# Slate article- "Why I Killed My (healthy) Cat" -Do you agree with author's reasoning? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 20, 2005, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-article-why-i-killed-my-healthy-cat-do-you-agree-with-authors-reasoning/322593 "2005-09-20T20:33:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 6
**Author:** ![tim314](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tim314/32/3468_2.png) [@tim314](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tim314)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-article-why-i-killed-my-healthy-cat-do-you-agree-with-authors-reasoning/322593/101 "2005-09-26T13:37:36Z")
> [@Captain Amazing](#): > > Pets aren’t people…they exist for our pleasure and our use. I don’t agree with this at all (the second part). Human beings didn’t create the cat. Sure, we bred different animals together to select for certain traits, but still, all the essential structure that makes cats function – organs, DNA, proteins, etc. already existed. So who the hell are we to say why cats exist, or even that there is a reason? Just because we use them for a certain purpose doesn’t mean that their ability to serve that purpose is the sole criterion on which to judge the value of their existence. And just because we choose to consider them property doesn’t give us the right to treat them like a man-made artifact to be used and discarded as we please. But at any rate, even if pets have no inherrent value whatsoever, in my experience the level of compassion a person has for animals is almost always indicitive of that person’s overall character. I certainly don’t think the author of the article is some sort of monster, but the fact that she could have her cat killed because he’d “ceased to be an acceptable [pet]” doesn’t speak well of her. ---
**Author:** ![WolfpackJeep](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wolfpackjeep/32/2921_2.png) [@WolfpackJeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WolfpackJeep)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-article-why-i-killed-my-healthy-cat-do-you-agree-with-authors-reasoning/322593/102 "2005-09-26T13:41:34Z")
> [@calm kiwi](#): > > Coming from a country that has NO snakes (none in the wild, in the zoos or as pets) I know NOTHING about them but why is feeding them a seemingly natural food bad? On a slightly different note, one lady I know who keeps snakes typically doesn’t feed hers live mice due to the risk of injury to the snake. ---
**Author:** ![Pazu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pazu/32/15522_2.png) [@Pazu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pazu)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 2:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-article-why-i-killed-my-healthy-cat-do-you-agree-with-authors-reasoning/322593/103 "2005-09-26T14:25:04Z")
> [@calm kiwi](#): > > Coming from a country that has NO snakes (none in the wild, in the zoos or as pets) I know NOTHING about them but why is feeding them a seemingly natural food bad? > > Have pet snakes been conditioned to a diet that is far removed from their wild diet (like dogs and cats)? Off on a bit of a tangent: It’s basically what **Jeep’s Phoenix** said. To expand on it slightly, many _captive-bred and hand-raised_ pet snakes are conditioned to take pre-killed food. These are generally the best sort of snakes to have as pets in the first place, as they’re used to humans and accustomed to handling. Live food has the potential to severely injure a pet snake (you can’t really blame it, after all, it’s fighting to survive), and is thus generally considered a bad idea if you can avoid it. On the other hand, sometimes it’s unavoidable: wild-caught pet snakes often won’t identify anything that’s not moving as potential food. ---
**Author:** ![Pazu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pazu/32/15522_2.png) [@Pazu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pazu)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-article-why-i-killed-my-healthy-cat-do-you-agree-with-authors-reasoning/322593/104 "2005-09-26T14:30:58Z")
> [@tim314](#): > > I don’t agree with this at all (the second part). Human beings didn’t create the cat. Sure, we bred different animals together to select for certain traits, but still, all the essential structure that makes cats function – organs, DNA, proteins, etc. already existed. So who the hell are we to say why cats exist, or even that there is a reason? Just because we use them for a certain purpose doesn’t mean that their ability to serve that purpose is the sole criterion on which to judge the value of their existence. And just because we choose to consider them property doesn’t give us the right to treat them like a man-made artifact to be used and discarded as we please. Well, assuming you aren’t referring to the ancestral wild cats, then humans did indeed create what we know of as the modern domestic/feral cat, through many generations of selective breeding. More importantly, we also provided an environment in which the domestic cat could reproduce freely, with little in the way of population control. If cats had never been domesticated, I highly doubt that there would be so many of them. It’s pretty much the same as for any domesticated animal. Probably 90% of the world’s chickens wouldn’t even exist if humans didn’t have a use for them. Same as for cows, sheep, etc. ---
