Who is Good in the Cat World?

I admit that I criticise some people. I believe that you have to if you want to adopt an honest approach to the subject of cats. I normally criticize people who are obviously open to criticism such as the cat shooters, breeders who breed to extremes and the people who run the AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association). It is a good thing to balance criticism with praise. It is actually easier to criticize and find fault than to praise the good. A lot of the good goes on unnoticed or uncelebrated. In time honoured fashion bad news is more popular that good news. Just look at the newspapers.

Who do I think are the good people in the cat world? Nearly all of them are off the radar. They are not high profile people such as Lynea Lattanzio, who I dubbed the world’s greatest cat lady for her creation of and management of Cat House on the Kings.

The people I would like to celebrate and praise as the good ladies and gentlemen in the cat world are:

  • The gentle and decent people who work to a high standard at cat rescue centers and shelters. The ones who work to personal high standards and who really care about cat welfare and saving the lives of cats. I have no names. They go about their business day in and day out without much recognition. They are modest people.
  • The good people who consistently contribute to cat welfare through education on the internet by making comments and blog posts on various websites and forums. Every time a comment is made to rectify a misconception about cat welfare it is a tiny step towards better cat welfare. Ruth AKA Kattaddorra comes immediately to mind and Elisa Black-Taylor. There are many others and if you’d like to name them please leave a comment.
  • In the USA, the veterinarians who refuse to join the vast majority who declaw cats. This small minority do just fine financially which proves that a vet does not have to rely on declawing cats to make a decent profit.
  • The senior lady who quietly, almost invisibly, but sometimes against the odds, operates her own trap-neuter-return feral cat programme. She cannot stand by and see feral cats suffer. She doesn’t shoot feral cats. She tries to act responsibly and humanely in reducing the feral cat population. Yes, it is a small contribution and a lot of people will dislike what she does but what she does is right and proper and highly moral.
  • The politicians who have a heart. Some do and some have fought political battles to improve cat welfare. People who come to mind are the commissioners or councillors of local government bodies who have banned declawing in their area (8 examples – Malibu is one). Also politicians like Pedro Nava who proposed a law to stop landlords demanding the declawing of cats before people could rent their property.
  • People such as Bob Tucker (My Feral Cats is one of his stories; you can search for others if you like) who just does “his thing”. For me, Bob Tucker is the classic example, a paradigm case, of the almost invisible person, the ‘ordinary’ person (who is extraordinary really) doing the right thing every day without recognition. He is the person who answers the question, “who is good in the cat world?”

Do you have someone who you’d like to nominate? I am bound to have left people out. Personally, I tend to leave out of this list the big organisations involved in cat welfare. I do that because despite the good work that they do, I see them more as businesses in the cat world. They are not for profit businesses but there is a business element about them. I am thinking of large organisations such as HSUS (huge) and PETA (a controversial organisation).

4 thoughts on “Who is Good in the Cat World?”

  1. The author of the best comment will receive an Amazon gift of their choice at Christmas! Please comment as they can add to the article and pass on your valuable experience.
  2. Yes Dorothy, you are right, Kays Hill Sanctuary deserve a mention, as do YOU for your kind donation from thousands of miles away for them. The new much needed cattery was a real struggle to achieve but thanks to you and others who sent them money, it’s now habitable.
    Like our local Cats Protection, they are overflowing right now with cats and kittens but neither charity ever kills a healthy cat.
    We hear a lot about the abuse of cats so it’s heartwarming to have a page like this to come to and celebrate the people who care about all cats worldwide.
    Thank you Michael.

    Reply
  3. We could add Alley Cat Allies to the list for the work they do on behalf of feral cats. I suppose they could be considered a large organization. They are educators as well as cat advocates. TNR works to keep feral cat colonies small, and they are dedicated to teaching that fact.

    Let’s not forget Kays Hill sanctuary!

    The unknown heros are many. The neighborhood caregivers and rescuers.

    dw

    Reply
  4. You’ve forgotten someone Michael!
    YOU
    But of course you can’t nominate yourself can you lol
    I think PoC does a wonderful job of educating people about cats, especially about the cruelty of declawing, as I know for a fact your site has saved many cats claws.
    Also by giving donations to cat charities you help many needy cats too.
    Another nomination, my own sister Barbara who after work spends a lot of her free time on the welfare of cats and the education of people and who collects cat food, bedding, etc at her place of work to help local cat charities. I’m also still very proud of the fact that she converted her £200 Santa Compo prize into cat food to ensure homeless cats had a Christmas dinner.
    Lastly Bret Glas of CatAWhack who does a lot for the anti declaw cause by making special furniture for cats and is another one who tries to educate people about cats needs.
    But as you say, I’m sure there are many more and I personally love everyone who tries to make this world a better place for cats in any way at all……

    Reply
    • Barbara is a great candidate. I just had to limit the list which is hard to do because you leave someone out who should be in. But yes Barbara definitely deserves to be in the list.

      Reply

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