cruel sadists.

Don't think for a moment that the death of Ferdinand was an isolated case.

Several of the citizens of Sacramento, California, for example, could easily understand the grief that Ferdinand's family has experienced. Last year, numerous cats in Sacramento's Rosemont neighbourhood were found mutilated. When the death toll reached nine cats in July, a local animal welfare group posted a $3,000 reward for the culprits. (Source)

That same month, a rash of horrible cat deaths occurred in Edmonton, Alberta. (Source) The situation got to be so tense in Edmonton that all cat owners were urged by the Humane Society not to let their cats outdoors.

The previous year, a teenager went around two suburbs of Miami, mutilating more than a dozen cats before his reign of terror was brought to a halt. The disturbed 18-year-old stayed in jail briefly before being released by a judge. (Source) A similar wave of cat killings and mutilations swept across Houston for about year in 2008 and 2009. (Source)

What makes Ferdinand's story stand out as so poignant is that his family has very effectively used the social networking website Facebook to publicize his case and win support for the passage of stricter laws in the UK.

Their petition is gaining more and more signatures each day. At last report, the number of signers shot past the 1,300 mark and was fast on its way to 1,400. What a great tribute to Ferdinand that so many people are so moved by his case that they add their names amongst the countless others who are taking a stand against the horrors of cat abuse.

May we all learn an important lesson from Ferdinand's tragedy - and from the spirited and encouraging public response that arose in his name. None of this will bring Ferdinand back. But it marks the first of many steps toward creating strict punishments against the vile sickos who think they can murder and mutilate cats and get away with it.

If Oda's odious bill passes, it will be a shame for Utah

In Utah, state Rep. Carl Oda (R-Clearfield) has authored a bill that, if passed, will enable residents of the state to kill feral animals, including cats, "by shooting, clubbing or decapitating" them. (Source) Not surprisingly, Oda has been bombarded with emails from animal rights activists recently. Of the 500 such emails he's received in recent days, about 50 of have been "nasty, vile and vicious." As Oda revealed to the Salt Lake Tribune:

Some e-mails were on the edge. Some said ‘I’d rather see you dead than a cat.' They didn’t say they were coming to hurt me, but that they’d rather see me dead. These are the same people that want to put animals above human beings, who really would want to see a human being dead rather than an animal dead.

Blogger Amy Boshnack, who "is not an animal rights activist by any stretch of the imagination," put it best when she explained the ultimate significance of this law:

This proposed law is over-the-top, especially since the animal doesn't even have to be noticeably aggressive or sick to be shot. It just has to be considered, by the shooter, to be feral. It seems terribly dumb to give rights to every person in the state to shoot or kill these animals by way of clubbing, decapitation, or a bow and arrow. Yes, you read that correctly. I mean, if you can't afford a gun you should be able to participate too! (Source)

The good news is that Oda's bill has triggered a firestorm of criticism. Even the moderate Ogden Standard Examiner editorialized:

Davis County state Rep. Curt Oda is simply not qualified to make decisions as to how feral animals should be killed. His proposal to change Utah animal cruelty laws to allow feral animals to be quickly killed -- in a violent manner -- should die in the Legislature for lack of oxygen.

We can only hope this bill dies. But I am familiar enough with Utah to know that this bill stands a good chance of passing. This is the same state whose Supreme Court in 2006 overruled a ban on students bringing guns onto the University of Utah's campus. (Source) Alas, allowing Utahns to be animal-murdering vigilantes can't be that far off.

Farewell, Prince Chunk...

Prince Chunk was a celebrity cat. He got up to 44 pounds. He gained fame a few years ago, in 2008, when his owner lost her home and she left Prince Junk to wander the streets in New Jersey. He was eventually taken in at the Camden County Animal Shelter. He became something of a celebrity, chiefly for his enormous size. He appeared on Good Morning America and Live With Regis and Kelly. (Source)

Unlike so many cats in shelters, who ultimately face a lonely death of euthanasia, Prince Chunk's ordeal actually had a happy ending. He found a "Forever Family" that adopted him and showered him with love and affection. Vince Damiani and his family adopted the cat and took him to their wonderful home in Blackwood, New Jersey. They were chosen among 500 applicants (!) who were competing to adopt the beautiful but undeniably portly cat.

Sadly, Prince Chunk passed away on Sunday. I know he will be sorely missed in the Damiani household, and he's no doubt in the prayers of a lot of kind folks who remember seeing him in news reports two years ago.

But his recent passing did stir an important debate about pet obesity. It's actually a crucial issue, one often overlooked in debates about animals. I have a beautiful cat named Summer who weighs about 17 pounds and I have to keep her on a diet because she is considered overweight. When I adopted her from the Humane Society, she weighed even a little more. Thanks to a diet that I put her on last month, Summer is losing weight and feeling better.

