It's March 1. How is this possible when it was February yesterday? Help, where is my life rushing too so fast. I was complaining about the long dark winter in December and now the days are lengthening. In fact, daylight is a full two hours longer now than in December. Can spring be far behind?
Willy is overjoyed to go outside these days. He gets so excited even though he doesn't stay out more than an hour. Each evening, we are visited by a variety of neighbourhood cats as they are gearing up for mating season. There will be yet another crop of kittens to add to the feral cat population. I'm astonished at the number of "in tact" pet cats there are in my area. It baffles me how people just ignore all the information about the dangers to song birds and wildlife from the increasing cat population.
Wake up folks. Your roaming tabby is also a danger to himself and other cats. Feline Immune- deficiency Virus (FIV/Aids) is becoming a serious cat disease that is very infectious, and for which there is no cure. It is a lingering, wasting disorder that is spread through bites and sexual intercourse. Un-neutered Toms fight a lot in mating season and the female in heat gets a double whammy because the Tom bites her to pin her for mating. She then passes the disease to her kittens. If your neutered Fluffy is allowed out even briefly, and gets caught up in a territorial skirmish, there is a strong chance she/he will come home with FIV.
FIV is not dangerous to humans or other animal species, so you and Fido will not get sick. Alas, Fluffy will be symptom free until the immune system begins to break down. Then, like a human Aids sufferer, the poor cat will succumb to all kinds of illnesses. When that happens, and the family feline starts to need veterinary care, the same irresponsible people will likely abandon Fluffy somewhere across town, to die alone, from hunger, thirst and stress.
A cat is not a disposable toy - cute as a kitten, but a challenge as it grows up. Cats suffer from neglect, indifference, superstition, ignorance and worst of all, abuse. Their very independence and self- sufficiency makes cats ready targets for mistreatment. It's assumed that they can cope without human intervention but their coping skills (hunting) cause the damage to birds and wildlife. Cats are damned for their hunting ability while also abandoned to rely on hunting to survive. This so called *cat problem* is really a human problem. We bring them into our lives, but accept no responsibility for them. Of course there are also good cat people, who do the right things for their pets. This is not addressed to them. This is for all the folks who still think its better to let Fluffy lead a "natural" life, and about the people who are cruel in their ignorance.
Spring is coming and Willy is so excited. So are all his neighborhood buddies. It's such a joy to watch him play and sit in the sun. I wish for every cat to have a patch of sun to sit in, and carefree games to play under the watchful eyes of loving humans.
