Pets and responsability

[feren]

I was pointed by a friend to this entry in the LJ of my roommate cabbitattack. For the sake of time, I'll quote it below:

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WTF?
I get home from vacation and find that the cat hasn't been fed for /two days/. Can we say "animal cruelty" and "neglect"? Say them with me children... I swear. That cat's nothing more than a toy to him--an expensive and noisy toy. He doesn't deserve a pet.

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I wanted to follow up with a response in her journal, but it's set to allow replies from friends only -- since I'm not listed as a friend, I can't respond. Fair enough. So I'll paste the response I'd written here instead:

Is Ra noisy? Yes. Annoying at times? Most certainly, but most pets are little more than children in feather or fur suits, and children are by nature a bit frustrating. A toy? Not by any means. I would say that if Ra was only a toy to me I would not have dropped $1,800 in vet bills on him when he was sick last winter, and then gone through two months of hell with the steroids, antibiotics and Metachlopramide -- I would've simply had the vet put him down.

Comments

Re: Another neglectful owner here

[twanfox.livejournal.com]

Ya, I guess you should comment on it. Whatever flips your lid.

I'm fine with the cat having been left the duration he was without being fed. Whatever. My only concern was that he's fed so little now, unlike normal animals, extended durations without food may not be as easy for him to undergo as other pets may. I, too, have left a dog all weekend with 1 bowl of food while me'n my family went on a weekend trip. No big thing.

And I generally use 'they' to be plural, and he/she to be singular entities.

Re: Another neglectful owner here

[jenwolf.livejournal.com]

They is used to refer to a singular person when one does not want to reveal gender. The only other option would be to use 'zie' in place of he/she, but I hate that.