It's hard with pets. A lot of us work during the day, and sometimes we just end up pouring copious amounts of food in their dishes because we don't want them to go hungry. But as Prince Junk's story tell us, pet obesity is an important issue. Prince Junk was somewhere between 10 and 12 years old (the news accounts vary), but he may've lived at least a few more years if his weight weren't an issue. (Source) Who knows?

For our animal companions, a healthy diet is the key to a happy life. Sometimes I forget this, especially when the combination of my pro-animal rights philosophy meets my libertarian style of doing things around the home. Sometimes, I fill that cat dish too full and I go on about my business.

But the passing of Prince Junk will make me think twice about being nonchalant about these matters. He was a beautiful cat. He lived a good life. But I'm glad his experience has drawn attention to the important issue of pet obesity.

Heroic dog's tragic end shows the tragedy of euthanasia

The news from Arizona is grim. A heroic German Shepherd mix named Target, who saved the lives of 50 soldiers in Afghanistan by alerting them to a bomb, was euthanized in a suburban animal shelter by mistake.

Apparently, Target had recently gone missing and was picked up by the pound staff. She was mistaken for a stray and "put down." Ruth Slater, director of Pinal County's Animal Care and Control division, said in a statement: "When it comes to euthanizing an animal, there are some clear-cut procedures to follow. Based on my preliminary investigation, our employee did not follow those procedures." (Source) Target was actually owned by Sergeant Terry Young, who adopted her in Afghanistan. Needless to say, Young and his family were distraught to hear that Target was euthanized so fast after turning up at the shelter. Young reported her missing on Friday. He found out she was at the shelter, but it was closed on the weekend. He raced over there Monday to pick her up. By then, she was dead.

Target was a nationwide celebrity. She appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show and her story was known to millions. Her heroism in Afghanistan transformed her overnight into a larger-than-life dog in the United States.

Her death is a tragedy. But, when you think about it, it's no more tragic than the deaths of animals in shelters across the country. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) has noted:

"The HSUS estimates that animal shelters care for between 6-8 million dogs and cats every year in the United States, of whom approximately 3-4 million are euthanized. At this time The HSUS can only estimate these figures because there is no central data reporting agency for animal shelters. This overpopulation of companion animals is widely acknowledged across the country by professionals and experts in the animal welfare field. Overpopulation is a tragedy. There are simply not enough responsible homes for all of these wonderful, innocent animals. At this point in time, it would be impossible to humanely house every unwanted animal in the United States." (Source)

That's just in the United States. The scene isn't much more hopeful in Canada, and it paints a troubling picture of throw-away societies that place little value on the lives of animals. Many times on this Blog, I've praised the brave men and women who work in shelters across the country and are given the unenviable task of having to put these animals to death. Make no mistake about it: They don't want to do it. It makes them heartsick to euthanize animals. It is the ultimate act of love and compassion. When I condemn the "throw-away" culture, they are 100 percent exempt.

No, I'm talking about the collective culture of people who are so shortsighted they don't spay and neuter their pets or take adequate care of them. Obviously, Sergeant Young did not fall into this category. He adored Target, and so did his family. And there are countless other animal owners who take wonderful care of their pets.

But there are also owners who can't be bothered to take decent care of their cats or dogs or other companion animals. And there are more than you'd think. Too often, they drop off innocent and unsuspecting animals at shelters across the country and expect others to do their dirty work. Not all people who take their animals to shelters fall into this category. There are a number of pet owners who have legitimate reasons for giving up their animals, and such partings often end up being very painful. Yet there is no denying that there are also many who drop off animals at shelters due to their own responsibility or unwillingness to take adequate care of these family members.

Target was the victim of this widespread irresponsibility. Shelters are filled to capacity due to that irresponsibility. And this heroic dog paid dearly for that. But so do millions and millions of other companion animals, each and every year. Their lives are as sacred as the life of Target, the dog that won so many hearts for her bravery in Afghanistan.

Now that's my kind of kitty! Drinking Water 101

This video shows a beautiful cat with an innovative way of drinking water. Check it out. You'll love it! I thought about turning on the kitchen sink and giving it a try. It looks refreshing. I think this kitty has the right idea.

(Thank you to my friend Danny VeganBatman Nichols for bringing this video to my attention!)

