On Fri, 19 Mar 2004 07:01:10 -0600, "Rona Yuthasastrakosol"
wrote:

"Kristine Kochanski" wrote in message
The big deal is cats need company and stimulation. How would you like
to be trapped in a house all weekend with nobody to play with?! Would
you leave a child alone all weekend so long as it was healthy and
enough food and water? I don't think so.

Using that analogy (cat and child)...would you have a young child spayed or
neutered?

If it was going to go out and shag at random with nobody to look after
its offspring, yes.

Would you have a young child tattoed and microchipped should s/he
become lost?

Um.. some people already do have their children chipped and it'll
probably become more widespread in coming years if paranoia escalates
at current level.

Should I not even be leaving my cat home unattended while I go
to work for the day?

Sorry, I just happen to believe a cat should not be locked in a house
alone all day and night. I've deliberately chosen a career where I can
work from home because my cats' welfare is important to me. I like to
be able to keep an eye on them, feed them, play with them when it
suits them. If I had other priorities I'd have to reconsider whether
cats were the right pet for me. Obviously it depends on the individual
cat - like you say some like solidarity, but on the whole I think it's
better to have at least 2 for feline companionship.

Going off on a tangent slightly, but yes, cats can look after
themselves to a degree, single dogs though, I believe, really should
not be shut in a room all day while the family go out to work. Yes,
millions of people do it, but that doesn't make it right. Then they
wonder why the dog howls and destroys the furnishings... jeez, it's
not rocket science.

I certainly wouldn't leave a child alone in that
situation so according to your analogy, I shouldn't leave my cat during the
day, either. I would send a child to school--should I send my cat to
school, too?

I'd love to send my cats to a cat-school! ;-)

The child/cat analogy is one of the silliest ones to use when trying to make
a point. Fact is, cats and humans are very different.

Indeed. Cats are not humans, so you can't say 'mummy won't be back til
5pm so behave now' and expect them to go 'ok, I'll just sit here and
sleep for 8 hours til you come back'.

That being said, the *only* reason I would never leave my cat alone for two
days would be because she might become sick or injured during that time.
With some illnesses or injuries, it is crucial to get a cat to the vet asap.
If she were home alone, who would bring her to the vet?

Exactly.