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Pets, Wildlife, and Responsibility

Contributed by: Kristin Wagner on 2/11/2008

By Donna Ralph

Let me start by saying I love cats and I love wildlife. I grew up with cats and have had cats live to a ripe old age. One of my cats was a feral cat that eventually stayed with me as a spayed, vaccinated, and very happy indoor cat. Another cat came to me after being removed from a very abusive situation. Blackberry was vaccinated, neutered, and kept indoors as well. Both he and Kit Kat lived healthy lives; they were well cared for and lived to a very old age. I kept my cats indoors because I loved them and wanted them to be happy, healthy and safe.

Then I began working with native wildlife; songbirds and small mammals. I quickly learned that pets-- dogs and cats in particular can have a very negative effect on wildlife, and collectively on the wildlife population. It seems that regardless of the age of the cat, how well-fed the cat is, bell or no bell on the collar, cats do damage to wildlife. This is a significant problem, especially during baby and fledging season-- the time when young birds are on the ground, a few days away from being able to fly, and most vulnerable to predation. There is research available to document this.

As a wildlife rehabilitator, I can tell you that very few cat-attacked animals survive. Distraught homeowners bring me birds and small mammals, usually babies that the cat brought home. Although there is often no blood and not much visible damage other than missing feathers or fur, the internal damage and trauma is quite severe. The cat's mouth is filled with bacteria that can cause infection. The sharp claws leave deep puncture wounds not easily visible to the naked eye, causing damage to internal organs and rupture of air sacs in birds; equivalent to rupturing lungs. Imagine the fear and pain these animals suffer in a cat's mouth or claws. I don't consider predation by dogs, cats, or people who are otherwise well-nourished as "nature taking its course."

As a fellow animal lover I try to appeal to pet owners' love for their pet and sense of responsibility toward their pets. I'm pretty sure that pets kept indoors aren't hit by cars, poisoned, pet-napped, abused by people, fighting with other animals, picking up diseases like leptospirosis, feline immunovirus and feline leukemia, reproducing unchecked or being preyed upon by other animals. I think a trip to the local animal shelter is an eye-opening experience and provides valuable insight as to how animals really aren't generally being well cared for. If they were, there wouldn't be so many of them ending up in animal shelters and ultimately euthanized.

Adopting a pet is a conscious decision where an individual makes a lifetime commitment to make decisions and choices that are in the animal's best interests and provide a healthy, happy and safe life for the animal. Animals don't have a choice but we do and when we decide to share our life with a pet, we have a responsibility to take care of them for the rest of their lives. Pets are not expendable or disposable. Too many times I get phone calls from people regarding their missing cats and small dogs that are left outdoors, often at nighttime. Did the owl take it? The coyote? Somebody looking for bait to train fighting dogs? Somebody grabbing animals for the purpose of abusing them? We know that dogs and cats can pick up parasites and diseases, and bring them home. Cats (and dogs) using the neighbors' lawns and gardens or children's sandboxes for a litter box don't make good neighbors. If you feel your cat just absolutely must go outside no matter what, how about constructing a predator-proof, outdoor cat enclosure? Or leash-training your cat like people with dogs and ferrets do? I know from working with veterinarians over the years that medical care for pets can be quite costly, with few people able to afford the acute care, surgeries, labs, and follow-up care; preferring instead to have their pet euthanized because they simply can't afford the bill. Some of these situations can be avoided with education and good animal care but of course, sometimes even the best cared for pets have accidents or get sick.

My point is that, aside from the detriment to native wildlife that I see regularly in my line of work, my hope is that people who love their animals who bring so much joy to a household will make a serious, concentrated effort to bring an animal into their home only after educating themselves on the species, knowing that they can make a lifetime commitment to the animal, adopt from legitimate shelters and not impulse buys or pickups out of the cardboard box animal trade. I hope you will consider spaying or neutering your pet, and keep current on the immunizations for the animal. I hope you will be kind to your pet and encourage your children to do the same. Each life is valuable and by making the decision to share our lives with an animal, we need to make a lifetime commitment to that animal.

So please, if you care about your cat or small dog, keep that animal indoors for the safety of your pet, our wildlife, and yourself.

www.ellicottwildlife.com
P.O. Box 75069
Colorado Springs, CO. 80970


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CONTRIBUTOR INFORMATION

Kristin Wagner

Larkspur , CO

Kristin Wagner has posted 217 stories and 0 comments since joining on 4/18/2007. Kristin Wagner 's average story rating is 5.
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