Saving Navarro

Americans were shocked to learn about a cat named Navarro who was narrowly saved from being eaten in New York state. Police stopped 51-year-old Gary Korkuc of Cheektowaga, New York, and found a beautiful black and white cat in the car's trunk marinated in oil, crushed red peppers, chili peppers and salt. Korkuc was planning to devour the poor cat. Korkuc told the police he planned to eat the cat because it had been "mean" to him. (He later denied plans to eat the cat, telling a local radio station "that's conjecture and that's an assumption.") Navarro is pictured here on the right. (Source)

Unlike so many of these gruesome tales, this story has a happy ending. Korkuc was caught before he could eat Navarro. Another resident of Cheektowaga, a cat lover, adopted Navarro and changed his name to Oliver and now he lives in a loving home. "Navarro spend the last night curled up on a bed in his wonderful new home," noted the SPCA. (Source)

You can probably predict what I'm thinking. "Cows and pigs and chickens deserve to live as much as cats..." - that sort of thing. But I'm also very thankful that this story has a happy ending. So many of these kinds of episodes end badly. Really badly. There's a wonderful friend on Facebook who is trying to stop a cat hoarder in Van Nuys, California (left). If your heart can stand the tragic video she made, please try to watch it below. This will give you some idea of the awful lives that hoarded cats live, cramped in unbearable conditions, living in the filthiest conditions imaginable.

So yeah, we do have a double standard to some degree. Cats are seen as more sacrosanct than, say, pigs or chickens or cows. But there are still a lot of cats out there who suffer. And I'm thankful than Navarro has a good home. Thankfully, there are still plenty of good people out there who care about animals.

Cat Abusers Need to Face Stiff Punishments

Cat abuse is on the rise in North America and it is something we should all be very concerned about. Consider some of the more disturbing recent examples:

• Caleb Capen, age 22, of Albany, New York, is now facing a prison sentence for torturing and killing several cats. One of the cats he drowned just days after adopting the animal. (Source)

• Dallas Animal Services in Dallas, Texas, is under investigation after a cat escaped and got stuck in the wall. The temperatures in the shelter were high due to the hot weather and the cat frantically meowed for days, hoping someone would get her out. The cat died inside of the shelter wall and when the stench began to bother the shelter workers, they had the cat removed. Now an animal cruelty investigation of the shelter is underway. The rationale: If it was easy to remove the cat from inside the wall once she was dead, the shelter workers could have helped the cat when she was trying to get out of the wall. (Source)

• In Outagamie County, Wisconsin, a judge has dismissed evidence in an animal cruelty case involving a 42-year-old woman named Lorie Kuehl who allowed numerous cats to starve to death. Prosecutors wanted to use 20 cat skeletons found at the woman's house, but the judge dismissed the evidence because police searched the home without a warrant. Now it looks like Kuehl is going to get away with denying food and water to at least a dozen (probably many more) cats. (Source)

• An article on the wonderful website Change.org, there have been as many as 9 horrible cat mutilations in recent days in Sacramento, California. Families find the tortured and disfigured bodies of their beloved pets, who became the tragic victims of an insane stalker. Authorities in Sacramento are warning people not to let their cats outdoors. (Source)

• From the town of Wittmann, Arizona, comes a story of an 80-year-old woman who was living with 104 cats. When Phoenix authorities raided the home, they found many of the cats diseased to the point of being almost dead. She kept nine dead kittens in a freezer. As a UPI report noted: "Most remaining cats were so diseased - some without eyes, others with feline leukemia - that they were euthanized on the spot, the deputies said." The woman who owned the cats was clearly insane. She threatened to kill the officers who were raiding her home, saying "she enjoys when officers die." Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio says the woman probably won't spend a day in jail. He noted that she is "too old and frail to see the inside of a jail cell." (Source)

I could go on and on and on. But you get the picture from these illustrations, I'm sure. We have cases of cat abuse up here in Canada, too. And horrific acts of abuse will continue until the psychos, sadists, nutjobs and whackos who get off on torturing and murdering cats are severely punished. Right now, there is no real deterrent in North America to prevent cat abusers from taking out their wrath on innocent felines. That must change. These cases are sickening reminders that we have a long way to go when it comes to protecting the rights of animals.

The time has come to throw the book at these disturbed men and women. Make them pay for their crimes. Punish them with jail time. Create a nationwide Animal Abuse Registry that actually has fangs. Stick it to these monsters and stick it to them hard. They'll never suffer the way the poor animals suffered at their twisted hands. But that doesn't mean we should continue to let these abusers off the hook. Today they'll torture and kill animals. Tomorrow, there's a very good likelihood they'll move on to human beings.

Tearing Down the Wall of Denial, One Brick at a Time...

Jeez, I hate writing about sad things so often. You probably don't believe this, but I do have a sense of humour. I do laugh at things. I don't just focus on downer issues.

