On Pets and Animals

This entry is inspired by a recent exchange I had on Facebook. One of my friends posted about needing to find a home for two adult male cats. I commented with the following: Are they neutered? If they are, set 'em loose. Despite popular belief, animals can survive quite well without us, unless they've been bred into helplessness like the chihuahua. Naturally, it didn't take long for one of her friends to jump on me about my comment, which I admit was meant to stir things up (I enjoy stirring things up from time to time).

I truly think animals are wonderful creatures. My sister has a dog, Bear, that I care for dearly. I am not in favor of animal cruelty, although being a meat eater and occasional leather wearer, I realize that animals had to die for me to enjoy those things, and I have no qualms about that.

On to my thoughts about keeping pets. My feelings for Bear notwithstanding, I feel that unless you are a strict vegan, your ownership of pets is tinged with hypocrisy and a double standard. After all, what's the difference between the animal that you decide to feed and the animal that you decide to eat? The distinction is completely arbitrary.

Also, what about all the ignorant and misinformed people who own exotic pets? Thanks to them, the Everglades now has a serious python problem, and the native mammal population within the park has diminished in large part due to the introduction of these exotic predators.

What about the "companionship" argument? You consider an animal that you can't really even communicate with as your companion? The only type of "communication" pets learn with their owners is which behaviors lead to getting food and which behaviors don't. You want companionship? Try a fellow human being. There are plenty of people in nursing homes and hospitals who don't even get visited by family members. They could sure use some companionship. And most of them will talk back to you even if you don't feed them! 

Overall, my opinion is that animals do not need human help to survive. To believe otherwise is the height of arrogance. As a matter of fact, animals were doing quite well until we started destroying and polluting their habitats. So, if you truly love animals, don't demonstrate it by owning a pet. Rather, demonstrate it by supporting efforts to preserve all animals' natural environments as much as possible and promote a harmonious co-existence with the entire animal kingdom!