**Author:** ![zeeny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zeeny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zeeny)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-article-why-i-killed-my-healthy-cat-do-you-agree-with-authors-reasoning/322593/105 "2005-09-26T23:04:32Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > Not trying to stick my nose into somebody else’s disagreement but I’d truly like to know what your theories are. Would you share them? In the interest of fighting ignorance and all… 🙂 > > For my part, I don’t really blame the OP’s actions (or the actions of the actual story teller). But I’m a self professed non pet person. Never had them. Never wanted any. I don’t hate animals and if I lived on a farm I’d probably have some dogs and cats for protection and utility. I don’t condone cruelty to animals but do support the raising of animals for their use as food (chickens, cows) or sport (horses) or even financial gain. Animals, in posession by humans are chattel. That is my view. If somebody chooses to keep them as a companion then that’s no skin off my nose but I find it a bit strange and I have a theory about that as well. > > What I do find annoying and rather off putting is how people with pets assume that others care and fawn over animals to the same extent. Singles on dating sites are notorious for either posing with their pet or devoting several photos in their profile to their pet alone. I’m not interested in your cat or dog. I want to know about you and see a flattering picture of you. I have kids. I don’t hide that fact and it’s up on my profile. But you won’t see a single photo of my children with me or (worse) by themselves. And they are beautiful children who are much more a reflection of me as a father and human being than any pet I could ever imagine. People who call their pets children and refer to themselves as mommy or daddy quite frankly scare and befuddle me. I’m married, but I’ve read bits of “advice to singles” and many times they do tell singles that pet ownership is one way of meeting others. Wasn’t there a movie out recently titled “Must Love Dogs”? I didn’t see it, but am just presuming it is a common scenario. But I don’t know if you can use pet photos on a dating site as an indicator of how important animals really are in the life of the person posting them. They might just be using the animal as a marketing tool, which to me, is similar to your example of keeping dogs and cats for protection and utility. What do you say? Maybe it’s not as much of a “dealbreaker” as you think. My husband and I both come from a culture that respects animals, but neither of us had pets growing up. We took in the first cat shortly after we were married. I came home from work and found her on my doorstep (a neighbor had moved and left the cat behind). I took pity on her and brought her in for some milk, and it just went on from there. Initially, my husband was not quite as enthusiastic as I was, but we were newlyweds - let’s just say I easily won him over. And then in time the cat won him over as well. But it could have gone another way. If the cat had turned out to be troublesome, or dirty, or destructive, we might not have been so complacent about keeping her in this first experience with an animal in the house. Another factor might have been that we were newlyweds, and the cat satisfied our then romantic notion of having a child together before we were ready or financially able to do so. Twelve years later, we have a house, two children, and seven cats. Yes, seven (actually four permanent and three temporary fosters). If I didn’t have the luxury of the house (the cats have their own quarters in the basement, and even their own bathroom), free vet care (thanks to BIL), and non-allergic and helpful children (not to mention an accepting husband), I wouldn’t be able to do it, nor would I want to, most likely. And we know that the idea of seven cats in the house sounds crazy, and if you told us twelve years ago we’d end up with this many, we would have thought _you_ were crazy. But that is how it happens sometimes. Sorry about the long personal anecdote, but my point is that there are individual stories behind comments on messageboards that claim to either love, hate, or “have no feelings” for animals. I can be opinionated and fiesty, but I wouldn’t want to pre-judge an individual without understanding what is behind those comments. The same might apply to your dating site example (just some “singles advice” from an old married woman ;)). ---
**Author:** ![zeeny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zeeny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zeeny)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 11:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-article-why-i-killed-my-healthy-cat-do-you-agree-with-authors-reasoning/322593/106 "2005-09-26T23:33:12Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I am not _hostile_ toward animals. Okay, but maybe you misread what I said: > [@zeeny](#): > > I am curious about why people like **Crafter Man** (or you, since you’ve stated your feelings