A Rant

You know what makes me mad? People who move into a neighborhood and immediately start crap! We have lived in the same house, with pretty much the same neighbors for 15 years. And, for the last 15 years we have all had outdoor cats. Really. With the exception of one or two houses we all have outdoor cats. We live on a cul-de-sac and the cats have all been safe - no disappearances or deaths. We all enjoy our "neighborhood" cats especially the kids. Recently we got what we thought was a nice young couple into the house next door. We were excited as the house had been vacant for a couple of years. Well, we're not excited any more! It turns out they don't like cats. And their solution? Not to talk to us. Not to shoo them off their property. But to TRAP them and SEND THEM TO THE POUND TO DIE! Really. I have pictures:




It turns out that it is legal in Riverside County to trap cats. The law is there to get feral cats trapped and into the shelters to be fixed, then released. But, you must post a sign saying you're trapping cats to warn your neighbors so you don't get pet cats in the traps (See any warning signs in the picture? Me neither). This law is misused by people like my neighbor. She is purposly trapping the neighborhood pets and telling animal control they are strays. Even with the kids telling the Officer that they were pets, she lied. Then she told them she was trapping them because she felt threatened by them. Cats. About 8 pounders. Woo. Scary.

So, yesterday, I spent 2-1/2 hours off of work getting my cat Punkin out of the pound. AND it cost me $52.00!!!!! All because they illegally trapped my PET cat! The people at the animal shelter HATE people like this. They were so happy I showd up to get my cat. The girl said that most people don't come looking because they assume their cat was killed, not picked up by animal control. There were over 100 cats in the Ramona Shelter Cattery. There isn't room in the shelters for pets trapped by evil animal haters! Hello! Shelters are OVERCROWDED and UNDERBUDGETED!

When I called animal control to report the illegal trapping, I actually had to read them the ordinance that requires the sign to be posted. ANIMAL CONTROL DIDN'T EVEN KNOW ABOUT THEIR OWN ORDINANCE! After I let them know it was illegal, they asked for her address. But they never came out.

What really gets me is that these neighbors have two dogs that continually get loose and run the neighborhood when their owners leave. I have gone after their dogs and shooed them back into their backyard at least 4 times so they don't get hurt or hurt someone (one dog actually bit one of our other neighbors when it was out - and he didn't call animal control on their dog!). Isn't that what it means to be a neighbor?

Okay, I feel a little better now. But I'd like to hear some of your ideas as to how I should deal with these "wonderful" new neighbors (rembering of course that I have to live next door to them...). What do you think? Am I in the wrong? Are they in the wrong?

Oh, and their address is: 28693 Auriga Court, Sun City, CA 92586. Just in case any of you would like to drop them a line...

Spay Day is Today! Please Help!

This says it all!

Don't Buy Eggs. Please.

1.In the United States, an estimated 95% of egg-laying hens are intensively confined in battery cages.

2.As of December 2008, about 280 million birds are confined in battery cages, almost one for every U.S. citizen.

3.Each cage confines 5 or 6 birds on average, but sometimes up to 10 birds.

4.Voluntary industry guidelines specify a minimum of 67 square inches per hen. This is an area smaller than a standard sheet of paper.

5.Like any animal, chickens are highly motivated to perform natural behaviors. These behaviors include nesting, perching, scratching, foraging, dust-bathing, exploring, and stretching. Caged chickens are denied all of these natural behaviors, causing them severe frustration.

6.Battery hens suffer from serious health problems, such as respiratory disease from constant exposure to ammonia fumes and fecal dust; osteoporosis, bone fractures, and prolapsed uteruses from being bred to lay eggs at an unnaturally high rate; and foot disorders, sores, and injuries from contact with the cage wire in outdated cage systems.

7.As a response to the lack of foraging opportunities in the barren cage environment, chickens sometimes engage in feather-pecking of their cagemates. So, before they are 10 days old, the ends of their beaks are seared off with hot blades.

8.Beak mutilation causes acute and sometimes chronic pain.

9.For every egg you buy, a hen will be forced to endure these conditions for over 32 hours.

10.Chickens are confined for about a year and a half before their ability to lay eggs declines, then they are killed.

11.Eggs are not a necessary part of a nutritious diet, and there are many healthy, affordable alternatives that make it easy to leave eggs off of your shopping list for good. Some good egg alternatives include applesauce, bananas, commercial egg replacer powder (such as Ener-G Egg Replacer or Bob's Red Mill All Natural Egg Replacer) ground flaxseed, tofu, or vinegar and baking soda.

12.The egg industry cannot be trusted to make responsible decisions regarding the welfare of chickens, because it has a profit motive to sacrifice their interests. There are currently no U.S. federal laws that protect the interests of chickens used for food.

13.In California, the egg industry will be allowed to use this type of factory farming of eggs and chickens until 2015.

14.The labels "Free Range" and "Cage Free" mean nothing isofar as humane treatment of the chickens is concerned. The only way to be sure that your eggs come from a humane source is to see the label "Certified Humane" on the carton; or get them from your aunt who has happy chickens playing in her backyard.