I have been going through some hard emotions and stress since I found a sweet momma cat six weeks ago. She is a loving girl, likes to be petted, visits me several times a day and is a cat I love to invite into my home to live with me. However, my home is a small apartment and I have two cats already and it would not be fair to bring another cat into such a small area. My Tiger cat came from a pound and it seems he was not treated too well before I got him and it took a long time to earn his trust and affection. So, mostly I felt it would not be fair to him since he already had to endure the new kitten Emmy coming along and getting half of "his" attention. Emmy was a rescue from a family that became allergic to her and they were going to take her to a shelter.
So, I have created a bond with momma cat. She didn't even mind too much when I interviewed people and brought them over to see her kittens, and eventually adopted out four of them. I believe they are all in good homes. Surely better than living outside and relying on kind people to feed them. She seemed to understand. Plus she was tired of nursing six kittens. She is barely more than a year old herself. She still liked to play with string and leaves almost as much as her babies did.
Today she has gone to the vet to get spayed and then she will go home to her new owner this evening. While explaining this to her, I cried last night and more this morning. I told her she is going to a loving home and I really hope that will be true. I know they have had cats before and they seem like nice people. During the last week, the new mom came to visit her several times and brought her treats and catnip plants. They have an older dog who has been around other cats and probably will want nothing to do with her, so that should be ok. She hasn't been around dogs much except the yip yip one who got off his owner's leash and chased my poor kitty all around the yard and into the parking lot. I kept telling the owner to control her dog but I guess she hadn't expected her to break free.
Pauline or "Paulie" for short is the new name her adoptive mom has given her. Her two remaining kittens are afraid of me now. Maybe because they saw their siblings disappear? Each one I adopted out made me really sad, but at the same time I knew they were going to a better situation. So this has been several weeks of worrying about these cats. I have checked in with the people who adopted the kittens and they all say they are doing fine. I guess I was lucky to get good people to adopt them since others said they didn't want "stray" or "wild" kittens. However, Paulie is so sweet and trusting that I know she is not feral and I think she was someone's pet. I don't know if she ran away or they abandoned her but I think it may have been the latter. And despite all that she has endured, including living outside in the cold and rain and having 2 litters of kittens at a young age, she is still very trusting and loving toward humans. This is a cat I would have really loved to adopt. If I had a house with several rooms I would have adopted her and given her a very loving home.
Now my plan is to humanely trap the kittens and adopt them out, too. One will go live with Paulie and her new mom, so that is a great thing. The other has a prospective new mom waiting for him if he is male. If he is a she then I have to look for a new mom for her, so I hope he is a he. Cause the mom I have picked out is really nice and only wants a male because her female cat hates other females and loves males. Go figure.
All this brings into clearer focus that I someday want to own a decent sized home on a piece of land so that I can take in abandoned or injured animals. I would rehabilitate them and adopt them out to good homes. I am also planning on learning some natural healing techniques and I want to get foster kids or other kids with difficult issues involved in caring for the animals. I think animals can heal us as much as we can heal them. Pure unconditional love is the greatest healer. I am praying this dream will come true.
Last but not at all least - please spay and neuter your pets. There is a low cost coupon here
http://www.oregonhumane.org/spay-neuter/OSNF_authorized_Jun07.pdf for the Portland area and if you live elsewhere, check with your local humane society. There are so many animals destroyed every year that it makes me heartsick, and we can all do something to help prevent more precious creatures from meeting that same fate.
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Friday, May 11, 2007
Pet food - even more recalls on May 2 and May 3
I love animals... A LOT. I cry when I see an abandoned animal or one that has been injured or killed or abused. Sometimes I get very angry when people mistreat animals and it is all I can do to keep from screaming at them and becoming violent.
To everyone who has lost a pet or had one get sick from pet food, my heart goes out to you. I am praying that these contamination issues get resolved quickly and we never see them again.
I just read today that if your cat is sick, take him or her immediately to the veterinarian and ask them to do EXTENDED fluid therapy through an IV. They used to think if the cat did not respond in a couple of days there was no chance of survival but now they have had cases that responded well to more days of IV fluids to flush out the crystals formed in the kidneys.
Please see the press releases and links to pet food recalled products at:
http://www.aspca.org and
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/menu05_07.html
Please look on your cans of food and bags of dry food and call their 800 numbers to find out if their protein supplement sources (especially rice and wheat) originate in the USA. All of the contamination SO FAR is thought to have come from China, though that does not mean it could not happen in other countries.
