A Michael Broad Blog
In Texas they have a bobcat shooting contest called the West Texas Big Bobcat Contest. And on Twitter X, Christina, an animal advocate, has posted a photograph (see below) of competitors bringing in their shot bobcats I guess for weighing to see whether they’ve won the competition. To me, it looks grotesque and callously …
Although it appears to be a dumb question, it’s a fair one that demands a reasonable answer. Although I detest animal testing, we have to have a critical and balanced discussion about it. Common sense tells me that animals experience pain in animal testing. Am I correct? Perhaps a sub-question would be: “How much …
This is available right now online using a laptop. I’ve just used it. I used a photo of a Bengal cat that I had on file. He is not my cat. This cat looks healthy and not in pain. In fact, he is a rescue cat who’s been at a shelter for 12 months …
The video shows the removal of the sewing needle from the back of a cat’s mouth by a veterinarian. Hard to watch. Some of the comments indicate that I am not alone in that regard e.g., “someone tell me he’s okay. I can’t watch this.” The owner said: “I’m one of the owners, his …
A cat has no concept of its own death and so it cannot anticipate it, no matter how ill it feels. – Dr Desmond Morris If an old domestic cat left to their own devices falls ill, they don’t think that they are dying. They feel pain and discomfort and what it means …
Frankly, the question in the title irritates me, which is why I am writing about it. It is a question asked on social media (quora.com). The person should not be asking the question in the first place because they are directing the question at people who are not veterinarians. They are seeking advice from …
Buprenorphine is a strong opioid painkiller. It is designed for human use to treat acute and chronic pain. It produces euphoria or respiratory depression at low to moderate doses in humans. “Respiratory depression” is a warning. VCA Animal Hospitals remind us that it is used “off label” when administered to companion animals. That means …
Yes, the mouse that your cat just killed felt pain and fear as animals have the same ability as humans to transmit nerve signals from the peripheral parts of the body to the brain to signal injury. Therefore, from a straightforward scientific point of view, looking at the anatomy, we have to conclude that …