here), display what seems like hostility towards people who do like animals. If that is a mis-characterization, then I apologize - I didn’t read the old threads others have alluded to. > [@](#): > > But at the same time, I have absolutely _no_ feelings toward animals, either. This wasn’t part of my original point either, but if you don’t mind, I am curious about it. Do you think this “no feeling” is part of your nature, or something you’ve developed in yourself because of circumstance? I ask because it was something I tried to do when I stayed at my Uncle’s farm (where I had my chicken killing experiences). And it went against my own nature. Yes, it did get a bit easier after the first experience (which was very bad for me), but I was never able to reach the point you suggest. ---
**Author:** ![Anne\_Neville](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Anne\_Neville](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anne_Neville)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2005, 11:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-article-why-i-killed-my-healthy-cat-do-you-agree-with-authors-reasoning/322593/107 "2005-09-26T23:56:54Z")
> [@QuickSilver](#): > > What I do find annoying and rather off putting is how people with pets assume that others care and fawn over animals to the same extent. Singles on dating sites are notorious for either posing with their pet or devoting several photos in their profile to their pet alone. I’m not interested in your cat or dog. I want to know about you and see a flattering picture of you. This makes sense to me. Maybe the person in question only wants to date people who do care and fawn over animals to the same extent. ---
**Author:** ![zeeny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zeeny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zeeny)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 3:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-article-why-i-killed-my-healthy-cat-do-you-agree-with-authors-reasoning/322593/108 "2005-09-27T03:08:09Z")
> [@Pazu](#): > > My theory: many people who love their pets often come across as being “animal elitists”. They aren’t really animal lovers; they only love the type of animal their pet is. This type of cat owner (for the sake of example only; it’s not limited to cat owners), in response to hearing that you raise hamsters or rats, snickers, “Ohh, my kitty would love to meet your pets!” This type of cat owner thinks about buying a pet bird to keep her cat entertained, and seems surprised when you point out that she’s dooming another animal to a short and stressful life. This type of rat owner (to switch gears) accuses anyone who keeps a pet snake of being a sadist if they feed their pet live rodents (which is a bad idea anyway, but that’s another story). This type of dog owner thinks it’s the squirrel’s fault that their dog can see it through the window and is freaking out. > > You meet enough of these people, and, just like in any other area of life, you start to develop a reflexive reaction to folks who gush on about their “fur-babies” and such. I can relate to what you’re saying. What about people who only love a certain breed of dog or cat? I know a man who extols the virtues of Dobermann Pinschers, and disparages all other dogs (I didn’t ask him about any other species). IMO, all this says more about the person than the animals in question. Maybe there is a spectrum of feelings, with people who “love animals too much” on one end (there was a funny episode on South Park about that), and animal abusers and torturers on the other end (which is a recognized symptom of a psychological problem). I’d guess most people would fall in the middle of that. But how can we measure the “love” or “hate” of animals? Many times it is just lip service. And how can you know when you’ve “crossed the line” on one end or another? ---
**Author:** ![Pazu](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pazu/32/15522_2.png) [@Pazu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pazu)\ **Post date:** [September 27, 2005, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-article-why-i-killed-my-healthy-cat-do-you-agree-with-authors-reasoning/322593/109 "2005-09-27T04:04:49Z")
> [@zeeny](#): > > I can relate to what you’re saying. > > What about people who only love a certain breed of dog or cat? I know a man who extols the virtues of Dobermann Pinschers, and disparages all other dogs (I didn’t ask him about any other species). > > IMO, all this says more about the person than the animals in question. Oh, absolutely. We _were_ talking about the people, after all. And I imagine “breed elitists” are just as annoying to “species elitists” as the latter are to people who prefer other types of pet. The unfortunate consequence is that the pets tend to bear the brunt of the consequences for their owners’ poor behavior. A wandering cat is going to dig in flowerbeds, shit in the yard, spray urine, and kill local wildlife–that’s just what cats do, and it’s pointless to blame them for it. On the other hand, the owner that can’t bear to keep kitty inside has in effect said that their cat’s desire to wander trumps their neighbors’ wishes to have a catshit-free, dead-wildlife-free yard, an attitude I find, at the very