Showing posts with label urban deer. Show all posts
Showing posts with label urban deer. Show all posts

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Wouldn't it be sad to have gardens with no cats in them -- and cities with no wildlife?

 Cats are roamers; they have an inherent right to roam outdoors. That is well understood by cat-lovers, but the Vancouver Sun reported that the British Columbia SPCA decided not to let people adopt cats unless they agree to keep the cats as indoor prisoners  (http://www.vancouversun.com/travel/SPCA+block+adoptions+people+looking+keep+cats+outdoors/9633045/story.html). This report was inaccurate however, and the SPCA's Provincial Office has clarified that it was only one outlet, the Richmond Animal Protection Society, that decided to bar adopters wanting specifically outdoor cats (for barns or as mousers). The SPCA assures us that " keeping cats inside is NOT a requirement for adoption at the BC SPCA."

This is good, because in an era when ever more people are choosing (or having) to living in high-density small-apartment boxes in high-rise towers, an indoor only rule would be bad news for cats.

The dominant sense for us humans is sight, but cats live in a 70% smell-world. Scents are vital to their brains and pleasure states -- scents that waft on the breeze, hide in soil and bark, and are left as markings by other animals. The scent of carpets and upholstery just doesn't work for them. Nor do they want to miss rolling on the grass, climbing trees, stretching out in the shade of a bush, clocking the movements of other cats or walking up to neighbours for an ear-scratch.

Indoor cats suffer constipation, poor digestion, poor muscle tone, arthritis, snagging claws, obesity and boredom.

Cat-jailers talk as if all a cat in the garden thinks about is having wild sex and hunting mice. Mine do neither; get them neutered and feed them well, and neither will yours. A cat being left outside to shiver in the cold is of course just as sad as one being imprisoned on a hot well-scented day. The key is moderation, consideration and common sense.

The SPCA suggests hiding food around the house so your cat can "stalk" it as entertainment. My suggestion is that cat-jailers buy a fluffy stuffed animal and some pretend-food, and entertain themselves by "feeding" it to their "pet." If a stuffed toy is what they want their living cat to be, maybe they should just buy one, and let someone else adopt the cats.

The SPCA contacted Animal Literature to clarify their position further:  "The only circumstance in which we would turn down an adoption regarding an outdoor cat is if the potential guardian is not planning to provide food or veterinary care for the cat - sometimes people want barn or field cats but our policy is that the individual must provide food, veterinary care and any other needs of the animal, even if they are outdoors....  Whether a cat is indoors or has some outdoor time, it is our responsibility as humane communities to ensure they they do not suffer."  For sure we can all agree with that.

The paradox is that this same SPCA that does not want to see cats going hungry, is telling people not to feed backyard deer even in the frozen-ground depths of winter when they have no flesh on their bones and find little to browse on. Deer habituated to urban gardens, who know the people who live in the houses whose yards they frequent, are "almost pet" wildlife. They are at the stage where wild cats once were, before the species became completely domestic. Kindness to animals means feeding the hungry ones, giving shelter to the cold ones, and allowing freedom and natural movement in safe sanctuaries for all of them. These are the instincts which come naturally to most decent people. Certainly our more leafy garden-rich neighbourhoods benefit from the presence and beauty of free, safe, well-nourished creatures -- how dull and sterile an animal-less suburban environment would be.