The headline is what someone said to me. He (I’ll presume it is the male of the species who wrote this) must have read some articles on PoC and decided to have a go at me.
I would also bet my bottom dollar it was an American who made the comment.
How significant is this. Is it just a lone voice, some nutter having a rant at me? Or does this person represent a significant proportion of society in American or other countries? And is he right?
My reading of the present situation is that in America there is a completely different attitude to keeping a domestic cat from other countries.
In India for example the domestic cat roams freely. In places like Morocco, the same applies. The domestic cat is almost semi-feral or semi-domesticated. They are left alone by and large and the relationship is laissez-faire meaning easy going.
The UK is somewhat in between the USA and Asia. In the UK only a small number of people keep their cats indoors permanently. The focus in the UK is letting the cat act as naturally as possible. It is live and let live. There are dangers to this for the cat but in general people in the UK have decided that the benefits outweigh the dangers. Of course some people in the UK simply don’t use their head at all and ignore the dangers to the cat.
North America and the USA particularly is the exception strangely. A large percentage of cat “owners”, about 50% as I understand it, keep their cats permanently indoors. A significant percentage of people who don’t have cats also want cat owners to keep their cats indoors permanently – hence the headline comment.
So what is the driving force behind this sentiment? Obviously, it is harder for a domestic cat to live a natural life on carpets and with a ceiling overhead.
I am sure that most American cat owners would like their cat to live as natural a life as possible. There must be a trade off that makes indoor living worthwhile. Ultimately the benefits/advantages outweigh the disadvantages for full-time indoor cats. But are the benefit and advantages for the cat or the cat owner or both?
That is the big question. Do people in America keep their cats indoors permanently because they think it is better for the cat on health grounds or because they don’t want the cat bringing in disease that affects them. Or do cat owners in America keep cats indoor permanently to avoid having to worry about them? Is it about the person demanding and getting complete control over the cat. Is it a control thing or a concern thing?
It is probably a mixture of all these reasons. The fact that Americans declaw their cats in the millions indicates to me that their is a different attitude towards the domestic cat in the USA. The approach is more one of control, the cat being a lesser creature to do as the human wishes. The human being the boss. It is less laissez-faire; less live and let live and more we, humans, are in charge and you, the cat, will do as we say. It is a mentality.
Does that mentality show itself in other aspects of American life? And is that mentality one that is presented in the political sphere on the global stage?
Michael