I own and manage this website. Sorry, but I would like to explain why I am angry and confident — and a little bit grumpy. The grumpy bit is a consequence of anger and confidence.
Why am I angry? Well, there was a interesting story in the online press today. Two women met in a parking lot. The son of one woman allegedly killed a cat. The other women must have remonstrated with the mother of man who allegedly killed the cat. They may have been neighbors. It came to blows. One of them hit the other. This was a fight between two women in a parking lot in Ogden, USA. I have no idea where this town is. It is does not matter.
One woman was incensed by the alleged behavior of the other woman’s son. She must have been angry. She was angry for a good reason. It is the same reason why I am angry. I am guessing but she was probably angry because a person had killed a cat for, probably, no good reason. Is there ever a good reason?
There are probably other circumstances to this story. Who owned the cat? What was the cat doing and so on? However, the root problem was that one person hated, and was angry about, the killing while the other woman appears to have accepted it. I have presumed this, but it serves my purpose to explain the title.
It is not about America or Europe or anywhere else. It is about abuse of animals, particularly the domestic, feral and stray cat. It does not matter where it happens or specifically what happens. Any abuse of cats makes me angry. It is immoral and unnecessary. It is time for change for the better and there is nothing on the horizon that indicates that it will happen.
A person who cares cannot really rejoice in the positives of the cat to human relationship while there is so much that is wrong globally. There’s lots of good stuff but for me there is way too much unnecessary bad.
I don’t show my anger normally. Sometimes I show it when I write about it. I can’t help it because if you care you get angry.
As for confidence. Rightly or wrongly, I believe I know the difference between right and wrong. I know what treating cats properly means. I know cat abuse when I read about it and see it. My confidence is born out of being a solicitor for 14 years. You cannot be a solicitor in England in 1994 and beyond without being confident. It would be impossible, so I learnt it. I learnt quickly through experience.
Some people mistake confidence for arrogance. I struggle with keeping a balance in arguing my case and being fair. I am not arrogant. I am pleased when someone argues well against me and corrects me. I have things to learn.
I can only be what I can only be. If I mess up, I own up. Cat abuse of any kind is a failure of the domestic cat to human relationship. All the failures in that relationship are with the human. The human has the choice. The cat behaves naturally.
Note: It is rare that I write about myself. I feel I need to right now.
My goodness, you are one of the most persevering, intelligent, enduring, beautiful gifts on this planet!
Caroline. Is that you 😉
And, beautiful photo…you’re kindness glows! 🙂
That is nice of you Caroline. Thank you. 😉
Mr. Michael Broad, you NEVER! give up in your quest for kindness, whether it be a cat or a butterfly, eagle or human. We stand behind you! Thank You for all that you do.
[You need to look angrier –I know that you have so much compassion that it’s difficult for you.
I say good on you Micheal and I love you for all you do for cats.
Thanks Rose. It is tough, as I am sure you know, being someone who cares about animals in a world that, in general, does not care anywhere near enough.
Well said Michael!
You have every right to feel angry and every right to write about it too.
Behind all the articles you write is a compassionate man who cares about cats worldwide. You can’t do what you do without becoming angry about so much abuse of cats and without being frustrated about only being able to do so much to help them.
Stay confident!!!
You are RIGHT to do what you are doing, right to write of the good and the bad side of people, right to write educational and informative articles and right to have your say, no matter who may take offence if they are over sensitive.
People who care about cats are passionate people!
It’s not all one sided, we PoC visitors have our say un-moderated too, even though all of us may not always like some other’s comments, we may learn from them.
How else can we change the world for the better for ALL cats if we can’t openly speak the truth!
Thank you Ruth. Sometimes I feel bad about being angry and sometimes I feel people don’t understand.
Join the club Michael lol many times people don’t understand me either but I am who I am and I won’t change just to please other people.
You shouldn’t feel bad about being angry, you should feel good that your anger is productive in that it makes you fight even harder to help cats worldwide.
Thank you Ruth. Sometimes I wish I did not care. I wish I was a mainstream person. But as you say, we are what we are and we have to live according to our consciences and with our consciences.
I always used to avoid anything that made me angry but now I usually try to confront it but without being disrespectful. Anger can be respectful but it’s hard to do – but it’s probably the ‘right’ way to face and deal with those things.
Ruthie, our Ruth who is not our Ruth, without our other Ruthie, you, and every other kind soul here, makes our world of suffering a little bit gentler, kinder. A stronger world. In the best possible understanding. My goodness, what you just wrote for us, Ruthie, was eloquent.
Sorry, sister, I meant ‘Ruth(K), our advocate.
Our advocate against de-clawing. You need to continue coming on strong like you do, especially towards those countries like the one that I reside in.
Thanks Caroline, we will never give up until declawing is banned worldwide.
More people know the truth now and word is spreading but we are up against the money grabbing vets who pretend they have to do it for the good of cats, their main excuse is that it keeps them in their homes. It doesn’t! But they won’t admit it!
Three of us in the UK spent years gathering Shelter statistics of declawed cats for Dr Jean Hofve who was trying to prove that, but it was a waste of time, just like my petition with 4,000+ signatures was.
But one day we will wipe the smile off those greedy vets faces, that’s a promise!
Ruth, why was that a waste of time? The three of you and Dr. Jean Hofve? You inspired me, when I took up my laptop this morning!
Hi Caroline, we discovered that no records were kept of the number of declawed cats killed on admission to Shelters because of problems from being declawed. So the figures were distorted and we couldn’t prove there are many more declawed cats relinquished than clawed ones.
We did a study too on the excuses why cats were relinquished.
It was heart breaking stuff so I hope maybe Jean got something useful out of it.