I think pets are on my mind because I had dead pet dreams last night (horrible ones about Missy) and I worked on the Friends of Dekalb Animals website this morning. I’ve bitched about this issue before, but it bears repeating. And this is about NO ONE in particular. I’ve had this exact convo with MANY crazy cat ladies and/or pet hoarders. True facts.
It disturbs me when people who can’t take care of themselves have pets. Typically, not one or two, but a HERD of pets. They take in every stray. They foster. They have so many pets that it’s borderline hoarding. I assume they do this because they have a shitty life and pets make them feel better or something. I don’t know. All I know is: if you can’t take care of yourself, then why would you even entertain the notion of taking care of pets? Pets are expensive! It’s also relevant to note that people who do this type of thing typically do NOT take care of the pets in even the most basic ways (spay/neuter for instance) and the problem becomes exponential.
A conversation with one of these people (it’s women, always women) usually goes like this:
Me: How many pets do you have?
Hoarder: Well, I only have 3 cats and a dog, but I foster 25 cats and 10 dogs. ::happily::
Me: How do you afford to take care of all those pets? (Knowing that this person is broke as shit.)
Hoarder: It’s hard! I barely have money to feed myself, but I manage. A few of the cats are pregnant and several dogs need heartworm meds, but they are all doing OK, well, except for Fred, who really needs to see the vet. And Olly, who stopped eating a week ago. Oh and I think Shadrick has worms again…
Me: Really? Aren’t your pets fixed? Don’t you get them vaccinated?
Hoarder: Uh, no, I can’t afford to get them fixed or go to the vet. If I only had the money to… ::drifts off into a wistful haze of IF ONLY::
Me: Well, don’t you see that having unfixed pets will just make this issue worse? And don’t you think you should help the sick ones?
Hoarder: Ummm, well, yeah, I guess so… ::now looking uncomfortable:: But I have to HELP ALL OF THE POOR HOMELESS PETS! ::getting indignant::
Me: Hmm. Well, I appreciate your generous heart, but you really need to get these animals fixed, medicated and adopted out.
Hoarder: ::goes into a long explanation of why that can’t happen:: Blah, blah, animal control is evil, blah, it’s better than the shelter, blah, blah, blah.
Me: Oh! Look at the time! I really need to get going! Nice talking to you! ::runs away before I start expressing my real opinion and/or punch the crazy person in the face::
This has happened to me SO MANY times!! And every single time I’ve met someone like this, they also admit to dumping pets at shelters when their roommates/parents/big foot tells them that they can’t have pets. Probably because people who can’t afford to take care of themselves are also moving a lot and having to depend on others for shelter since they are broke motherfuckers.
Look, it’s simple. If you can’t feed/clothe/shelter YOURSELF, then it’s a pretty good bet that you can’t take care of a pet. ANY pet. Well, maybe a betta fish. And it’s also a pretty good bet that you will do more harm than good by taking on tons of pets and then not caring for them properly and dumping them when you can’t take them to your next couch surf location.
A simple guide to deciding whether you should have a dog or cat:
– Are you so broke you can’t buy food at times?
– Are you dependent on other people for shelter? (ie: Are you NOT on the lease? Are you living with your parents? Can someone tell you to dump your pets and you must comply?)
If you answered YES to either or both of these, then NO YOU SHOULD NOT HAVE A PET! AT ALL. NOT ONE.
It’s that simple. Having a herd of unfixed cats and dogs that you “rescued” from the street is no better than leaving them on the street. That is a fact. It is also a fact that you can’t save them all. Another fact is that by “fostering” a herd of unfixed, unvaccinated, neglected animals is actually making a bad situation worse. For every unwanted kitten YOU allow to be born, there are 100 being euthanised.
If these people (women, let’s just say women) really loved animals as much as they claim to, then they’d stop compounding the problem of unfixed pets breeding continuously, which is the DIRECT CAUSE of millions of pets being destroyed in this country every year. They’d FIND a no kill shelter to come get the animals. They’d FIND a way to actually help the animals rather than perpetuate the problem.
And it goes without saying that homeless people with pets make me apoplectic with rage. You’re HOMELESS? Why, YES, by all means drag a dog or cat around with you. Seems legit.
Really, this is just another BE RESPONSIBLE post. I have lots of them. It’s a shame that this theme keeps coming up so often, isn’t it?