Equal Rights

Don’t get me wrong, I love all animals and I especially love dogs. I was in Petsmart just the other day and saw a puppy that made me lose my ability to speak like an adult. But cats are my life and I still feel like they are not getting the attention that dogs are. If you walk into a store like Petsmart you’ll see about 10-15 aisles dedicated to dogs as opposed to 4 or 5 for cats. There are many more brands of dog food on the market than cat food and don’t even get me started on cat toys. Yet if you go on any forum there are hundreds of thousands of cat lovers complaining of these very things. So why hasn’t the pet industry gotten a clue? There are now cat only veterinary practices due to their special needs; needs that are not being met by the pet food industry by the way.

I’d love to see some specialty foods out there that do not have to be obtained via prescription. I understand there are certain conditions where it would be too dangerous to feed those certain foods without a script from a vet. But unfortunately there are food companies that have that market cornered and it has more to do with money than proper ingredients. There are so many issues with gastrointestinal disorders I really think it should not be such a big deal to obtain foods made specifically for IBD kitties or cats with colitis, megacolon, constipation, etc. And there should be foods available that are ingredient specific to those conditions but actually appeal to a cat’s taste buds. No one likes to see those little noses turned up when they are so sick and need to eat.

Thank goodness we’re entering an age where more men are admitting their devotion to felines. Perhaps this will entice companies to make some cat safe toys they actually want to play with. Though I have yet to see anyone in my area actually walking their cat on a harness, and I can’t see there ever being a “cat park”. The whole territorial thing would send the fur flying! Although I don’t know which is easier to take care of, a cat or a dog, they both come with a long list of pros, cons and questions. Which one experiences more separation anxiety? Cats are more independent but have plenty of other anxiety issues. Cats don’t need to be walked but can easily have litter box issues. You don’t have to play with cats as much or as long as dogs. Cats love it as long as they can stare at you making a fool of yourself for some 30 minutes or so while you try to get them to play. Cats don’t take up as much room; not true as they will spread themselves out all over the house and so will all of their stuff.

Truth is that pets are a lot of work no matter if it’s a dog or a cat. But as a cat owner I’d like to see the industry step up and realize that cats have a huge role in our families and they deserve equal time. They deserve fun, safe and affordable toys, decent and species appropriate food (again, affordable), and better advances in their healthcare, especially as they get older. They deserve everything we can give them as a family just as much as any other pet who would be so kind as to own us.