Monday, April 29, 2013

Wanted: boy kitty

A friend of mind has a friend with a six-year-old daughter who really wants their cat to have kittens. So she wrote out a want ad.

11 comments:

  1. Farm kid, I'm guessing? LOL Very cute!

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  2. Love it!! Definitely a fridge pic!

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  3. This kid's no stranger to the miracle of birth, is she? LOL

    Is her mom buying in to the idea? If so, do you know if she's prepared to find responsible homes for all of the kittens, including seeing to it they're all spayed and neutered? Does she have the resources and support and experience to do all of this?

    A little time spent with the folks who handle the pickup of unwanted kittens always provides an enlightening insight into the wisdom, ironies and practical realities of this little girl's proposed method of kitten getting.

    And forgive me for sounding like I'm pouring cold water on this idea, as I do appreciate the poster ad...'sperm maker in' is a new one to the spay/neuter lexicon, and a real keeper. lol And I know from experience the joys of a litter of kittens. In fact, I know it very well, since my love for critters led to a decades long career of helping them. lol

    There are some other pretty good ways of getting kittens, in the event the sought-after male orange tabby fails to appear or ..ahem...deliver the goods. (And then there's all that noise, biting and waiting around all those next months for kittens...)

    If this is a serious procurement intention on the child's part there should probably be a plan B. ;~) For example:

    This is the season when many local rescue groups will have pregnant mother kitties or mamas with young kittens. And for those with the skills and training, sometimes there are motherless kittens to be raised and prepared for adoption. There are feral-born litters to be rescued and socialized.

    It's an eminently teachable moment, and age-appropriate opportunities for humane education are easy to find.

    Does one of the girls still volunteer at the pound?

    Do you know what your county's unwanted pet population numbers and hot spots are? Do you know who handles the animal control duties in your county? Some places contract with local humane groups, others have county or municipal facilities. Do you know what's done with the surplus pet population and who does it? And what happens to it afterward? These are indeed the unpleasant and largely unspoken realities in pretty much every county in America. It's understandable that most folks have little or no idea of the costs in lives or money.

    But the good news is that's changing, and there has been a huge reduction in the number of unwanted pets being born in many parts of the country. It's come about through the determined cooperation of people who've looked at the realities and begun practicing prevention instead of the more costly (and often lethal) remedies associated with dealing with the problem of unwanted pets.

    Who knows? You might even be in an area where the spay/neuter effort has been so successful that folks have to get in line for good barn cats. I've seen it happen. lol

    That's when you know it's working. :~)

    A.McSp




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    Replies
    1. Some great thoughts here! My own limited experience has taught me the importance of spaying and neutering your pets when you don't want litters.

      My grandmother used to informally adopt stray cats out in the country. Many of them were obviously from feral born litters or their owners no longer could afford to keep them. They weren't let into the house (she was not very attached to animals in general, but the cats kept more unsavory critters away!), and they were never neutered, so every other year, there would be a new litter. It was a joy to us grandkids, but the downside was many of them would get killed by animals (mostly dogs) or run over by cars. I don't think we ever had a cat older than maybe five years old stick around. The one cat that stayed their whole life was around that age when they were hit by a car. Granny actually cried over her (it was unheard of).

      I do hope the little girl gets a "daddy" for her longed for litter but also secures a home for each of them. I have a real soft spot for kittens. Too bad I'm in Texas, or I would've wanted one! ^___^

      ~Lily~

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    2. Just can't seem to get away from it can we. Patrice posts something cute and some know-it-all has to give us all a lecture. It would sure be nice not to be constantly harranged by those that have to tell us all how to think and act because they are so sure that we are eagerly awaiting their superior insights and profound instructions

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    3. not a harangue but some very interesting information and can see home-schooled children enjoying activities involving helping animals.

      maybe a bit preachy but well meant, i'm sure.
      deb harvey

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  4. That is a riot! Thanks, Patrice--needed that after a long day. :)

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  5. Oh, and BTW, I really do not think this was a great place for the messages from the animal lovers. Patrice is not this girl's parent. Do you think Patrice is going to trot out the comments out her blog for their benefit? Also, I myself am presuming that the parents of this smart and funny girl are capable of deciding whether to allow a litter of kittens to "happen" and know how to manage things if they do.

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