We need to write to our congress people and ask them to pass laws calling for more careful inspection and oversight of pet food manufacturing.
Please keep checking aspca.org regularly because more information will be available as they are doing scientific investigations and also keeping up on all the recalls.
This hits me pretty hard because of my love for animals and the fact that I recently rescued a momma cat and her six kittens and now it is time to adopt them out. Handing these babies over to their new kitty moms is happy and sad at the same time. Hug Rover and Fluffy for me.
To everyone who has lost a pet or had one get sick from pet food, my heart goes out to you. I am praying that these contamination issues get resolved quickly and we never see them again.
I just read today that if your cat is sick, take him or her immediately to the veterinarian and ask them to do EXTENDED fluid therapy through an IV. They used to think if the cat did not respond in a couple of days there was no chance of survival but now they have had cases that responded well to more days of IV fluids to flush out the crystals formed in the kidneys.
Please see the press releases and links to pet food recalled products at:
http://www.aspca.org and
http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/menu05_07.html
Please look on your cans of food and bags of dry food and call their 800 numbers to find out if their protein supplement sources (especially rice and wheat) originate in the USA. All of the contamination SO FAR is thought to have come from China, though that does not mean it could not happen in other countries.
We need to write to our congress people and ask them to pass laws calling for more careful inspection and oversight of pet food manufacturing.
Please keep checking aspca.org regularly because more information will be available as they are doing scientific investigations and also keeping up on all the recalls.
This hits me pretty hard because of my love for animals and the fact that I recently rescued a momma cat and her six kittens and now it is time to adopt them out. Handing these babies over to their new kitty moms is happy and sad at the same time. Hug Rover and Fluffy for me.
Monday, May 07, 2007
So now "illegals" shouldn't get good health care?
I just read an angry rant about how so many "illegal" women in Dallas get free and excellent medical care when they are pregnant and US citizens don't get anything for free. Well, both of those statements are debateable and highly generalized.
I agree with a small portion of what was said there (you can find the rant on snopes.com) even though I work every day helping some "illegal" patients get free medical care. But the health care system does NOT favor them over truly poor US citizens. Any US citizen who is pregnant cannot be denied medical care, no matter how much money she does or does not earn. Nor can anyone on US soil be denied care in a true emergency situation. A pregnant US citizen may have to prove her income, but if she is poor, she gets the same care the "illegal" women get. The rant said that "illegals" don't even have to prove their income since they don't have Social Security numbers. (By the way, to my knowledge God doesn't make any illegal people.)
However, it is true that many people from many different countries come here without following the legal process. Did you know that the USA allows only a certain number of Mexicans and Central and South Americans to come here each year, and that quota is a very small number compared to the number of applicants? Also it takes a lot of money and many months or years of bureaucratic red tape to emigrate legally. If a non-US citizen doesn't already have a US employer willing to sponsor her to come here, or an immediate family member to petition for him to come here, s/he cannot legally immigrate here. I have helped people fill out immigration forms and believe me, the process is very complicated. It is not surprising to me hat many poor and desperate people give up on the government's immigration process and come here any way they can.
Back to the "illegals" getting great health care in the USA... First, sometimes the poor and vulnerable people of any race or status do NOT get good care in this country. Secondly, I think there are many big problems more worthy of our attention in our health care system in the USA. There is too much overhead and time spent coding and doing paperwork. There are also very high malpractice insurance costs. If we could reduce those, we could greatly reduce the cost to the consumers. Big insurance companies don't want that to happen, though. Doctors, nurses and other medical personnel often spend more time on paperwork and coding than actually caring for patients. And don't even get me started on the huge profits made by drug companies.
Regardless of all those issues, I don't think we should be upset that "illegals" get good treatment. I think we should be upset that NOT ALL people get good treatment regardless of their race, age, legal status, mental status, or income. In fact, that is what good medical providers strive to do, despite all the obstacles they face each day. The medical organization I work for believes that our mission is to help the poor and vulnerable that other systems have ignored or treated poorly. I enjoy working at a place that really strives to help these people as well as provide excellent care for those who are lucky enough to have insurance and good jobs. That is not to say that my organization is without faults. It is made up of humans, so there is always room for improvement.
