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- From: ac999257@umbc.edu (ac999257)
- Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats
- Subject: Re: Cat on Counters, HELP
- Date: 25 Jan 1993 18:09:26 -0500
- Organization: University of Maryland, Baltimore County Campus
- Lines: 63
- Message-ID: <1k1rv6INN816@umbc8.umbc.edu>
- References: <1993Jan22.190937.2427@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> <1jqd9eINNkd7@umbc8.umbc.edu> <1993Jan25.183826.6632@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU>
- NNTP-Posting-Host: umbc8.umbc.edu
-
- In article <1993Jan25.183826.6632@murdoch.acc.Virginia.EDU> rkn3u@kelvin.seas.Virginia.EDU (Keith Norwood) writes:
- >
- >>We do have a responsibility to provide our cats with a loving home and
- >>as healthy a life as possible. We do not, necessarily have the
- >>responsibility to make them conform to our way of life -- we just
- >>like doing it.
- >
- >You last statement is interesting! We don't have to make them conform
- >but it works out that way. I don't like to make them conform but sometimes
- >it is necessary. After all, they are living in my house. If they're on
- >the counter playing with food, I'm going to TRAIN them not to. It's as
- >simple as that. If they were paying the bills and feeding me, I couldn't
- >say shit.
- >
- >When you neuter/spay/declaw/train your cat, you're making it conform to
- >your way of life.
-
- As I said, we do not have the responsibility to make them conform to our
- way of life -- we just do it! There is NO law of nature that says
- humans will neuter/spay/declaw/train cats. In order for us to have
- cats as pets, we find it convenient to do such things. The only
- responsibility that we have is that when we adopt a cat and bring
- it into our home, we must provide it with a healthy loving environment.
- It is up to the adopter to decide how to do that and whether or not
- to neuter/spay/declaw/train the cat. If the adopter prefers that their
- cat not jump on countertops, the adopter has every right to TRAIN
- them not to because it's the adopter's countertops! But it is in no
- way anyone's *responsibility* to make such behavior modifications.
- It is simply the adopter's choice. Making an animal conform to your
- behavioral standards is your *choice*, not a *necessity* of life. I would
- think you would prefer that since I'm sure there would be a ton of
- people who disagree with your decision to keep your cats off your
- countertops, particularly since chances of you contracting any illness
- from your cats walking on the countertop is no greater than the risk
- you've brought on yourself simply by having the cat in the first place.
-
- If you don't want your cats on your countertops, that is your *CHOICE*,
- and it's not a choice that I disagree with. But saying that it is
- an owner's responsibility to keep their cats of the countertops is
- wrong.
-
- This entire countertop controversy is the most ridiculous issue I
- have yet seen concerning cats (this isn't directed at you, Keith,
- but rather at everyone who seems to take a hardline stance on either
- side of the issue). The most common reason people give for not
- wanting cats on countertops is that "no paw that touched litter
- will touch my food". Another favorite is cleanliness and fear of
- some ghastly communicable disease. I don't know about the rest of
- you, but I pick my cats up, hug them, play with them, and allow
- them to sit on my lap and sleep in my bed. I also scoop out the
- litter daily. When I prepare food, I always wipe the countertop
- and very little if any food ever really touches the countertop
- anyhow. Now tell me, where am I at a greater risk from contracting
- some illness from my cat or coming into contact with (GASP) litter?
- The reason I keep the cats off the countertops, as well as all
- shelves, tables, etc. is that I don't want them knocking things
- off and I'd like to cut down on the flow of hair in the kitchen
- as much as possible (a ridiculous hope!). But the only other
- legitimate reason is cleanliness habits, which is a human personality
- trait and not a feline issue, IMHO!!
-
- Mary
-
-