But part of the purpose of this Blog is to tear down, brick by brick, the Wall of Denial that so many people build up around themselves when it comes to the suffering of animals (unfortunately, this Wall of Denial often obscures the suffering of human beings as well).

One of the worst examples of this denial are those people who do not spay and neuter their pets. Granted, there's no way around the fact that there will always be a certain number of feral cats out there whose population is, at best, difficult to control.

But there are also a lot of people who don't spay and neuter. And the Wall of Denial protects them from seeing the results. Some people understand what's at stake and they're doing a great job of spaying and neutering their pets. But we need to change the "throw-away" ethos that pervades our society. We throw away everything. Old magazines. Old computers. Old TVs. Unfortunately, people and animals also get discarded. Time to tear down that Wall of Denial and show what happens - what really happens - when a life, human or animal, is tossed out, like yesterday's trash.

Well, here's a hole I'm punching into that wall. Animal shelters, as I've said on this Blog before, are constantly euthanizing cats and dogs who can't find homes.

I've discussed the Toronto Humane Society at length in the past, so I'll pick a different one. How about one in the States? Yesterday, the Raleigh County Animal Shelter in Beckley, West Virginia, received 35 cats in one day. As the local newspaper, The Register Herald, reported, "Almost all of them - and about 10 more - were euthanized that day. Shelter officials say extremely rampant overbreeding has the cat section at capacity and there is not enough room for the scores of cats coming in every day."

I know I'm sounding repetitive, but the men and women who euthanize these cats are the unsung heroes and heroines of society. They do it because they love the animals. And they only do it when the shelters are out of room and the animals can't find homes.

Jim Kearney, the adoption counselor at the Raleigh County Animal Shelter, mentioned the toll that euthanasia takes on the men and women who have to carry it out:

It’s overwhelming. Some of these are beautiful animals. It’s very sad. It’s very hard. All we end up doing all day long is taking cats back to be euthanized. There’s no alternative. We tell everyone that, if they leave a cat here, it will probably be euthanized today. There is no room for it.

How many pet owners who refuse to spay and neuter ever see the results of their irresponsibility? How many of them understand what happens on a daily basis inside of these shelters? How many know the pain, the suffering, these cats endure in their final moments? Why is the public so afraid to see the bodies of the cats piling up to be sent off and cremated? Because it's distasteful? It's the truth. And more people need to confront the truth rather than denying its very existence.

If more people could see - and feel - the tragedy of abandoned pets, then a lot of lives would probably be saved.

People Making a Difference: You Don't Need to Look Too Hard to Find the Saints

Sometimes, I have to look on the bright side. Otherwise, I get too pessimistic.

And there is a bright side. The bright side being the countless decent men and women and even children who fight for the rights and well being of animals.

I'd like to take a moment to single out Yang Xiaoyun, age 60, from Tianjin in northeastern China. This woman is a true heroine who has gone into debt, risked angering family members, and works every day from sunup to sundown.

Why? To take care of countless stray cats and dogs. In fact, her shelter houses some 300 abandoned cats and dogs. Many of them had histories of being abused and mutilated before arriving at her shelter. She calls them "my children."

As Yang pointed out in a recent interview:

None of my friends or family members support my work. I had two properties. One was a wedding gift for my son for when he gets married. I sold his place in 2000. He was very angry at me and ran away from home for three years. He couldn't take it anymore. (Source)

Luckily, Yang's son returned to help her. But she was forced to move numerous times due to complaints from neighbors. Each month, Yang faces $2,000 (US) in monthly expenses. She has managed to get by thanks to the donations of kind people around the world.

Yang has an interesting story: Years ago, after her husband died in the 1990s, she grew despondent. She felt like her life had lost meaning and she was contemplating suicide when she found an abandoned kitten in a ditch. She found something else, too: Her calling.

But it's not easy. It's a thankless job. It takes her nine hours a day to prepare food - which typically consists of cooked leftovers mixed with meat - for all of the animals in her shelter.

Yang has a Blog, but it's in Chinese. Like so many wonderful people taking care of animals, she is looking for donations. More information on donating can be found here.

Yang is the kind of person who helps restore my faith in humanity. She is doing great work. She is making a difference. The animals in her shelter are loved and well cared for, many for the first time in their lives.

Yang's struggle is daunting, yet her compassion is yet another source of inspiration for those of us who refuse to give up the good fight for our animal friends.

I have posted a video on Yang and her shelter below. Have a look if you get a chance.

God bless you, Yang Xiaoyun.

