Cats

[lockedfree]

Alright I realize this is not gonna win me any friends here and thats too bad because I'm gonna say it anyway.

I read the thread with the troll claiming to have fed a cat to his snake and I understand being annoyed at his lies and childish antics but what I don't understand is how some of you can sit on a holier than thou throne and call him sick and demented because YOU percieve cats to have more value than other animals.

Rats, guinea pigs, hamsters, rabbits and yes even chickens are all much loved pets to many people and all (cept chickens [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_razz.gif[/img] ) can be considered just as cute and furry as your beloved cats. My sister has a pet rat, my ex wife used to have a pet rat, and my daughter had a pet mouse.

I have never fed a cat to a snake but I have never had a snake big enough for that and I don't see anything wrong with it as long as you are not stealing someone's pet.

[telefrag]

Cats do show up on the menu for some large snakes from time to time, im sure retics that lurk the sewers and ditches of urban S.E. Asia frequently feed on cats or dogs.
But cats are pretty good at defending themselves, and I would imagine the biggest drawback to feeding cats is potential damage to the snake from claws, teeth, etc.


But your right, strong bonds can be formed with rabbit and rodent pets just like a cat, so its all in the eye of the beholder.

Personally, I think a cat would be the last item I would choose to feed a large snake, but thats just me.

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[Ed_r]

I guess thats the problem of it, People would be losing their pets. I don't think a cat would be really nutrient filled for a snake. I think more of the problem was with the implying about cat hating. I guess it also has to do with feeding a world wide accepted common pet to a large snake. Just doesn't sound right. Plus a live cat has very sharp claws and teeth and when threatened are not afraid to use them.
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[eddie]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE>what I don't understand is how some of you can sit on a holier than thou throne and call him sick and demented because YOU percieve cats to have more value than other animals.
</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

Actually, it wasn't about placing ANY animals life above anothers.
Except for the snakes lives.
The big issue with that, is the damage a live cat, or even a kitten would do to the snake, not to mention the legalities involved under the animal protection laws.

I sense a deeper issue here, as if animals are all equals with everything else, including humans.

Am I right?
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[Ravnos]

Well... for starters, cats fall under animal cruelty statutes. HSUS and the ASPCA both would jump down your throat and you'd become national news overnight if you were caught feeding cats to a snake. Animals produced for human consumption, like rabbits, do not follow the same guidelines. There is a seperate set of laws regarding the humane slaughter of food animals - which apply to chickens, pigs, cows, and other animals produced in commercial quantity for human use. If you've ever spent some time in a slaughter house, you know those methods are less than humane - but that is a whole different debate. Mice, rats, hamsters, and gerbils - those that we generally know and love as our feeders are not native to this area. They are established, but still imported, pest, considered a potential threat to native wildlife, crops, and possibly also to the health of humans - and are treated as such by almost every state and federal law. So it basically means you can kill as many as you want, at any time, for any reason. Now, if you were keeping a native rodent species to feed to your snakes - the laws very well could be different. That depends on what state you live in. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Please note, I avoided the moral discussion - as that really isn't applicable legally. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]

Rav

_________________
There is a fine line between a hobby and a mental illness.

[lockedfree]

Well.....................

From what I've seen most everyone here is against live feeding and for good reason, so if you wouldnt feed a live rat to your snake, why assume the cat would be alive?

Anyway, I'm not sure what you meant by &quot;as if animals are all equals with everything else, including humans.&quot; but yes, there is a deeper issue.

It annoys me when people place the value of animal life equal to or in some cases greater than human life. Some people actually say they would rather see a person die than an animal; those people really bug me and although it may just be talk there is something wrong there. I tend to think THOSE people are sick in the head and should be pointing the finger at themselves.

I do realize that I wont find many cat lovers who are that extreme on a reptile messageboard, but stay with me a minute and allow me to stir the pot.

I have seen this mentality with cat lovers more than any other type of pet owner. I mean we all love our animals but most people tend to have things in proper perspective. Cat lovers (in my experience) generally do not. Often they go to the point of worshipping their cats and having feline wallpaper, cat figurines all over the house, putting their cats even before their spouses! Thats fine and they are free to do that, and I am free to be annoyed by it. I should also be free to feed them to my snake.

I realize this is a major generalization but in my experience it does represent a lot of cat lovers. I don't see this with any other type of pet owner except maybe horses, but I have yet to see anyone value a horse more than a person or even speak in such a manner.

As for the legalities, why protect cats but not rabbits and rats? By what logic exactly, does one determine that the life of one animal is worth more than another? Is it determined by size? Not exactly, because an animal on the endangered list becomes more important whether it is larger or not. By what then? By the pelt? If determined by fur, then the chinchilla should be protected too and I don't believe chinchillas are protected from being reptile food.

No, cats are protected for NO other reason save the emotion of overly zealous ancient egyptian decendants who worship them.

Edited to add: Rav you made a good point about native animals being protected and I believe in that but cats are not native to anywhere in the U.S. correct me if I am wrong.

[eddie]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE> If you've ever spent some time in a slaughter house, you know those methods are less than humane </BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

I had a job in a slaughterhouse.
It was a very good experience.
I learned how to use a hammer.
[img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
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[eddie]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE> It annoys me when people place the value of animal life equal to or in some cases greater than human life, some people actually say they would rather see a person die than an animal; those people really bug me and although it may just be talk there is something wrong there. I tend to think THOSE people are sick in the head and should be pointing the finger at themselves.

</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

Thank you!!!
My feelings exactly!
I was wondering how you felt on that issue, as it seemed like you were aiming towards that area!
I had to know for certain on it, thank you for being annoyed by them as I am!
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[Ravnos]

<TABLE BORDER=0 ALIGN=CENTER WIDTH=85%><TR><TD><font class="pn-sub">Quote:</font><HR></TD></TR><TR><TD><FONT class="pn-sub"><BLOCKQUOTE> It annoys me when people place the value of animal life equal to or in some cases greater than human life, some people actually say they would rather see a person die than an animal</BLOCKQUOTE></FONT></TD></TR><TR><TD><HR></TD></TR></TABLE>

For me, it depends entirely on the person and the animal. [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_smile.gif[/img]
But people who take it to the extreme, like PETA who think that we should fire bomb every single company that has an animal, be darned the humans is just a joke.

Rav
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[JuliusSqueezer]

Ever notice that all of the meat you eat comes from grain/veggie fed animals. Animals like cats that eat a diet rich in animal protein (cats, dogs, etc) produce some pretty toxic bile and while some people and animals from time to time do eat predatory animals, a strict diet of just that would be deadly. Otherwise....Max, Julius and a few of my boas would be eating poodles.
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[lockedfree]

&quot;Otherwise....Max, Julius and a few of my boas would be eating poodles. &quot;


Julius! Are you trolling? [img]modules/Forum/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img]
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