Philosophy Now Forum

I just read a disturbing news story about a man convicted of killing—or as he suggested via semantics, euthanized—his own pet cat with his own bare hands by strangling him (‘Oreo’ was his name) to death. Why not—after all, there are so many unwanted felines to spare? Pardon my cynicism, but I feel it is well merited.
This case is yet another clear cry out loud that society’s collective psyche needs to procure within itself an appreciation for all cats, most notably the homeless. Being in such seemingly large disposable-drove number, there is an accompanying large quantity of suffering—indeed, abused and even tortured cats by vicious, mean-spirited people.
As a priority rule and not as a half-assed effort, they should be collected and spayed or neutered, which is what Seidel failed to do; perhaps their eventual great reduction in number will then translate into proper appreciation or at least respect as sentient life.
Furthermore, respective city halls should order that pet cats be confined indoors when not on a torso-brace leash and accompanied by their owners.
Yes, pet cats likely will go through ‘outdoors withdrawal’ and cry a raucous by the front door; however, keeping them healthy and safe should make their finite whining worthwhile.

I don't have cats, but I live in the woods and there are cats that wander across my property, and kill the wild song birds.

I do have a solution for feral cats, or neighbor cats running loose, it involves a bucket of water.

I look forward to the day when cats are so rare that everyone appreciates them.

FrankGSterleJr wrote: Indeed, those cats unfortunate enough to be born black were demonized and thus ordered to be slaughtered en masse by the early Church—until, of course, humane citizens strongly protested the church’s death warrant on all of those innocent cats.

There is no such thing as an 'innocent cat'.

There's whole communities of wild cats across much of Europe so I doubt somehow they are going to die out. The wild cats are notable in that they tend to be slightly larger than domestic cats. We adopted a wild cat when I was a kid, his ferocity and size meant he carved out quite a little empire for himself.

Yeah and the term innocent for cats is not applicable since they are not by definition guilty of anything.

Absurd nonsense and babble!

Absurd nonsense and babble!

thedoc wrote:I don't have cats, but I live in the woods and there are cats that wander across my property, and kill the wild song birds. I do have a solution for feral cats, or neighbor cats running loose, it involves a bucket of water. I look forward to the day when cats are so rare that everyone appreciates them.

Hear, hear -- my sentiments exactly. And hopefully the same can be said for humans someday as well. That they become so far less in number from neutering that they are ALL well fed and kept warm during the winter. Rather than the feral excess making that racket at night dumpster-diving for scraps, bedraggled and moaning from the chill (or due to the dope / booze wearing off).

They're the world's fiercest predator (present company excluded) in pocket size. Give them a little respect.