An Unusual X-Mas Card

This ain't going to be the usual X-Mas postcard... this ain't gonna be one more rhetorical compilation of words and wishes.

This is a look into reality.

Many people like to give puppies and kittens as X-Mas or birthday presents, most of those people even buy these pets in a pet-store, making in this way no chance for a shelter animal to be adopted and rescued from certain sadness and death.

To all those people that decide to do so, to give the gift of a pet to your loved ones, i'd like to give myself a special X-Mas present... a chance for you all to more deeply and honestly think to what you are doing - and to hopefully accept and acknowledge the full (possible) implications of this act.

May Love & Devotion be the daily bread for all these sweet and innocent pets, and may they never ever experience a day of sadness, abuse and neglect.

This is my most true and strongest wish for this day.

The following poetry is not meant to bring sadness into your day - but to bring Hope to all animals that today will be welcomed into their new human family.




"You remember, the sweet little black one who I am certain used to curl up beside you and sleep. The loving cat that used to run to greet you every day you came home from work. The one who used to purr so loud as a kitten you thought for sure he would hurt himself. I'm certain you were so excited to bring home such an adorable little fur ball and I know how much fun it was to watch him grow. His gorgeous gold eyes mesmerized you and you couldn't get over how beautiful they were. Oh how much fun it would be to finally have a cat!

But then the newness began to wear off, the excitement began to wane, and he wasn't nearly as much as he used to be. The thought of having to clean out the litter box every day; making sure he had clean water and food available; and then there were vaccinations and vet care he would need for his entire life! Did you ever think that maybe you weren't ready to make a lifetime commitment to him? Was it because he was no longer a cute little kitten? Maybe he started to claw your furniture? Did you adopt him even though you lived in a place that didn't allow pets, but thought you could sneak him in? Maybe you moved and didn't own up to the RESPONSIBILTY of pet ownership? Or is it because we live in a society today where it pets are disposable?

After all, it's easy to just dump them off at a shelter. You just know someone will adopt him because, after all, he is beautiful and friendly. That's what you told your kids as they stood in the lobby of the animal shelter crying. The person behind the counter remained silent, knowing full well that your cat may be euthanized as soon as you walk out the front door. You see, shelters are full of beautiful, loving pets that folks just like you drop off every minute of every day. Sadly, most of them are destined for the landfill to make room for more loving, beautiful pets the next day.

You did teach your kids a lesson that day. You taught them it's ok to throw away a pet. You taught them animals have no value; they are just property to be disposed of when they are no longer convenient. You showed them how simple it is to refuse to take responsibility. Lessons that will follow them throughout their lives; that I am certain of.

But you didn't dump this cat off at a shelter. You chose to drive him to a remote area with just a few houses, hoping someone would take him in. You chose to turn him loose in an area full of wildlife, mostly predators, always looking for an easy meal. Hawks, Owls, Eagles, Coyotes, Foxes, etc, the list goes on….But your cat was one of the lucky ones. He managed to survive and did find people that cared. He found a couple who didn't want to see him injured or die a horrific death. They cared enough about YOUR cat to catch him and to try to offer him a chance at the Humane Society. But because so many folks refuse to take responsibility for their pets, the Humane Society is inundated with unwanted and abandoned pets. These nice folks were put on a waiting list and told it would be 2 – 8 weeks before the Humane Society may have room.

They cared for YOUR cat, until he got scared one day and bit the lady on the arm. It wasn't a vicious attack, he was terrified. After all, he went from a quiet life, to being tossed out into the woods to fend for himself, to being kept in a cage to keep him safe. I wonder how you would have reacted under the same circumstances.

I killed your cat today…..not because I am evil or twisted. Not because I needed a cat to fulfill some type of ritual. Not because I wanted to, because I HAD to. You see, when YOUR cat bit the lady that was trying to help him, he wasn't able to show me proof of having a rabies vaccination. I guess you didn't think to send that along with him when you dumped him off.

I killed your cat today….and I want you to know how and why. I want you to know so that maybe, just maybe, you think about this before you decide to get another pet. I want you to know so you can see just how emotionally draining it is on those of us who chose to take responsibility for YOUR pet.

I want you to know YOUR cat died on a cold stainless steel table, in the hands of total strangers. Strangers that were heartbroken by having to kill a healthy, loving animal that through no fault of his own ended up on that table. Strangers that held him close and stroked his fur while he drifted off to a never ending sleep.

I want you to know that YOUR cat was then taken into a back room and dismembered so his head could be sent off to a lab to be tested for rabies. I want you to know that YOUR cat caused a great deal of distress and heartache for all of us involved in his case. I want you to know that I then had to transport the remains of your cat to the landfill for disposal. Even the folks working at the landfill are affected knowing when I drive in; I am delivering what was once a cherished pet.

I want YOU to know that as much as I love my job, having YOUR cat killed deeply affects me. You see, I love ALL animals. I do my job because maybe, just maybe, I CAN make a difference in the lives of those who have no voice. I do my job, so maybe; just maybe, I can convince some people that pets aren't disposable. While I know I can't save them all, I can save one at a time. I killed your cat today…. I just wanted you to know."

