I am an Aurora resident for over thirty years now and I've seen the many changes this city has gone through. One recent change I've noticed is the amount of cats... EVERYWHERE!

It used to be while driving in my neighborhood: "Oh no, look... that poor little squirrel got ran over". You would see the occasional squirrel dead in the street, mainly in the spring while there were lots of youngsters running around. I have a deep love for all life and it always made me sad to see a squirrel smooshed in the road.

Over the last week I have seen 3 cats on Del Mar Pkwy alone that were the unfortunate victims of an encounter with an automobile. My family and I have noticed the number of cats in our neighborhood increase drastically over the last year. And it is going to get worse. How do I know this? Well, lately we have seen quite a few kittens snooping around the neighborhood that are obviously the offspring (due to markings) of older cats we see quite often.

I don't know if these are feral cats or if they do indeed have a home. One thing is clear though, the original owners didn't act responsibly and have them either spayed or neutered. We are the proud owners of 3 dogs who are all either spayed or neutered, along with every pet we have owned in the past. Everyone has seen commercials on television in the past about the importance of making a trip to the vet and being a responsible pet owner.

I have also owned cats in the past and they were both INSIDE cats and spayed or neutered. What type of person cares so little about an animal's life that they just send them out into the world to fend for themselves, produce unwanted offspring, get hit by a car, or worse... get tortured by a mean kid or poisoned by an adult that hates cats? Not the type of person I aspire to be, that's for sure.

I just think it is shame that there are so many selfish people out there that care so little about any life but their own. If you aren't going to take care of your pets, DON'T GET THEM. These are domestic animals that need your love, your time, and your attention. If you are too busy or too selfish to give of yourself and take care of these animals they are better off with someone who will devote part of themselves to the animal.

Think about that next time you are going to get a pet on an impulse. There is no room for buyers remorse when it effects the life of another living thing.