Letters to the Editor
DurianJoe
Published Letters: 1315 Editor's Choice: 69
-
Various responses
[Read the article: The beef over pet food]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Cynthia: I agree that in general pet ownership comes close to imprisonment, but it's not quite the same thing, and frequently its not imprisonment at all. Dogs and cats have evolved to co-exist with people. While it's not ideal to keep a dog locked up in an apartment, and while it would be nice to let cats roam freely, the first situation is necessary for many people with dogs circa 2006, and the second is a trade-off: staying safe indoors versus getting killed in any number of terrible ways (cars, dogs, sadistic people). Besides, I think there is no denying that for many dogs and cats, life with a good human family is pretty damned good, with mutual love and respect for all concerned. My cats spend all day lying around while I'm working, and they spend all night being catered to after I drag my sorry ass in the door. I wish I had that kind of life!
Seriously, though, I cannot agree with your postion regarding people taking dogs or cats into their homes: the alternative is death for all those animals in the shelters or on the streets. Ultimately, if we don't blow up or melt the planet, we might end up treating animals much differently than we do now, but that's years and years from now, if at all.
Jeffrey: Buck up, man! (pun intended). We need to resist Bush and his minions for many reasons. Just because he'll be returning to his job as village idiot of Crawford, Texas in 2008 doesn't mean that things will revert to normal. The damage this guy inflicts will be long-lasting, and it could get worse. For one thing, his economic policies are a disaster. Imagine a full-blown recession or worse, a depression which drags down the whole world. People will suffer, and animals will suffer. Regarding animals, poor people will have less money to care for their pets, shelters will receive even more give-ups but there will be less money from government and private citizens to run them, so more animals will be euthanized, and so on. When times are bad, people get stressed out, and animal abuse will rise. Your dog is important, but politics matter, too.
Also, dude, raw food may be healthy for animals, but high quality canned and dry food is at least as healthy. People who only eat raw food insist it's the healthiest diet, but those of us who eat a healthy diet of raw and cooked food do just as well, if not better. I'm not convinced that cooking robs food of its nutritional value, be it for people or animals. We agree, though, that the junk in supermarket pet food aisles ain't fit for beast nor man!
LMAO, what can I say but, keep on clownin'!
-
Pet Vaccinations
[Read the article: The beef over pet food]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Purple Kitty: Several years ago I stopped giving my cats all vaccinations except for rabies. I do not think I will give them new rabies shots when their current one expire. They are indoor cats, and the danger that they might contract rabies or some other feline disease is far smaller than the danger that they will be harmed by the vaccines.
-
No no, MoJo
[Read the article: The beef over pet food]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Settle down, Cosmicmojo; you're usually calm and reasonable.
I can't speak for the dog people, but when I bring my cats to the vet, they're safely locked up in a carry case, so the only way you might get bitten is if you open the case door and stick your hand inside -- but I'd be the one biting before I let anyone do that.
There is a danger of cancerous tumors forming at the site of a rabies vaccination, so it is reasonable for people with indoors-only cats not to take that risk. However, for those who feel they must, as someone else on this board suggested, have the shot given in the animal's leg rather than the torso. That way, if cancer forms, the leg can be amputated and the animal saved, versus what could be a certain death.
See ya later here and in the Heavy Petting Slate thread, CM!
-
I prefer Thurston Howell III
[Read the article: Whipping the Post]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]At least Thurston was upfront about his Republican leanings.
In Bobby Joe's earlier letter here, he critiqued Howell's latest Ombudsman column, but he neglected to recount her coup de grace:
"To all of those who wanted me fired, I'm afraid you're out of luck. I have a contract. For the next two years, I will continue to speak my mind. . . . Keep smiling. I will."
Wanna bet the first draft ended with, "nanna nanna nyah nyah!"
Maybe we should henceforth refer to Howell by her natural nickname: Lovey.
-
Question for Ravanne, response to PurpleKitty
[Read the article: The beef over pet food]
[Read more letters about this article: Here]Ravanne: I agree with you that high quality prepared cat food is just as good as raw, and I'm dismayed that one of my cats snubs the expensive stuff and insists only on Fancy Feast (which all the cats love, but they will at least eat the good stuff too). Fortunately, the snubber eats the high quality dry food. I do disagree with you that this is a frivolous topic; people care very much about their pets -- at least decent people do -- and what we feed them is obviously important. My question for you is, why would cats who never step foot outside need to be vaccinated? I ask that in all sincerity.
PurpleKitty, I'll bet we've met. I'm relatively active in the D.C.-area cat rescue movement and related activities.