Rusty on Animal Welfare

Hi, I'm Rusty. I have been very fortunate and have never known abuse like so many furries do. I had a good home but was turned in to the local shelter when I was a year old. If a home had not been found for me when my time was up, my owner was prepared to come back to rescue me.  She was an older woman who was afraid of falling and breaking bones because I liked to tell her how much I loved her by rubbing against her legs.

But Jan came racing into the shelter one day after seeing my photo in the newspaper and adopted me -- sight unseen. She thought I would be perfect company for her mother since her mother's skin was delicate and I don't have front claws.. Boy, did she get a shock when she came back to lift me out of one of the top cages.  I'm huge. But I was the perfect cat.  I could rub against her mother's legs all I wanted without tripping her and I wasn't afraid of her wheelchair. We only had about ten months together but we really bonded. Even though I have a good life now with a big family, I still miss her.

Since I'm having a good life, I want every furry to have a happy life too. Lots of cuddling, treats, good food, a warm bed in winter, a good brushing when I'm in the mood and the opportunity to give the human a swat when I'm not, a screen door when the weather is nice.and a window when the weather is bad.

Jan has told us repeatedly that she believes in animal welfare but not animal rights. Why? Because she deeply believes that humans should treat animals with kindness, not abuse them or slaughter animals to be used for food inhumanely, and that teaching children to be kind to pets helps mold better character and develop empathy.

We all believe here that animal welfare and animal rights are not synonymous. We understand them to have different agendas, programs and goals.

We came across this video titled The Truth About HSUS  (the Humane Society of the United States). Perhaps it will help a little to explain why we are for promoting the welfare of animals but we do not support the animal rights movement.

UPDATE: Wednesday 11:PM We learned this video has been removed by the user from YouTube. It's been making the rounds. Wonder why it was pulled?



If the video doesn't play, click here.

We've been asked by a friend to mention an abandoned kitty in the Mobile, Alabama area that has adopted a family that can't keep him and he needs a home. Very pretty, friendly cat. Can you rescue it or adopt it?  He has a wound in his side and hasn't been neutered, so he would need some vetting. You can read the details here.

Don't forget to enter our kids and pet photo contest. It closes at noon EDT on April 26.

Have a purring and tail wagging day.