Humans beings have learnt to co-exist with animals since time immemorial. Both man and other animals have developed a cordial relation with time. This is especially with regard to pets that are kept by man. Man has also domesticated a number of animals. These tamed animals have a lot of significance. Most of them produce a variety of products that are beneficial to man. For example, cows produce milk while chickens lay eggs. These are nutritious food substances that are essential for human survival. However, one of the most critical relationships between humans and animals involve pets. There are numerous animals that are mainly domesticated and reared by man for social company. Some of these include cats and dogs among others. It is vital that great care be taken to ensure that such animals receive the requisite domestic care. This is in the realization that they cannot take sufficient care about themselves. This paper will canvas a critical problem encountered by the author regarding a stray cat. The paper will examine comprehensively the consequences and effects of leaving a cat to stray without due care. The paper will demonstrate that this not only put the life of the poor animal at risk, but also illustrate the weaknesses of the society in ensuring the animal rights are respected and upheld.
I live in Russellville. I am a freshman at a local college. I have lived in Russellville for a very long time. The community here has lived peaceful without much ado. The momentum of life has been accelerating at rather controlled rate than the outside world. Most residents of this area like having pets. Cats have generally been acknowledged as the best companions. They provide company, comfort and do not nag. They also provide residents with walking or jogging companions. Until recently, cats were among the most cherished animals in the vicinity. However, there seems to have been a change of heart. I first noticed this some time back when I was going home one evening. I met a stray cat running a cross a street holding something tightly between its small delicate jaws. The cat was fending for itself. He had been searching for a meal and had been successful in getting a recently thrown piece of meat in one of the rubbish pits. No sooner had I gone I few meters than I was startled by another stray cat. It moved slowly along the road meowing without noticing me. It was brownish with black spots and I figured it was once sparkling white while at the comfort of its owner. It walked lazily without haste showcasing its protruding libs with was clear evidence of how severe its healthy had become.
It was the third cat that I saw that day that really caught my attention, It made me start thinking of this adverse problem facing our area. It was a black cat that immediately began meowing a soon as it show me. It was begging for food. This particular cat followed me to the commuter train. The situation was extremely annoying. It began sniffing around the legs of other passengers. Most of them were really annoyed as it smeared dirt on their shorts which had been collected along sidewalks and rubbish pits.
It is vital that we appreciate the existence of this unique problem that is affecting our community.
This paper makes a proposal that all residents who own pets should be registered at the Mayor’s office. Therefore, all cat owners will be recorded in a public database accessible to the authorities. The description of the cats will also be recorded alongside the owner. Moreover, legislation should be enacted prohibiting owners leaving their animals to stray on the streets. It is vital this regulation be enacted to avert such a deplorable situation. It should be made illegal to allow a pet to wonder alone along the streets without its owner. Such a crime should attract a heavy penalty for first time offenders with a prison sentence for subsequent offenders.
Some of the objections that might be raised include that pets can stray on their own without the notice of their owners and that the penalties are too harsh to administer them for such simple offenses. However, this paper argues that the health hazards that such stray an animal poses to human health. Moreover, we, as a community, cannot sit around and allow as the ambience of the community is degraded by stray cats. They destroy the magnificent friendly environment that residents and visitors have been accustomed to in the area.
In conclusion, we must appreciate as a community that we have a unique challenge that is facing us today. It is a problem that in artificial and can easily be corrected by implementing the requisite legislative and social measures that would restore not only order, but also the glory of our town. We must take initiative to be responsible pet owners and especially cats that have now flooded our streets making them unfriendly. These animals were supposed to make our lives more comfortable and not vice versa. We must strive to ensure that this underlying objective is achieved at all costs.
Works Cited
Mooney, Linda A. Understanding Social Problems. New York: Cengage Learning, 2012.
Rochlitz, Irene . The Welfare of Cats. New York: Springer, 2005.
Silverstein. Hairless Cats: Cool Pets! New York: Enslow Publishers, Inc, 2011.
