Think occasionally of the suffering of which you spare yourself the sight. ~Albert Schweitzer
There are between more than 50 million stray or feral cats in the United States, according to the Feral Cat Coalition. Moreover, an additional 5 million domestic cats are abandoned annually according to U.S. Department of Agriculture estimates. Feral cats is a cat abandoned or the offspring of a lost or abandoned cat. The lifespan of these poor creatures is pathetically short, i.e., 3 to 5 years. They starve, die of disease, are killed by dogs and hit by motor vehicles.
Certainly, there will be no true peace in this world until the suffering of our feline brethren ceases. Failing to address this huge population is inhumane and cruel.
Feral cats don’t always adapt to becoming household pets, but there are ways to help. We can all make a difference by supporting Trap-neuter-return programs in our communities. The United States Humane Society also recommends the following:
- Spaying and neutering your cats
- Finding the organization/agency that helps feral cats
- Being a feral cat caretaker for an organization/agency
- Socializing feral kittens
- Volunteering at a spay/neuter event for feral cats
- Building shelters for feral cats
- Fundraising or writing grants for a feral cat organization/agency
- Educating others
- Donating to our Feral Cat Program Fund.
And this week we will purr for the decent lives for all cats.
We CAN create the world we want to see one purr at a time.
Week 27 of Purrs 4 Peace details are as follows:
- Week twenty-seven’s appointed time is Sunday, December 13, 2009.
- Participants should purr for three minutes commencing at 3 p.m. EST (U.S.) which is 8:00 p.m. (20:00 hrs.) BST in the U.K.
- The cat’s human staff should assist their cats with the project by stroking and nuzzling the cat at the appointed time.
- Please post your cat name and the country you purr in at www.confuciuscat.blogspot.com as a COMMENT if you are participating in this historic project. (posting a link to your own website-if you have one-is encouraged.) Or let me know by message on twitter or facebook.
- Posting purrs on facebook ( Acolytes of Confucius Cat or as friend to Alley Mason) and twitter (@ConfuciusCat) is encouraged, since it inspires purring in others, but not required. On twitter please use #purrs4peace in your tweets.