Which country is best for the domestic cat?
by Michael
Ah….this is a tricky debate. It was brought to my mind by a visitor who said that the United Kingdom (Great Britain) was not a model country in respect of cat caretaking (ownership). I agreed with him.
The UK is good for cat welfare but there are many examples where cats are mistreated. The law is good. However, enforcement could be better.
Cats are poisoned and shot at in the UK just as is the case in the USA but on a much lesser scale and cats are shot with air rifles not .22 calibre bullets.
My research indicates that the UK has more animal shelters per square mile than the USA.
What about countries such as Sweden, France and Germany? They all have good laws protecting animals and they all have a large population of domestic cats.
We hear very little from these countries in relation to the domestic cat.
We get an occasional visitor from continental Europe but they are few and far between.
This may be a language issue. Cats in Asia seem in general to be treated more like semi-feral cats. There are obviously happily cared for true domestic cats in Asia by the million I suspect but we know little about them despite the fact that one of the most ancient of cat breeds, the Siamese, comes from Thailand.
Being British I would naturally nominate Britain as the best place for the domestic cat mainly because we have very well thought through laws that protect animals and many animal rescue centers, where, as far as I am aware, no-kill takes place. I sense that Sweden is good for the domestic cat too. They have excellent laws and they are a socially aware nation as I understand it. What I mean is they pay high taxes for social benefit. This indicates a community awareness which probably promotes good animal welfare.
The British climate my help to keep the feral cat population down. We don’t seem to have the same feral cat problem as in the USA. But this may be an incorrect assessment. One thing is for sure, we don’t discuss feral cats and how to control them anywhere near as much as in the USA judging by news and articles on the internet. But perhaps that is misleading.
I hate to say this but on one issue alone, the UK beats the USA in terms of cat welfare: declawing. I know this is a sore point and a well thrashed out point but it is significant nonetheless.
Another significant point when comparing the USA and the UK is this: it appears that people can shoot cats at will without breaking the law in the USA. Even sheriffs do it! But in the UK there are hardly any guns compared to the US and if someone shot a cat with a .22 rifle he would be immediately charged and prosecuted if found.
Why do people get away with shooting cats in the USA? I don’t understand it.
I love the USA though. There are many great aspects to life in the United States. It is probably the best country for humans. It just hurts to know these things happen to cats.
We have to discuss the UK and USA because they are the most prominent cat owning countries.
Michael
