Yesterday’s Garbage
According to RSPCA statistics, the rate of animal abandonment in Great Britain has climbed by 25% in the last year, which is, quite frankly, mind boggling. I wouldn’t be surprised to learn that statistics in the United States are also climbing, given the fact that we tend to lead the way in new and imaginative ways to torment and otherwise abuse animals. (And people, for that matter.)
The thought of abandoning an animal to fend for itself is pretty reprehensible to me. I’d definitely put it on my top five list of awful things that people can do, and I’m wondering which factors are contributing to the rising rate of animal abandonment. The Guardian says it’s a symptom of a throwaway society, which may well be true, although horrifying.
The Guardian article above cited one instance in which someone surrendered a cat to the RSPCA because it didn’t match the new carpet. There are so many things about that statement that are just plain wrong and disturbing that I don’t know where to begin. And now I’m concerned; I don’t think any of my cats match my carpet. Maybe I need to get a feline interior decorator in or something. Fortunately Mr. Bell matches my trim, although he never goes outside, so it’s rarely demonstrated.
I also can’t help but wonder if it’s linked to the toppling economy. In a world where people regard animals as throwaway luxuries, perhaps it shouldn’t be too surprising to see people ditching them when they become expensive or inconvenient. Can’t afford to board your pet while you take a vacation? Turn it loose on the street and hope it’s still there when you get back. Don’t want to pay vet bills? Dump your sick animal on a street corner, or in the garbage, apparently.
I’ve often maintained that people should have to apply for licenses to have children, both from a population perspective and from a desire to protect children from the horrible, horrible things which happen to them. Now I’m thinking people need licenses to keep animals as well, complete with routine home inspections and written tests. Or maybe you’d prefer to just rent your pets.
Not just cats and dogs, either, but also farm animals, especially horses, are being rescued at an alarming rate. Talk about a major commitment; a horse isn’t something one messes around with or enters into lightly, making it all the more astounding to read that farm animal rescue is on the rise. Are people just not prepared for the reality of caring for farm animals, or do we indeed live in a throwaway society?
And people wonder why I’m opposed to breeding, when millions of cats and dogs are abandoned and euthanized in the United States each year. “Oh, but purebreds go to good homes,” they say, ignoring the perils of puppy mills and backyard breeders, and the fact that many rescue animals are actually purebred, with papers and everything. “But if people can’t get purebreds, they wouldn’t get animals,” they say, and I say “so much the better.” They say “some breeders are really ethical,” and I say “yeah, breeding and selling living beings is pretty ethical, if you ask me. At least the victims of the American meat industry have short, albeit miserable lives with no illusions about their place in the world.”
It’s kind of all the more amazing when you think about the fact that the pet industry is huge, and ever-growing, thanks to doting (and neurotic?) pet owners who buy sweaters for their pooches and deluxe kitty towers for their cats, while actresses model the latest trend of carrying dogs in your handbag. How is it that we live in a world where people can spend billions on their animals while millions also go homeless? It’s the same cognitive dissonance, I suppose, that allows us to live in a world where there are homeless people and abandoned children, and it’s a troubling phenomenon, if you ask me.
Given the ingenuity of people trying to capitalize on the green movement, I wouldn’t be surprised to see biodegradable dogs, or carbon neutral budgies, or environmentally friendly ponies, on the market sometime soon.
June 5th, 2008
my cat gets as much routine medical care as i do. and as much as my children likely will.
read that as you choose.
June 5th, 2008
I think it would be awesome to see universal healthcare for pets, in addition to people, honestly. I totally agree with you, XUP; pets are something that should be part of everyone’s life, not just for the wealthy. And I don’t mean to imply that you must make at least $X to own a pet, although I would agree that the wealthy have definitely driven up the cost of pet ownership by making it clear that they will pay for pretty much anything.
That said, I do think that veterinary care is necessary, on the same level that human healthcare is; annual health exams, teeth cleanings, and so forth are a good idea, and it’s unfortunate that people don’t think about preventative/routine care for their animals, because that’s what makes vet bills expensive.
June 5th, 2008
Ah - well here in Canada all that human medical stuff is free, so the vet stuff is a big shock. I don’t think pet ownership should be an elitist thing. Having a pet should be an important part of childhood — to teach them to respect fellow creatures; to teach them responsibility; to teach them about unconditional love; to teach them to care about things outside of themselves. When I was young, everyone had a pet - rich or poor. The only time they saw a vet was to get fixed and if they were sick. They ate table scraps and/or in the case of cats, hunted food outside with some pet food supplementation. Our animals lived to a ripe old age and were healthy. Now animals aren’t allowed outdoors anymore, they need a whole range of vaccinations, dental work, tests, grooming, special diets, regular check-ups, etc., etc. So, children who come from less affluent families, already deprived of most of things in life, will never know the joy of caring for a pet, of having a “best friend” to listen to all their woes. When we turn pets into commodities by making them expensive and out of reach for so many people, that’s when they become disposable — like all the other elitist toys.
June 5th, 2008
Vet bills vary wildly from vet to vet - and a good deal of the “necessary” medical care vets recommend is actually bill padding, IMO. We’ve always sought out large animal vets (farm animal vets) for any care our dogs require. They’re a lot less expensive and a lot more practical than the small animal practice vets I’ve been to - who want to do things like run expensive blood tests checking liver enzymes and potassium outputs in our perfectly healthy, active, happy dogs. I’d rather save that money and donate it to the RSPCA, thanks.
June 5th, 2008
Having spent a fair amount of vet bills in the last few years myself, I think that they are actually pretty affordable when compared to human medical bills. For example, tooth cleaning: they have anesthetize the animal, and that’s what makes it expensive. Or veterinary surgery, which is, on the whole, much less expensive than human surgery. I think the issue is that a lot of people don’t realize that having a pet can be expensive, and that they need to think about medical bills, just like you would when having, say, a kid.
June 5th, 2008
I agree that it’s horrible for people to abandon or otherwise mistreat animals.Most of our society still looks at animals as much lower life forms that undeserving of consideration and respect. That’s why we lead the world in snarfing down millions of pounds of beef, pork, poultry, lamb, venison, etc., etc every year. That being said, I also think we have a huge problem with out of control vet costs. I have one cat and it has cost me incredible amounts of money in vet bills 2 short years and that’s just basic care. I don’t know what I’ll do if he ever gets really sick. I have pet insurance, but that’s also very costly and covers only a few things. For instance, Vets charge $600 to clean a cat’s teeth. That’s 4x what is costs me to have my teeth cleaned. That’s insane. I’m not surprised there’s a big issue with abandoned and surrendered animals.