Immigration is a very complicated issue. At the crux of the issue, I know that people don't leave their loved ones and homeland unless their circumstances there are pretty unbearable and they truly want to provide a better life for their families. All of our ancestors were immigrants to this country at one time unless we are Native Americans. And the way those immigrants came and took the land from the natives was neither legal nor humane in many cases. (This is a brutal fact which pains me greatly since many of my predecessors were Native Americans.)
In the end, I feel all people are children of God, and when they are in need of medical care they should get good care. That is not to say that all our laws and policies are good and fair in this country. Luckily, we all have the power to initiate change. Sadly, very few of us actually do more than complain about the way things are. So, the moral of this story for me? Treat others as you wish to be treated and don't idly stand by and accept injustice as "just the way things are" while you drive your SUV to the mall and to Starbucks every other day. (Sorry but pollution and overconsumption are always on my mind). Finally, I do believe the quote by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - "Injustice anywhere threatens justice everywhere." I hope we will all work for justice and peace wherever we see them lacking.
I agree with a small portion of what was said there (you can find the rant on snopes.com) even though I work every day helping some "illegal" patients get free medical care. But the health care system does NOT favor them over truly poor US citizens. Any US citizen who is pregnant cannot be denied medical care, no matter how much money she does or does not earn. Nor can anyone on US soil be denied care in a true emergency situation. A pregnant US citizen may have to prove her income, but if she is poor, she gets the same care the "illegal" women get. The rant said that "illegals" don't even have to prove their income since they don't have Social Security numbers. (By the way, to my knowledge God doesn't make any illegal people.)
However, it is true that many people from many different countries come here without following the legal process. Did you know that the USA allows only a certain number of Mexicans and Central and South Americans to come here each year, and that quota is a very small number compared to the number of applicants? Also it takes a lot of money and many months or years of bureaucratic red tape to emigrate legally. If a non-US citizen doesn't already have a US employer willing to sponsor her to come here, or an immediate family member to petition for him to come here, s/he cannot legally immigrate here. I have helped people fill out immigration forms and believe me, the process is very complicated. It is not surprising to me hat many poor and desperate people give up on the government's immigration process and come here any way they can.
Back to the "illegals" getting great health care in the USA... First, sometimes the poor and vulnerable people of any race or status do NOT get good care in this country. Secondly, I think there are many big problems more worthy of our attention in our health care system in the USA. There is too much overhead and time spent coding and doing paperwork. There are also very high malpractice insurance costs. If we could reduce those, we could greatly reduce the cost to the consumers. Big insurance companies don't want that to happen, though. Doctors, nurses and other medical personnel often spend more time on paperwork and coding than actually caring for patients. And don't even get me started on the huge profits made by drug companies.
Regardless of all those issues, I don't think we should be upset that "illegals" get good treatment. I think we should be upset that NOT ALL people get good treatment regardless of their race, age, legal status, mental status, or income. In fact, that is what good medical providers strive to do, despite all the obstacles they face each day. The medical organization I work for believes that our mission is to help the poor and vulnerable that other systems have ignored or treated poorly. I enjoy working at a place that really strives to help these people as well as provide excellent care for those who are lucky enough to have insurance and good jobs. That is not to say that my organization is without faults. It is made up of humans, so there is always room for improvement.
Immigration is a very complicated issue. At the crux of the issue, I know that people don't leave their loved ones and homeland unless their circumstances there are pretty unbearable and they truly want to provide a better life for their families. All of our ancestors were immigrants to this country at one time unless we are Native Americans. And the way those immigrants came and took the land from the natives was neither legal nor humane in many cases. (This is a brutal fact which pains me greatly since many of my predecessors were Native Americans.)
In the end, I feel all people are children of God, and when they are in need of medical care they should get good care. That is not to say that all our laws and policies are good and fair in this country. Luckily, we all have the power to initiate change. Sadly, very few of us actually do more than complain about the way things are. So, the moral of this story for me? Treat others as you wish to be treated and don't idly stand by and accept injustice as "just the way things are" while you drive your SUV to the mall and to Starbucks every other day. (Sorry but pollution and overconsumption are always on my mind). Finally, I do believe the quote by Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. - "Injustice anywhere threatens justice everywhere." I hope we will all work for justice and peace wherever we see them lacking.
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