The ethics of owning a cat May 3, 2010
Posted by Lena Shuster in Uncategorized.Tags: animals, cats, dogs, ethics, pets
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As you may have guessed by the topics discussed in my previous posts I don’t believe in human or animal rights. At the same time I try to live as a vegetarian, meaning I eschew meat because eating it is a violation of certain values I consider fundamentally important.
Animal right activists like PETA claim that owning pets is a form of abuse which would be abolished in their version of utopia.
Here’s my run down of where I stand when it comes to pets. I own two cats and if I had a stable living situation I would own more. I’d probably own dogs too. I use the word “own” because it’s an easy way to express the relationship between pets and humans. For the most part, my cats own me as much I own them, except that by virtue of having a number of faculties that are more developed the sense of responsibility I feel towards them is not reciprocated.
The first principle in this relationship, I come first.
Is putting myself first a disservice to my cats? My short answer: As long as the cats’ food necessities are met and I provide an environment where the cat seems relaxed and comfortable I’ve fulfilled my obligation. Some people of course go further, they take in many cats so that their first cat doesn’t feel bored (me), they buy special toys or furniture for the cats (me), they buy premium food for their cats (me), they hire cat sitters when they go away…
What about taking cats to the vet? I’ve read angry comments directed towards people who adopt a cat and then skimp on vet visits. Is this “animal abuse”? I say no. Veterinary care is not natural – in nature animals do not get vaccines, booster shots, flea treatments, deworming and blood work. Perhaps, one may argue, that since we are responsible for removing pets from nature in the first place (through domestication) we should be held responsible for their health. To this I say that some of us humans have moved too close toward treating companion animals as children and too far from treating food animals as beings with needs.
When I pick up my cat and she squeals, I don’t always put her down right away. Is this a form of abuse? I decide it’s not abuse but a tax she pays being my pet. As she comes back a minute later and rubs against my foot, she doesn’t even remember her own distress.
Every time we open the front door one of my cats runs outside. I make her wear a bright collar with a name tag just incase she gets lost, or more likely, in case a good samaritan passing by thinks she’s lost. I know it’s probably uncomfortable for her (although she doesn’t seem to be conscious of it) but I think it irritates her anyway because it’s caused the fur around her neck to wane. Irregardless, she’ll wear the collar consistently throughout the warm weather because it makes me feel better.
My cat also has a history of fighting with street cats so I don’t let her stay out too long and usually she comes back when called. I feel a little bad denying her time to explore and breathe fresh air – but the costs (in time and veterinary bills) of taking care of her if she is injured by another cat and the unpleasantness (and possible health risks) of sleeping with a dirty cat in my bed keep me motivated to limit her time outside.
Do I show bad judgement in letting her go outside in Brooklyn? I say that not all measures to prevent accidents and death are in the best interest of cats or me. I want my cats to explore and take some risks (although in the end I always put a stop to their explorations and risks).
Sometimes when she goes out I forget about her and hours later a neighbor will ring our door bell to remind us that our furball wants to come inside. Should I feel bad? I would never (I hope) forget about a child in my care who went outside to play, but a cat is not a child (worry not – I don’t forget to feed them!) We all know that there’s a cost to everything and for my cat, the cost of running outside means that sometimes we humans will forget about you for a couple of hours.
I always have trouble ending my thoughts, but what I want to say is this: We put too much human pressure on our pets and too much pressure on ourselves sometimes to treat them thus. I love my kitties and will miss their company when I’m away in Azerbaijan in two weeks.
What a great article. My cat Luna also whines when I pick her up sometimes (although sometimes she doesn’t and instead purrs, because it gives her an upward mobility she wouldn’t have otherwise).
I do believe in animal rights, and by that I simply mean the humane treatment of animals, whether they are used for food or not. That said, I have some serious issues with PETA I won’t go into here. The problem is not people having pets but people breeding them. Sure, puppies are cute, but when your local shelter has to euthanize upwards of 40,000 pets a year, breeding is irresponsible.
Even so, for vegetarians who own pets we are forced to make a paradoxical decision. Vegetarians might dislike the system of agriculture that gives their society meat, but they still feed meat to their own dogs and cats. This is something of a predicament, and I’ve spent a lot of time trying to figure it out.