We at Abbey Cats love to tell you about our adoptable cats and kittens, how they’re beautiful and playful and smart and cuddly and a wonderful addition to any home and family. But let me tell you a little bit about us - I mean, all of us. People domesticated cats 8000-9000 years ago. That means that although they still look a good bit like the original wild animal, they have long lost their connection with the wild, in fact millennia ago.
 Yes, a cat will kill and eat birds and rodents; that part of their essential nature has not been lost. Hounds will chase and kill a rabbit, horses will run for the sheer fun of it. Some things are hard wired. But hounds are not very likely to be left to fend for themselves outside, at least not in Canada. It is a sad reality that many cats are.
The perception that they “belong” out of doors, and even worse, that they can fend for themselves, is so pervasive and so wrong that it is heartbreaking. Outdoor cats are exposed to the dangers of cars, weather, predators, getting lost, disease, pregnancy, and aggression from other cats.
Abandoned, discarded, unwanted “strays” and ferals also face a slow death by starvation.
They are not able to fend for themselves. After 8000 years they have forgotten how. Can you blame them?
We invited cats to join us on our evolutionary journey to modern man. Now we have a collective responsibility to make good on our part of the deal. How? Be a responsible cat owner; keep your cats inside, care for them medically, physically and emotionally, protect them and love them. Spay and neuter your cats. When it comes time to adopt, adopt a rescue, give a kitty another chance, repair the damage done by past relationships and abandonment. Remember when you adopt kittens, adoption is for life. You will see those babies through the good and the bad, including the sick and the old.
Not sure you can afford a cat right now? You’re right, costs can be significant - quality food, litter, toys, spay and neuter surgery, medical costs, boarding. If the timing is not right, consider fostering instead, volunteer at your local shelter, cat sit for family and friends. Are you facing some uncertainties in your future? Serious illness, marital break-up, job loss? Provide for your cat; be responsible. Find a new home, with a firm commitment, in case you have to give your cat up. Arrange for its secure future, allowing you to concentrate on your own.
And - speak up if you suspect neglect or abuse. Be their voice, their advocate, their rescuer.
Cats have enriched our lives for so long, life without them is unimaginable. They feel the same about us. They love us, but they also need and depend on us.
It’s an awesome responsibility.
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