Conference misery::feline_v1

    I agree with you, case in point is Freeway.  I was really upset
    that someone would leave a kitten, so very obviously NOT able to
    fend for itself, but then, the more I thought about it...
    
    (note: I am not condoning this kind of behavior)
    
    There are some people who are terribly naive.  They think that a
    kitten might just be able to fend for itself.  They might have left
    it there knowing or hoping a CalTrans worker WOULD find it.  Then
    again, some people are of the opinion that animals ARE 'just' animals
    (after all, we eat a lot of animals and no one worries abut them),
    so they don't really care what happens to it.
    
    Then there are the compassionate ones, like FELINERS and CANINERS
    and even PET_BIRDERS...  :)  Hopefully, we can offset the naive
    and not compassionate ones.
    
                                                                ---kim

	Yes, Kim, I think some if it is naievete, especially the sort of 
	person who would leave kitten in a truck, where it was likely to 
	be found, and not likely to be, say, run over.  Freeway is a much 
	more extreme case.

	I remember hearing an article on the radio once about how people 
	abandon pets near farms all the time, figuring farmers like animals,
	and know how to take care of them.  The farmers, on the other hand, 
	don't need any more mouths to feed, and a lot of these animals end
	up dead.  Often the people abandoning them got pets for kiddies,
	not having any idea how much work and expense was involved.  People
	talk about their kids' illnesses, but pets are always thought of as
	healthy.

	People just don't seem to think...
	Beverly

    One of the best lessons we can teach our children (and I mean all
    children, not just our own) is that animals FEEL.  That they
    are living beings who feel pain and thirst and fear and hunger.
    And that we as humans have a responsibility to all life on this
    planet.  For those of you who are religious Genesis says that
    God gave man DOMINION over the animals.  That means that man
    has a responsibility to take care of animals as a king or queen
    has a responsibility to care for his or her subjects.  Its not
    a one way street and "superiority" over animals (as many people
    feel man has) is not a free ticket to abuse and neglect!  It
    implies a RESPONSIBILITY.
      The MSPCA has started a program of bringing animals into schools
    to educate children.  The earlier they do this the more of an
    impact it has.
      So if your area doesn't have any program like this, talk to
    your local humane society about starting one.  And take every
    opportunity to teach children.  One of the most fun things
    I ever did was to bring Mao to Church as part of my children's
    message...which was about how God wants us to take care of
    animals.
      Nancy DC
    

    Im sorry if this offend anyone, but this is my own unwavering opinion:
    
    " FINE THEM,AND LOCK THEM UP"
    
    PHIL-VERY ANGRY AT THE THOUGHT OF THESE PEOPLE-

    
    
    I agree with .4!!
    
    But .3 is an excellent idea..
    
    Some people probably don't have the knowledge and as said before
    think the kitten can survive and fend for themselves..  then theres
    the case of my girlfriend.. whos mum found four kittens in a brown
    bag in a *trash can*...  only two were alive and she has them now..
    one has severe stomach problems.. because of her problems as a kitten
    but other than that they are in excellent health..
    
    My opinion is that some people are just unfeeling sons of b******,
    I've met a few who've been at my house and don't understand why
    I even bother patting my cats at all!!
    
    Then again, they were most likely *taught* to believe this way..
    I'm with you Nancy, teach these kids while they are young..
    
    F.

    I had a pleasant surprize this weekend.  BTW - we're fostering
    two cats currently.  They're the ones Sherry Conger wrote about
    that had belonged to an elderly gentleman who had 13 cats.  There
    were three looking for homes but they managed to place one.  So
    the current cat-count is 6!  (And I like it!)
      Anyway  Jack rented a tape with four Betty-Boop original cartoons
    on it. We love old movies etc.  One of the cartoons was called
    "Grampy in Be Human".  It opens with Betty sitting at her piano
    playing and singing a song called Be Human and goes something like
    "Be Human, animals can cry.  Be Human, its easy if you try..."
    She finishes her song and is dismayed to hear the sounds of a whip
    and howling!  She runs to her window to see the farmer next door
    whipping his poor dog.  The ^&*#$% farmer proceeds to also punch
    his cow in the mouth because she won't produce more milk, throw
    his chicken around because she won't lay eggs and whip his horse.
        BB is of course, very upset by this.  She's a very compasionate
    person you know.  She first tries singing her song to the farmer
    and when that doesn't work she gets on the phone and calls "Grampy"
    who has a humane shelter.  Grampy jumps into his truck and speeds
    over to the farm where he tosses the burly farmer into the back
    of Grampy's paddy-wagon type truck, takes him back to the humane
    shelter and dumps him onto a treadmill.  The farmer is forced
    to run on the treadmill while a speaker plays just the words from
    the "Be Human" song.  
      The treadmill in turn powers a whole bunch of machinery that provides
    apples for pigs, grass for horses, hay for cows and in turn the
    cows produce milk for the cats.  of course, in the end, the farmer
    sees the errors of his ways.
      i know its only a cartoon, but it was very rewarding to see such
    sentiments in an old cartoon, plus to see the farmer get the sort
    of treatment we'd like to see all animal abusers get!
      And we thought animal rights was something new.
       Nancy DC