This has happened somewhere in Asia as far as I can tell. There is a bit of a buzz about it on social media. And I suspect the buzz is both ways: some for it saying it is cute and adorable and all that sort of stuff and some saying it is not not right and the cat is being abused.
As for me, well, you can guess which camp I am in. It does look quite cute et cetera but you can’t keep a cat in this position for the duration of a shopping trip. It could harm the cat. Also he may become frightened for whatever reason which could cause problems. There are a number of potential dangers to the cat.
Actually, I think this guy is an exhibitionist and he is using his cat to attract attention. He is bound to attract attention. It looks like his is doing it for his benefit. I cannot be said to benefit the cat. Therefore it is cat abuse or exploitation in my book but I do have quite a strict rules book 😉
The pictures were posted on Facebook. He was shopping during “Hari Raya”. Hari Raya is an Islamic festival also known as the Feast of Sacrifice. So you can expect a hell of a lot of animals to sacrificed (brutally – it’s bound to be brutal). More animal cruelty I am afraid. It is a brutal world for animals isn’t it.
“The animals are killed according to the proper religious rites” – that does not mean animals are killed humanely or decently or for a good reason. The guy carrying the cat is doing something that is against the teachings of Mohammad.
Please help PoC by also commenting via Facebook:
This man is shopping to celebrate the festival of Eid-ulFitr after the fasting month of Ramadan. It is not the feast of sacrifice, which comes later in the year. Thank you and peace to all.
I just had another thought about this. Even if this guy is actually doing something positive with his cat, since animals are sacrificed during this event I figure his cat could hear their dying screams and become really agitated and disturbed by that.
I bring the element of sound up because of an experience I had with my boy Bandit years ago. Bandit was a big orange tabby who was very easy going. He immediately staked his claim on my bed every single day and night. I had my tv in my bedroom and one night Bandit was zonked out on my bed while I watched a PBS show on euthanasia in animal shelters. A German Shepherd was injected on camera and when they put the needle into him the poor dog yelped. He moaned and made these really eerie, heartbreaking sounds, like he knew he was done for. Bandit woke up and stared at the screen. Up until that time nothing on tv bothered him, not gunshots, explosions, monsters roaring, I mean nothing. He wouldn’t move and he wouldn’t even wake up. But when he heard that dog he immediately recognized the sound as another animal in distress.
Bandit sat there staring at the screen until the show switched to another scene. Then he hopped down off my bed and left. Very unusual behavior for him. He refused to come back until the next day. That was unusual too. He was on edge and agitated.
We don’t know for sure that cat in the article heard those dying animals, but I think he did.