Mandatory Reading: "What's a Dog Worth?" in Los Angeles magazine - investigative journalism at its best

The recent issue of Los Angeles Magazine featured one of the best articles on life for dogs and cats inside of animal shelters that I've ever read. The article, called "What's a Dog Worth?" by Jesse Katz, was an amazing piece of investigative reporting. Warning: It is not for the squeamish of faint of heart. That's because the article takes you right into the middle of the packed Los Angeles animal shelters. A quote freak at the start of the article sets the tone: "Los Angeles kills more animals in its shelters than any other metropolitan area in the United States. For that to change, we will have to figure out what to do with the pets none of us want."

This article should be mandatory reading for every adult in North America. It is uncompromising. It is beautifully written. It is profoundly tragic. The author, Jesse Katz, introduces us a brave and kind-hearted Latino euthanasiast named Javier Lopez, who comes from a working-class East L.A. household. Lopez is the true hero of this story - a man who loves animals so much that he is willing to lovingly administer the substance that will take the life out of their bodies.

Lopez has his work cut out for him. Author Katz gives us a sense early in the story of what Lopez is up against:

The animal control agencies of L.A., including those of the city, the county, and two dozen smaller municipalities, put to death 104,841 animals last year, more than any other metropolitan area in the United States. About 35,000 of them were dogs, 55,000 were cats, and the rest a miscellany of rabbits, roosters, snakes, and guinea pigs. That is the good news. For decades the number has been so outlandish—250,000 a year in the 1970s, 150,000 a year in the ’80s, 125,000 in the ’90s—that even a decline this monumental somehow feels hollow. In 35 years Los Angeles has exterminated more than 5 million animals. The toll is at once appalling and abstract. “I call it every community’s dirty little secret,” says Ed Boks, the new chief of the city’s animal shelters.

It is a heartbreaking story - long, yet gripping and ultimately full of despair. I almost stopped reading it, for the same reason I almost couldn't watch the documentary Death on a Factory Farm. It upset me. It shook me up. It left me sad and hopeless. But you know what? That's a good thing. Because it is only by being shaken up in such a fashion that we come to terms with the tragedy of what is happening around us and then maybe - just maybe - we find the courage within ourselves to do what little we can (and believe me, it ain't much) to change the system for the better.

Please, please read this story. I can't say you'll be "glad" you did. But you will be enlightened and you'll have a better grasp of what, exactly, is at stake. There is a lot of work to be done. The animals are worth it, though.

Economic Recession and Animals

It is easy to forget that the current economic recession is taking a toll on animals. There have been stories too numerous to count on Google News and other news outlets about animals suffering from the effects of hard times. The problem seems to be especially bad in Atlanta and the surrounding counties, where animal shelters are euthanizing dogs and cats in record numbers. (Source, Source) According to the article linked here from the Atlanta Journal Constitution, the counties around the Metro Atlanta region put down 30,000 cats and dogs (that includes the counties of DeKalb, Clayton, Cobb, Fulton and Gwinnett).

Animals are often the forgotten victims of hard times. It is important to remember that good people are reaching deep into their pockets and trying to help in whatever way they can. The Atlanta Journal Constitution story also quotes Gwinnett police Lt. Mary Lou Respess, who's the director of the county's animal shelter, as saying: "We are trying to help citizens who are having financial trouble by giving them food donated to the shelter by local merchants. The shelter also helps sponsor events at local pet supply stories to promote adoptions and is planning a free spay and neuter clinic this spring for pit and pit mixes, the most common breed at the shelter."

Atlanta is but one example. This is a problem across North America, not just in the United States, but Canada as well. One of the most powerful accounts of animal euthanasia can be found on the website Animal Advocating.com. It's called "Confessions of a Euthanasia Technician." Everybody across North America should be forced to read this article so they know what happens to so many pets who end up animal shelters and so they develop a deeper respect for the brave, loving and compassionate souls who euthanize animals on a regular basis. I can think of no better way to wrap up this Blog Entry than to include a lengthy quote from the piece:

I think about a sweet little black lab who stayed up for adoption for 2 months before we finally had to put her down because we didn’t have the room, and her time was up. She looked at me with her big, brown, trusting eyes, gave me her paw when I asked for it, and licked my face while I injected her with euthanasia solution. I think about the man who brought us ten, 8-week old puppies, to be put to sleep because he was going on vacation and didn’t want to deal with them. I think about the way that they so unsuspectingly wiggled around and played with each other as I picked them up, one by one, and took their lives. I think about the countless, feral, mother cats, who watched in frozen horror as we took their kittens away from them, killed them, and then killed Mom. I think about that time that the Humane Society brought us 72, healthy and adoptable cats, to be killed all in one afternoon.

