Letters to the Editor
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jared2
My not understanding the whole idea of owning pets is not due to my ignorance but to the absurdity of pet ownership.
No, I think it is due to a lack of experience and empathy.
If I understand correctly, you give a cat shelter and food in return for companionship
You do not understand correctly. Those are aspect of our relationship, not the entirety of it. You give children shelter and food in return for what? That doesn't make that the whole of that relationship either.
It is an economic relationship, a quid pro quo - so much food for so much companionship.
Again, you misunderstand. I love the cat and interpret her behavior toward me as something akin to love. Because of these feelings, I give her food, shelter and medical care. Because of whatever feelings she has, she chooses to be near me and show me affection rather than be somewhere else in the house or doing something else.
But to keep animals simply as pets, simply for affection seems to be a bit of an affection, and is usually a substitute for real human companionship.
It isn't a substitute. Most of the people commenting here about how they love their pets also mention their human loved ones. You were right the first time: You don't understand.
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Pets
"But consider the possibility that there are other intelligent entities, alien or otherwise, who are making the same value judgements on our species. How would we convince them that we are worth living?"
I doubt very much that humans would be cuddly enough. Too bad we lost our fur, an evolutionary mistake. In the end, I would not want to be a "lap-human", I would be bored to death.
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having a good relationship with vet is key
I'm a graduate student with a cat and dog, and when I first got my dog I went out and found a local vet who seemed affable, competent, and who understood that I was a student who loved my pets but had to find ways to care for them on the cheap.
I found my cat a few years after I adopted my dog. He was sick and suffering from heat exhaustion when I got him and took him to the vet. My vet asked me if I wanted to keep him, and when I said yes, he helped me decide what would be the best way to care for him without blowing my budget. He pointed me to a low-cost spay/neuter/and rabies shot program and treated the cat for his tapeworm.
A year later my cat suffered a urinary blockage, much like what you described in the article. I took him into the vet and once he was evaluated my vet came out and explained to me what had to be done. He also explained to me that it was expensive and then sat down with me and found ways to help me cut corners so that I could save my cat. We decided to run only the most necessary tests, to run a catheter on him and to only leave it in for the day (usually the hospitalize them for a few days and run fluids) The vet showed me how to give the cat sub-cu fluids (instead of an expensive IV) and at the end of the day I took home a very sick, but unblocked cat. I spent the next 3 days playing cat nurse, delivering meds, fluids, special food and policing the litter box. In the end he turned out okay and it cost me $400. (A tremendous amount of money for a student but less then the $1300 or so it usually costs.) All because my vet was willing to work with me.
And that's the thing--its all about finding a vet who understands that you are a poor student or a senior citizen or have hit a rough patch. Its about finding a vet who won't make you feel guilty for not being a good pet "parent" because you don't have the money. Finding such a person can make pet ownership a lot easier.
Finally, when you cannot afford to fix an animal, you do the best you can by them. When my childhood cat got cancer, my parents decided they could not afford to treat it. They took her home and cared for he and kept her as comfortable as possible. One day she deteriorated quickly, so my father took her outside to their garden, where she had been born as a kitten. He sat with her as she laid in the sun one last time and she died there in the company of her best human friend. My parents did their best by her, letting her go with dignity, and they never regretted their decision.
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Animals
Watching the birds and squirrels in my yard gives me a wonderful feeling of empathy and companionship which is all the greater for knowing that they are free.
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pets
"I doubt very much that humans would be cuddly enough. Too bad we lost our fur, an evolutionary mistake. In the end, I would not want to be a "lap-human", I would be bored to death."
Maybe you are- and don't realize it.
Hey-that would be a good sci-fi book.
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Veterinarians Pushing the Limits
One reason I drive to another county for veterinary care is that the rural vet clinic I go to does routine care and gives me a bulk rate - e.g., I had 8 cats and 3 dogs at one point - now 3 and 3... My animals are child subs for me - I do not call myself their 'Mom' however. They are my friends, my buddies.
Another reason I go to the clinic I do is that they understand two things very clearly - I feel that excessive veterinary intervention - especially in elderly animals is torture. I also feel that I should be told in complete details including a view of the xrays/test results exactly what is wrong and exactly in detail including costs what it will cost to fix or not. I could go to an excellent vet that I could walk to - but they won't tell you exact details up front re. costs and when asked about routine procedures - eg., teeth cleaning - are double the cost of my rural vet and add in the thought that the vet may decide to do other things e.g., blood work/medication without checking with me first. I would not tolerate that from a human doctor why should I accept that behavior from my vet?
re. torturing animals when they are dying...In the past tried to keep three of my animals alive long after they should have been left to die in peace - I cringe when I remember forcing David to eat when he was 15 years old and dying from heart failure and making him take heart meds that gave him seizures and having to have him euthanized in the end anyway because he was not allowed to go easy as he should have been. Or poor old Mrs. Cat struggling to stay alive one more day - until I realized she was 20 years old! I finally let her go and it was awful - she ddidn't die from seizures from the heart medication I kept forcing down her throat...she had to be put down also and it was not good. I sat with Mousie in an oxygen cage with lasix iv and held his paw for two days - until I took a short walk with a wise vet who pointed out that even corgie-terrier dogs of 16 will eventually die - I took him home - he died in my office in the sun. Much easier - gave us time to mourn and Mousie got to be where he belonged with his buddies. My other animals have also lived long past the usual due dates - 3 other cats lived to be over 20 and a Shih Tzu died at 18... but they died in their own good time with love around them and not in a cage with an IV as I tried to make them stay.
I do spend a lot on Vet bills - I don't have kids so why not? My neighbors state that my dogs are getting better medical care than their kids ;). I think they are joking... My animals have rarely needed ER care - My lhasa got pneumonia while I was in Seattle last year and my neighbor took her to our veterinary ER but they were rational - x-ray-antibiotics - diet and exercise instruction and instructions to follow up with our regular vet asap and sent her home with my neighbor - cost less than $300! - I strongly recommend at least yearly check-ups and ongoing treatments such as teeth cleaning and worming. I have paid for intensive care - for Mousie who got pancreatitis when he was only 10 - and I got 6 more years of one of the best dogs I've ever had. Will do so again for my current guys - but I won't allow them to be tortured if they are dying. My husband and I both have living wills stating that we wish to go easy and not be kept alive past our due dates as well...