[Search for users] [Overall Top Noters] [List of all Conferences] [Download this site]

Conference misery::feline_v1

Title:Meower Power is Valuing Differences
Notice:FELINE_V1 is moving 1/11/94 5pm PST to MISERY
Moderator:MISERY::VANZUYLEN_RO
Created:Sun Feb 09 1986
Last Modified:Tue Jan 11 1994
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:5089
Total number of notes:60366

4813.0. "Cats and Clout Article" by MPO::ROBINSON (i don't find this stuff amusing anymore) Mon Jul 29 1991 10:14

	Cats and Clout, a New York Times Editorial
	
	Reprinted w/out permission from the Daytona Beach Sunday News
	Journal, July 14, 1991, no author listed.


	Any cat lover knows how it happens. You see this tabby all wet
	and shivering in an alleyway and you can't stand the sight of so
	much misery so you bring him indoors.

	Next a neighbor arrives and says, "Esmeralda sneaked out before 
	I had a chance to get her spayed and now she's got the cutest 
	kittens and won't you please, please take one."

	Then your child comes in with the calico she saved from drowning and
	asks, "Can you imagine anyone being horrible enough to get rid of 
	this cat?"

	Finally the ginger tom who was the tabby's best friend takes to 
	mewing piteously at your back door and...There! You have just 
	exceeded the maximum number of cats or dogs that the Syracuse, NY,
	City Planning Commission would allow.

	Dog owners have not complained about the proposed rule, probably 
	because few people would choose to keep more than three dogs, what
	with all the care they demand.

	But since cats ask only for a clean box, a sunny spot, and a small
	bowl of chow it's easy to acquire a houseful. One day you look around
	and there they are: cats on the windowsill, cats on the bed, cats by
	the radiator - all of them asleep.

	The owners of those sleeping beauties have set up a howl in Syracuse.
	Punish those who abandon their pets, they say. Arrange for free 
	neutering and spaying. Establish shelters. But don't tell us how 
	many cats we can feed and care for and love.

	Love: That's the heart of the matter. Cats don't ask for love, but
	they get it anyway - simply by being their sinuous, stubborn, stuck-
	up, snoozing selves.
	
	City officials, who've tabled the three-pet limit, say they misjudged
	the strength of the cat lobby. That wasn't their only error. Above all,
	they misjudged the strength of the cat.
	

T.RTitleUserPersonal
Name
DateLines
4813.1Another foolish and useless law!!DELNI::JMCDONOUGHMon Jul 29 1991 13:5534
       GOOD!! I personally believe that these "only 3" or "only 2"
    ordnances are usually imposed by idiotic bureaucrats with pusilanimous
    personalities who are afraid to address the REAL issues regarding pet
    ownership. If they'd spend some time on issues such as "Responsible Pet
    Ownership" and prevention of abuse instead of counting cats and dogs
    that people own, maybe some progress could be made.
    
      I have many cases who came from so-called "homes" that would have
    passed this ignorant sort of ordnance, but the animals were severely
    neglected and/or abused byt these so-called "law abiding" citizens.
    
      I don't condone the situations where older people have 3 nd 4 hundred
    cats and/or dogs and are unable to care properly for the, but I firmly
    believe that it is up to the people who are able and willing to care
    properly for animals as to how many they are willing to give homes to.
    Putting numbers on this sort of thing may alleviate the consciences of
    the bureaucrats who impose such stupid laws, but it solves nothing. I
    for one APPLAUD the pet owners who fiercely cried "FOUL!!!" in this
    particular case.
    
      I have 11 dogs....a Mass State law states that over 7 dogs requires
    me to have a "kennel license". However, the towns are allowed to set
    rules WAIVING the kennel license requirement if a person is not raising
    and/or selling animals. I'm doing neither, and all of my animals that
    require licenses have them, so I save about $200.00 per year due to
    some intelligent town management. Yet some cities restrict owners to 2
    dogs, and do little or nothing to control the 65% of owners who don't
    even bother to get licenses or they let their animals become
    neighborhood maurauding nuisances. 
    
      But I guess they don't attract the most "intelligent" people to
    government, unfortunately!!
    
    John Mc
4813.2CECV03::GASKELLMon Jul 29 1991 17:3714
    Small!!!!!! bowl of food?
    
    	Mine have never settled for "small" anything.
    
    Don't ask for love?
    
    	I have scars to prove that mine ask for attention in the shape of love
    	all the time.
    
	
    Hope people remember who made this stupid regulation and decline to
    vote for them come next election.  Under the "three" rule I would have
    been trouble most of my life--I would go to jail (or probably leave the
    state) rather than give up one of my kitties.
4813.3USDEV1::NDCPutiput Scottish Folds DTN:297-2313Tue Jul 30 1991 09:276
    re: .1 & .2
    
    Amen and Amen!
    
    
    
4813.4TENAYA::KOLLINGKaren/Sweetie/Holly/Little Bit Ca.Tue Jul 30 1991 14:063
    Palo Alto, where I live has a 3 cat max ordinance.  Really totally
    dumb.  I'm not voting for anyone on the city council who voted for it.
    
4813.5WILLEE::MERRITTWed Aug 07 1991 14:0429
    I do not believe in the cat max ordinance as long as the owners
    are responsible and can bear the expense of the cats.   I too
    would have been thrown out of town a long time ago.
    
    A sad story that our shelter got involved in as to do with an
    70 year old cat lover that had approximatley 40 cats at her house.
    There is now a court order to get rid of the cats...but I truly
    see there point.  Priscilla walked in this house and the smell
    of pee was unbelievable....the rugs were soaked and squished
    when you walked.  (there wasn't even a litter box in sight)
    The cats were not fixed....and that's how there ended up being 40.  
    Can you just imagine how many there would be by next year.   Well 
    the cats are beautiful cats (mostly long-haired) but are all
    very very skinny.  
    
    This lady loves her cats...and cries everytime one is taking 
    away.  Even though I do feel bad for her......we cannot
    let this continue for the cats sake.  The lady does not
    have enough money for food, litter....never mind the
    vet expense.
    
    The shelter is taking in about 4-5 cats a week.  Each cat is
    taken to the vet for a full check up, tests, and is being
    fixed.  The real sick ones are being put to sleep.  Hopefully
    we will find these cats a new loving home and give them 
    the life they deserve.  The life at the shelter...has to
    be better then the life they led!
         
    Sandy
4813.6Unbelievable!MODEL::CROSSWed Aug 07 1991 14:3511
    Wow, Sandy, that woman sounds incredibly strange.  I know she loves her
    cat, but how could she stand the filth of her home with 40 whole males
    and females using her rugs and floors as their litter box?  It defies
    explanation!
    
    It's too bad that this had to happen.  It's too bad she can't be taught
    good hygiene so that her cats could have a good home with her.  All the
    trauma of separation could probably have been spared had she been
    taught how to care for these animals properly.
    
    Nancy
4813.7COASTL::NDCPutiput Scottish Folds DTN:297-2313Thu Aug 08 1991 09:173
    re: .5 - Priscilla made a comment to me the other day about an $800 
    vet bill.  No doubt she could use some donations to help with this
    project.
4813.8WILLEE::MERRITTThu Aug 08 1991 09:3911
    NDC...you are absolutely right...donations would help alot!  I
    believe the $800 vet bill is for those cats only...because the
    entire vet bill is much much more then that.
    
    Sad story....again I do not agree with the Max law...but I believe
    it was probably was put in place to stop people like this cat lover.
    Can you just imagine...with 40 whole cats...how many she would have
    had by next year.  Unbelievable! 
    
    Sandy