I wish I could I say that these were all exceptional cases; that this wasn’t what I dealt with everyday for 3 years. But the truth is; this is what every euthanasia technician faces every day in their job. And we do it because we care. Because we know that it has to be done by someone, and that at least when we do it, that animal will get that last little pat on the head, or scratch behind the ears. And every time a member of the public calls us an “animal killer” because they don’t understand the reality of what a euthanasia technician faces, it stings.

There is a well-known story about a euthanasia technician, who had a dream one night that she died, and went to heaven, and all of the animals that she had ever euthanized were behind the pearly gates, and they wouldn’t let her in. I would like to think that the animals would better understand why we do it than the general public seems to understand. I would like to think that they would appreciate the men and women that have stepped into that role so that they could ensure that this necessary evil was being done in the best way possible. Then again, maybe I am being idealistic, and it is just my way of keeping that armor whole, and free of cracks. I guess I will never know.

Introducing Summer, the Newest Member of My Family

We are still mourning the loss of our beloved Scotch. I have dedicated this Blog to her. It has been one week since I had to put her down because her liver was failing. To call it a painful decision is an understatement.

We adopted another cat, Summer, a loving 5-year-old, from the Kitchener-Waterloo Humane Society. She is hissing at Gibson, a mischievous 2-year-old feline member of our clan (he actually started the hissing wars, and believe me - he can hold his own), but I am confident they will one day be friends. Sort of confident. A little confident.

We love and adore Summer. Every cat in the world should be cherished. Unfortunately, they're not. Humans are incredibly careless when it comes to the cat population. It has been said that one homeless cat and her offspring can produce 420,000 kittens over the course of seven years if they're allowed to roam free. And judging from the huge number of cats up for adoption, I don't dispute these numbers.

I looked up cats on Pet Finder, one of the major North American databases for people looking to adopt animals. In this region of southwestern Ontario alone, there were more 2,500 cats up for adoption on Pet Finder. That's not counting all of the cats on Kijiji (our equivalent of Craig's List in Canada), Pet Patrol and Grand River All-Breed Animal Rescue.

I look at these beautiful creatures and want to adopt them all. But, alas, I cannot.

And then I hear stories like the one I read in today's Toronto Sun about Humane Society investigators finding an apartment in Oshawa, Ontario, filled with 25 cats living in horrendous conditions, many covered in their own feces.

The Humane Society of Durham Region will clean the cats and put them up for adoption. I hope they all find loving homes.

I didn't mean for this Blog entry to be a downer. Summer is a wonderful addition to our household and deserves a more upbeat welcome than this one.

Still, it is important to reflect on the sanctity of the lives of all cats and recognize that we, as a human race, are failing our feline friends. We need to spay and neuter them and give them loving homes. I honestly don't think I can handle many more stories like the one that happened in Oshawa. And yet, sadly, they are so commonplace on Google News. We can only hope that through a more concerted effort to help our feline friends, this won't always be the case.

Summer and Gibson live in a very loving home. Scotch did, too, during her life. Every cat - and dog, for that matter... every animal up for adoption - deserves that much.

Rest in Peace Scotch, 2004-2010

My cat Scotch died today.

I held her in my arms as she was being euthanized. I sobbed and sobbed.

Scotch was a beautiful cat. She was black and white - or commonly known as a "tuxedo cat."

She was born in my daughter's closet, almost exactly six years ago - in March 2004. She was twins with another cat. My daughter named one Butter, the other Scotch. Months later, we gave her siblings away to other homes, although her brother Reggie lived with us until he ran away a few years later.

Scotch once got out of the house when she was a kitten. A furious snowstorm pounded our town that night. She went missing for two days, but I later found her in the elementary school parking lot down the street.

I sighed with relief when she and I walked through the front door that night. My daughter Madeline and son Aidan were thrilled to be reunited with her.

Scotch's mother, Bright Eyes, had a mean temperament, but we loved her. She was hit by a car in early 2005. I still miss her.

Scotch and I were always very close. She would sit on my lap for long periods of time. She often slept on my bed, sometimes right smack on top of me. As a sign of affection, she liked to gnaw lovingly on my finger while she purred. I'd say, "Bite my finger, Scotchie..." And she'd happily oblige.

Back in 2007, Scotch got quite sick with symptoms similar to those that she developed in recent weeks. The first time she came down with this liver and kidney problem, I fed her moist cat food mixed with water through a tube in her throat. She impressed me with her courage and soon rallied to a recovery.

I have learned so much from Scotch over the years. We've spent so much time together. She was always one of my closest friends.

I miss her terribly already. I'd give anything to have her sitting in my lap purring one more time.

Earlier today, I read about a man named Larry Kruger in Pensacola, Florida, whose house always gave off a terrible stench in the summer. Police raided the home the other day and 161 cats - some dead, some living (but barely) - in his home. Several were packed into the freezer. The ones still alive were in such bad shape that they had to be euthanized.

