A couple of weeks ago, my boss said one of those things that, as a Vet Nurse, you never really want to hear: “We’re going to be working with more feral cats soon.”
A lot of the work we do at this clinic involves desexing, vaccinations and microchipping for rescue organisations to prepare their animals for rehoming, and as it turns out, another organisation wants us to work with their cats. Of course this is a good thing- the slight downside is that in my experience, only about 50% of cats like humans- and that’s among cats who are tame and live in houses with people. I’m sure they love their owners, but Veterinary staff during a procedure, not so much. Compare this to 90% of dogs, who will happily wag their tails when you approach, even if they’ve never met you before in their lives.
It’s not that I don’t like cats- I do like them. They’re pretty great versions of what they are; I love to watch them experience the world by batting things with their paws, it’s quite amusing to watch them stalk around as if they think they are a tiger, and it’s very sweet when they come over and cuddle up to you.
But I like them the same way I like giraffes- that is, I have never really wanted to live with one in my home. Maybe it’s just that I can’t picture a scratching post in the living room, the way I could always picture a leash in my house, even before I adopted Frankie.
Maybe I’m just not a “cat person” and therefore I don’t “get it”, but I am an ‘animal lover’ and extremely frustrated with the recent influx of cats wandering my neighbourhood. I’ve ready studies over the years stating the lifespan of an outdoor cat is on average less than 5 years, while an indoor cat can live anywhere from 12-20 years. I’ve seen the diseases, fight wounds and cat bite abscesses outdoor cats gets. I’ve seen cats that have been hit by cars, and the ones roaming my street have almost been hit by me in my car far too many times. I’ve also seen animals poisoned by angry neighbours because their owners make no effort to keep them quiet at night, and while I would never do a terrible thing like that, I am pretty pissed off when I hear “MRRRROWWWWW!!” at 2am. But what I mostly don’t understand is how people can just let their pets wander out the door, counting on the hope that they’ll be fine and come home safely. I would never put any one of my fur babies in danger like that. I won’t even let Frankie off leash in the front yard because I KNOW he has no road sense. It’s just irresponsible pet ownership, not to mention against the law and inconsiderate.
I hear people say “Ohh but they WANT to go outside, they meow all the time..” Yes, well, your 5-year-old child probably WANTS lollies for breakfast, but come on, you know better, don't you?