least, extremely presumptuous. Unfortunately, as it’s often impossible to know which wandering cats belong to which owners, it’s the cats that end up on the receiving end of rage which should be directed at their clueless owners. > [@](#): > > Maybe there is a spectrum of feelings, with people who “love animals too much” on one end (there was a funny episode on South Park about that), and animal abusers and torturers on the other end (which is a recognized symptom of a psychological problem). > > I’d guess most people would fall in the middle of that. But how can we measure the “love” or “hate” of animals? Many times it is just lip service. > > And how can you know when you’ve “crossed the line” on one end or another? I think you’re right; in any area of human emotion, there’s going to be a spectrum of feeling. And I don’t think there’s any “objective” way to measure love or hate of animals, any more than there is to measure love or hate of anything else. Crossing the line I think is similarly subjective, depending on who you’re dealing with. ---
**Author:** ![zeeny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zeeny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zeeny)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 2:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-article-why-i-killed-my-healthy-cat-do-you-agree-with-authors-reasoning/322593/110 "2005-09-29T02:08:12Z")
Just to note: No response from the non-animal lovers who have posted here previously. Even when an opportunity for dialogue or resolution presented itself. This goes back to my friend’s theory I mentioned earlier: Some people appear to have have hostility towards _the people_ who care for animals. This hostility appears to be more than the practical concerns of animal nuisance issues in general, or how they can be resolved. I was hoping someone would disprove that theory. Maybe next time. ---
**Author:** ![Blalron](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/35a633/32.png) [@Blalron](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blalron)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-article-why-i-killed-my-healthy-cat-do-you-agree-with-authors-reasoning/322593/111 "2005-09-29T02:37:50Z")
> [@zeeny](#): > > This goes back to my friend’s theory I mentioned earlier: Some people appear to have have hostility towards _the people_ who care for animals. I have noticed the irrational hostility you speak of. Some people seem to get angry at any mention of spending money or resources towards the compassionate treatment of animals. The putative justification being that it diverts resources away from helping humans. Of course, any luxory spending at all on anything (DVDs, books, going to a fancy restaurant) is diverting resources away from needy humans… but of course they remain silent on those subjects. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![xbuckeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9e8a1a/32.png) [@xbuckeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xbuckeye)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-article-why-i-killed-my-healthy-cat-do-you-agree-with-authors-reasoning/322593/112 "2005-09-29T02:57:36Z")
If I had a dating site, I would put up a picture of my cat because she is much cuter than I. Also, I am a generic animal lover, dogs, cats, rodents, reptiles, horses, birds, (ok, so I don’t like cows), fish, etc. and my cat _would_ love to meet your hamster, she likes to look at them and smell them but she is also scared of them after a bad experience with a gunea pig. I also eat animals, because, lets face it, they’re food from birth. But, pets are pets and livestock is livestock. **Crafter Man** ’s cats are different than my cat. I know, because I have had both types of cats. The bottom line is that when you take responsibility for a pet, you are making a comitment to that pet to take care of it and do what you can so it lives a healthy, happy life. The cat in the article was not a happy cat and it is too bad that it never got the chance to have a happy life. ---
**Author:** ![zeeny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/e9a140/32.png) [@zeeny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zeeny)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-article-why-i-killed-my-healthy-cat-do-you-agree-with-authors-reasoning/322593/113 "2005-09-29T03:28:28Z")
> [@Blalron](#): > > I have noticed the irrational hostility you speak of. Any ideas why it exists? > [@xbuckeye](#): > > (ok, so I don’t like cows) How dare you not like cows! 😛 ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2005, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-article-why-i-killed-my-healthy-cat-do-you-agree-with-authors-reasoning/322593/114 "2005-09-29T18:21:40Z")
> [@Crafter\_Man](#): > > I guess I’ve never understood why people love cats so much. They’re just animals. If people would love their fellow humans as much as they love their damn pets, we would have a lot less problems. You are the person who says people should just die if they can’t afford life-saving medicines. What is this “love their fellow humans” you speak of? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/slate-article-why-i-killed-my-healthy-cat-do-you-agree-with-authors-reasoning/322593.md?page=5)