Frankly, I'd like to find Larry Kruger and beat the living daylights out of him. No cat deserves to live such a horrible life.

Scotch, I know, would agree with me. She had a good life. It was too short, though. She was only six - the equivalent of 40 human years. It made me happy to hold her in my arms as she was being put down, even though I wept harder than I've ever wept before. I was there for her. I said goodbye to my friend and kissed her on the head.

And as I walk the halls, my house seems a little emptier. Our place is home to another cat, Gibson, who's currently looking around corners to see if he can see his best friend.

Scotch may be gone, but she will never - ever - be forgotten. From here on out, this Blog is dedicated to my baby.

Cat Stew, Anyone?

Italian television cooking host Beppe Biggazi, a grandfatherly 77-year-old chef, was suspended from the state-run RAI television network for singing the praises of "cat stew," a Tuscan delicacy.

It is almost painful to watch the clip of Biggazi describing the stew to his twentysomething co-host, Eliza Isoardi. The video is posted here, and even though it's in Italian, Isoardi's reaction just about says it all.

At one point, Biggazi said: "Cat, soaked for three days in the running water of a stream, comes out with its meat white and I assure you I have eaten it many times.... Now there will be letters from nature lovers. Why don't they defend rabbits?" (Source)

You can almost anticipate the standard animal rights response to this situation. "What hypocrites! Do they think the life of a cat is any more sacred than that of a pig or chicken or cow?"

But rather than being self-righteous about the matter and condemning the Italian television station for suspending Biggazi, we should instead find reason to be hopeful that people love their dogs and cats so much that they find it taboo to eat them.

The brilliant author and animal rights advocate Jonathan Safran Foer - who converted actress Natalie Portman to veganism with his stunning book Eating Animals (I have it, I've read it, and I say: check it out!) - points out that even though it is legal to make dog stew in 44 states in the United States, people refuse to do it and they will not eat it. Why? Because people love dogs. And they love cats.

Safran Foer points out that pigs are "every bit as intelligent and feeling" as dogs and cats. The key to success for the animal rights movement - if it is to be successful - is to carefully navigate the psychological maze within the mind of meat eaters until they arrive at that special place in their hearts that cherishes the lives of dogs and cats. Once we get there, that is the place to cultivate compassion for pigs, cows, chickens and other factory farm animals, as well as all animals being killed and exploited.

The way to get to that spot in people's hearts is not through anger. It's not through finger pointing. It's not through calling people hypocrites.

The way to get there is through reason, truth and compassion. Call it a pipe dream, but if animal rights advocates follow this course and stick carefully to it, there will come a day when eating beef or pork or chicken stew is every bit as taboo as eating cat stew.

Not a Revolution, But a Step in the Right Direction...

Here's an interesting piece of news from China: There is currently a draft law under consideration by the Chinese government that would ban the consumption of dog meat and fine violators 15 days in jail and 5000 yuan ($735US) for individuals and 10,000 to 500,000 yuan ($1,470US to $73,529US) for businesses.

As ABC News notes:

The legislation was drafted by a team of Chinese experts who consulted with the U.S.-based International Fund for Animal Welfare and Britain's Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.... An informal online poll in the popular Chinese Web site Sohu.com already attracted more than 178,000 votes as of today. Some 56.8 percent voted in favor of the ban on eating dog and cat meat while 39.6 percent were against it.

Apparently, wars of words are raging over the Internet in China as we speak. "Cats and dogs are our favourite pets," wrote a Beijing resident. "They are entitled to their own rights. Why should people eat them?"

There is a very good likelihood that this law will be adopted by the government, and if it is, it will be the first animal rights law ever passed in China. That alone makes it quite a remarkable achievement.

In some parts of China, especially in the southern regions, eating dog is still popular. As China Daily notes:

Eating dog meat in China is a risky proposition, given that the country has no specific regulations regarding the production and sale of the meat, experts say.

Eating dog meat is a traditional folk custom in winter in south China's Guangdong province. Shenzhen is one of the hubs for dog-meat processing.

The current price is approximately 24 to 40 yuan ($3.5-5.8) per kg. Kennel after kennel of dogs transported from other cities are slaughtered each morning in some butcheries in the outskirts of this metropolis.

However, no specific standard has ever been created in China to guarantee the hygienic conditions of dogs raised for slaughter and their meat.

Unregulated pork, beef, and lamb sales are banned in China. However, due to the lack of regulation, the bloody slaughter of dogs cannot be legally covered.