Title : I killed your cat today...
Author : Karen J. Williams, Animal Cruelty Investigator, Idaho



Related articles:

Animal Birth Control - Spay & Neuter
Stop BSL
Puppy Mills & Pet Stores
What can You do to Help the Animals - pt 2

Milk, Veal & Dairy Cows

"Like humans, all dairy cows must give birth in order to begin producing milk. Dairy cows are artificially impregnated while they are still lactating from their previous birthing, so their bodies are always producing milk. The calves that are born female are raised to replace exhausted dairy cows. The calves that are male are slaughtered and used for veal."

Regardless of where they live, all dairy cows must give birth in order to begin producing milk. Today, dairy cows are forced to have a calf every year. Like human beings, cows have a nine-month gestation period, and so giving birth every twelve months is physically demanding. The cows are also artificially re-impregnated while they are still lactating from their previous birthing, so their bodies are continually producing milk during their nine-month pregnancy.

With genetic manipulation and intensive production technologies, it is common for modern dairy cows to produce 100 pounds of milk a day — ten times more than they would produce naturally. As a result, the cows' bodies are under constant stress, and they are at risk for numerous health problems.

Approximately half of the country's dairy cows suffer from mastitis, a bacterial infection of their udders. This is such a common and costly ailment that a dairy industry group, the National Mastitis Council, was formed specifically to combat the disease. Other diseases, such as Bovine Leukemia Virus, Bovine Immunodeficiency Virus, and Johne's disease (whose human counterpart is Crohn's disease) are also rampant on modern dairies, but they commonly go unnoticed because they are either difficult to detect or have a long incubation period.

A cow eating a normal grass diet could not produce milk at the abnormal levels expected on modern dairies, and so today's dairy cows must be given high energy feeds. The unnaturally rich diet causes metabolic disorders including ketosis, which can be fatal, and laminitis, which causes lameness.

Another dairy industry disease caused by intensive milk production is "Milk Fever." This ailment is caused by calcium deficiency, and it occurs when milk secretion depletes calcium faster than it can be replenished in the blood.

In a healthy environment, cows would live in excess of twenty-five years, but on modern dairies, they are slaughtered and made into ground beef after just three or four years. The abuse wreaked upon the bodies of dairy cows is so intense that the dairy industry also is a huge source of "downed animals" — animals who are so sick or injured that they are unable to walk even stand. Investigators have documented downed animals routinely being beaten, dragged, or pushed with bulldozers in attempts to move them to slaughter.

Although the dairy industry is familiar with the cows' health problems and suffering associated with intensive milk production, it continues to subject cows to even worse abuses in the name of increased profit. Bovine Growth Hormone (BGH), a synthetic hormone, is now being injected into cows to get them to produce even more milk. Besides adversely affecting the cows' health, BGH also increases birth defects in their calves.

(taken from http://www.thenazareneway.com/vegetarian/milk_and_dairy_cows.htm )

This photo was taken inside a "milking parlor" where cows are milked and fed a high energy diet. Up until recently, this food contained the processed remains of other animals, which led to mad cow disease. Cattles eat only plant foods, but some humans thought they knew better.

The udder on this cow is so distended that she has to spread her legs apart, and she even defecates on her swollen udder because it extends so far to the rear. We also surmise that her pain is so great that she can't even lie down, as the other cow is doing. If farming causes animals to suffer, then we shouldn't be farming them.


Veal - The By-Product of the Dairy Industry

Calves born to dairy cows are separated from their mothers immediately after birth. The half that are born female are raised to replace older dairy cows in the milking herd. The other half of the calves are male, and because they will never produce milk, they are raised and slaughtered for veal.

The veal industry was created as a by-product of the dairy industry to take advantage of an abundant supply of unwanted male calves. Veal calves commonly live for eighteen to twenty weeks in wooden crates that are so small that they cannot turn around, stretch their legs, or even lie down comfortably. The calves are fed a liquid milk substitute, deficient in iron and fiber, which is designed to make the animals anemic, resulting in the light-colored flesh that is prized as veal. In addition to this high-priced veal, some calves are killed at just a few days old to be sold as low-grade 'bob' veal for products like frozen TV dinners.

(from http://farmsanctuary.org/issues/factoryfarming/dairy/ )

These are downed calves at a stockyard where they were awaiting transport to slaughter. They are a testimony to the abomination of this farmed animal industry, and everyone who eats animals or their by-products contributes to this evil.


So... what are you gonna answer to your kid when he's gonna ask you:
"Mum... where does milk come from..?!?"

- Milk Sucks
- Milk Sucks - Find Out More
- Milk - Peta's Factsheet
- Veal - Peta's Factsheet
- Cows used for their milk
- Milk Myths
- Not Milk
- Dairy Cows are Tortured Cows
- No Milk Page
- No Veal
- Farm Sanctuary
- Story of a Downed Cow
- No Downers