Current Events > The case against pet ownership

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https://www.vox.com/future-perfect/2023/4/11/23673393/pets-dogs-cats-animal-welfare-boredom

But beyond such extremes, Pierces work aims to direct our gaze to where more subtle, but far more common, forms of everyday neglect and cruelty lie. To Pierce, even well-meaning pet owners may have a lot to answer for: punitive training, prolonged captivity and extreme confinement, mutilations (declawing, ear and tail docking), outdoor tethering, lack of autonomy, verbal abuse, monotonous and unhealthy diets, lack of grooming, and inadequate veterinary care. (In 2016, about one-fifth of dog owners and half of cat owners didnt bring their animal in for routine or preventive care, which is highly recommended.)

Add to the bill lack of exercise and socialization, boredom, and even abandonment. (Almost one-fifth of pet owners surveyed late last year said they were considering giving up their pets due to cost amid high inflation, which is generally not an option for other family members.)

All this is possible because, unlike children, pets arent really family members theyre property without legal rights and few laws to protect them

Ok PETA not reading

yeah lots of people shouldn't own pets who do

TaylorHeinicke posted...

Ok PETA not reading

Calm your panties

Good thing animals don't have rights. That way I can ignore this drivel.

If you try to give your cat different food they get mad tho

Doe posted...

If you try to give your cat different food they get mad tho

yeah if I give my cat chicken flavor wet food she flips the bowl over

salmon or starvation

As opposed to feral cats that just get eaten by a coyote on their second birthday.

Stop animal slavery NOW!

That's just a case for hammering home the lesson that people have got an obligation to be good pet owners. Give your pet a good life; don't treat them like they're just toys. Them's the basics.

I guess I could have left my cat at the kill shelter to *checks notes* be killed

It's like people who shouldn't have kids. There's really nothing that can be done about it without getting into very uncomfortable territory.

Sounds more like a case against bad pet ownership than pet ownership itself.

Just like some people shouldn't have children, some people shouldn't own pets.

Archaic to own a pet, yall on the wrong side of history

My cat would be dead probably by now if he wasn't a pet. And he is very content in my apartment. Anytime I take him out (like for the vet) he cries.

BurmesePenguin posted...

Good thing animals don't have rights. That way I can ignore this drivel.

The only animals that have rights are pets

I do sometimes worry that my cat is bored but she was a feral kitten, and whenever I open the door at home she goes as far away as she can from it so I'm assuming she's not missing out on anything out there

MICHALECOLE posted...

The only animals that have rights are pets

Endangered species would like a word

theAteam posted...

Endangered species would like a word

Nah you right you right

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Hed eat you if you were smaller

My cat couldn't eat me because he has no teeth. He wouldn't be able to chew my flesh

Owners of dogs will have noticed that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they will think you are god. Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods." -- Christopher Hitchens

Having pets is awesome. Yes, you have to do what you can to give them a good quality of life, but thats not an argument that you shouldnt have them.

coolguyjimmy posted...

Whereas owners of cats are compelled to realize that, if you provide them with food and water and shelter and affection, they draw the conclusion that they are gods."

it's all true. the cat appreciated being fed. that's good enough for me.

Domestic cats have 4x the life expectancy of feral ones. PETA & pals can go pound sand.

Nemu posted...

It's like people who shouldn't have kids. There's really nothing that can be done about it without getting into very uncomfortable territory.

Except pets aren't kids so you can actually do whatever the hell you want about it. No one has any right to own a pet. We can both limit the privlege to responsible owners and limit what animals may be owned under said privlege.

hockeybub89 posted...

Except pets aren't kids so you can actually do whatever the hell you want about it. No one has any right to own a pet. We can both limit the privlege to responsible owners and limit what animals may be owned under said privlege.

You can also do that with kids. Its just not something that most people approve of.

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Yeah, its an awful thing to do.

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If you want your pet to have the cat equivalent of fingers, then yes.

*Financially struggling person wonders if they should give up their dog so it can have better care*

This guy: Monster!

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I think it's equivalent to removing the very top joints of your fingers. So you could live a relatively normal life but you will be much less dexterous than most people and it's not something that you should be doing

I personally think if you don't let your cat go out and hunt, it's cruel. They're designed to be killing machines, not Mr Fluffy-kins. Let it stalk it's prey, and eat a few mice.

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It's literally like cutting the tips of your fingers.

knightmarexx posted...

I personally think if you don't let your cat go out and hunt, it's cruel. They're designed to be killing machines, not Mr Fluffy-kins. Let it stalk it's prey, and eat a few mice.

they can stalk all the geckos and bugs they want inside the house and not go outside where they'll be killed by a crackhead or a coyote in 5 seconds

Nightmare_Luna posted...

they can stalk all the geckos and bugs they want inside the house and not go outside where they'll be killed by a crackhead or a coyote in 5 seconds

Remember, CE is the place where users say "My cat would defend me if a burglar broke in."

hockeybub89 posted...

Except pets aren't kids so you can actually do whatever the hell you want about it. No one has any right to own a pet. We can both limit the privlege to responsible owners and limit what animals may be owned under said privlege.

in what ways

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yes it is. and it's completely unnecessary. as long as you get them scratching posts early on they won't scratch stuff they aren't supposed to.

bonus if you have furniture they can scratch. my cat loves to attach herself to my bed's platform thing but I don't really care about that