Rabies is the only circumstance requiring quarantine for dogs. Even more dogs are slaughtered outside the standard butcheries without any official supervision.

The relevant regulations on the logistics and sale of dog meat are also nonexistent. Numerous local supermarkets and restaurants are infested with dog meat that may not be safe, experts say.

According to Yu Jie, a local medic, eating dog meat is unsafe because of parasites. Also, workers processing the meat from a rabid dog can easily become infected with rabies.

Article 28 of the Food Safety Law of the People's Republic of China says, "It is forbidden to produce or engage in the business operation of meat that has not been quarantined by the animal health inspection institution or has failed the quarantine, or meat products that have not been inspected or have failed the inspection."

"If dog meat is not quarantined before entering the market, then processing and selling it should be considered illegal," Zhu Bin, a local lawyer, was quoted as saying by Nanfang Daily.

The passage of this law would be a tremendous triumph for the animal rights movement in China. Let's keep our fingers crossed it becomes the the law of the land.

If this law is passed, the next step of the Chinese animal rights movement - and animal rights movements in other countries - ought to be to convince people that the lives of factory farm animals - cows, chickens, pigs, sheep, etc. - are just as valuable and precious as those of dogs. Human beings can more easily identify with dogs, for obvious reasons. The thought of slaughtering dogs does not sit well with most people, even in parts of the world where that sort of practice is more traditional.

But those of us who believe in animal rights have a responsibility to teach others that the lives of all animals are precious, whether they're dogs, cats, factory farm animals, animals used in lab testing, animals used for fur and leather coats, and pretty much every other animal - and human being - that exists. This proposed law in China is a huge step. Yet it is also only the beginning.

Update: Wiseguy Joining in on the Hunt

Remember actor Ken Wahl, who won a Golden Globe Award for the CBS crime show Wiseguy? Well, the actor and animal rights supporter putting up his Golden Globe Award to help find the thugs who glued the beautiful cat Timothy to Interstate 90 in Minnesota last month. I blogged about Timothy a week ago. He has, sadly, died as a result of his ordeal. Since then, the reward money to apprehend the perpetrators has gone up to $12,000. Wahl is worried that the sadists who murdered Timothy will kill again, and he's probably right.

As Wahl put it:

Men who pick on cats are sick cowards that have control issues, since cats are half wild and independent. We’re not just finding a kitten killer, we are preventing this person becoming a serial killer. (Source)

The Short, Sad Life of Timothy

On a freezing cold night just seven days before Christmas in 2009, a motorist in southwestern Minnesota made a horrible discovery. A beautiful, 7-month-old kitten (later named Timothy) was stuck in the middle of the highway. Some horrible sadist had glued his paws to the pavement.

Volunteers at Second Chance Rescue took him in, but he died a few days later. Apparently, the poisonous glue got into his system and killed him.

Timothy is gone, but not forgotten. He was the victim of a system in which animal abusers are seldom punished for their crimes. So many people have committed ghastly crimes against animals. And in the rare cases these thugs are brought to trial, they're almost always released with only a slap on the wrist - if that. This is because we live in a society that has looked the other way at animal abuse.

This sort of tragedy repeats itself over and over again, in a thousand different communities across North America.

But there is another side to humanity. A number of donors have offered rewards for information leading to the capture of the sadists who murdered Timothy. In fact, the reward has grown to $10,000. One anonymous donor contributed $1,000 toward the reward money. The outpouring of support and sympathy for Timothy has been nothing short of remarkable.

There is also a movement in Minnesota to push for the passage of more stringent animal cruelty laws. As the Morris (Minnesota) Sun Tribune noted:

Just two days before Timothy was pulled from the roadway west of Mankato, Minn., the national Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) released a report ranking the states on their laws concerning animal abuse.

Minnesota ranked 15th among the 50 states and the District of Columbia, and someone arrested in connection with the Dec. 18 incident could face a felony charge because it involved intentional cruelty and resulted in the animal’s death, according to Stephan Otto, an attorney and legislative director with the California-based ALDF.

“They would be facing penalties of up to two years in prison and a $5,000 fine,” Otto said Monday.

Minnesota has a more severe felony animal abuse charge available for cases where the animal torture is done to terrorize another person. That carries a maximum penalty of four years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

Conviction on a misdemeanor animal abuse charge in Minnesota carries a maximum sentence of a year in jail and a fine of $3,000, Otto said.

Tougher laws to protect animals are long overdue. Humane people who love animals can only accomplish so much. They need the legal system on their side, so that there is actually a deterrent against this kind of cruelty. As it is now, the fiends who committed this crime will likely go on hurting other animals simply because they can. Time to change the laws so the bad guys pay and the victims receive the protection under the law they deserve.