Most of you that have been around The Land O' Heidies for a spell know how dear my pets are to me. I've always had a connection with animals, and I always considered my pets to be cherished friends, and important members of the family. The only exception to the rule is female cats, and it's only because female cats don't like me very much. I'm cool with this. Maybe I have an Anti-Lady-Cat aura or something, whatevs. Still, I may not have ever gotten along with the small succession of female cats that my family had growing up, but they were still family pets and family members just the same. I have always believed in being a responsible pet owner. Spaying and neutering is a must, with the only exception being if one intends to breed the animal. Even then, the pet owner needs to be responsible about it. Backyard breeders? Puppy mills? No. God, no! My mom has a beautiful Golden Retriever that she intends to breed, but only so that she can have a few more puppies to add to the family. Her Golden, Ellie, is quite lonely and really does need another dog to bond with. Still, my mom is very careful about things since Ellie is not spayed. Ellie is in a large fenced yard, and when she goes out, it's always on a leash. They live in a neighborhood where she could easily be allowed to roam, but it's not a very good idea.

I'm not a cat person, as I've said before. I don't hate cats, but I don't care for them. It takes a really unique sort of feline beastie to soften my Anti-Cat heart. My Mojo fits the bill most splendidly (Big Mama Cat, in all her bitchiness, didn't). It's rare to see a cat with so much personality, and not a day goes by without him doing something cute or weird that makes us laugh. He's a member of the family, and we love him. He's our little buddy.

I'm having a problem though, which leads me to the whole point of this entry. I am so mad at my sister that I can hardly see straight. She doesn't really bond with animals, so I don't understand why she even bothers to have any pets.

She has a sweet little cat named May. She never bothered to have May spayed, which was her first mistake. She's complained about not having the money, but I've called bullshit on that one several times. Our county animal shelter actually gives out vouchers to people so that they can have their pets spayed or neutered without having to pay. It's merely a matter of going to the animal shelter and filling out a form. Done! I like May a lot, for a female cat. She's a petite little calico with beautiful green eyes, and a very sweet disposition. Mojo is literally three times her size in stature alone. She is surprisingly calm for a cat who is constantly chased around by a three year old.

May had a litter of two kittens in October. About two weeks ago, my sister finally found a home for them.

May had a second litter of 10 kittens on Monday.

Would you like to know what my oh-so-responsible sister is going to do with May and her 10 newborn baby kittens who don't even have their eyes open yet?

She's planning on putting them in a box and leaving them at the Animal Shelter. All of them. Mama and babies.

I am livid about this. If you're not going to spay or neuter your pets, you must take responsibility for your actions, bottom line. I could see finding homes for them when they are bigger, but they are so little. And to just get rid of May along with the kittens? That's just mean as far as I'm concerned. She's a family pet, and she hasn't been treated with even an inkling of love or kindness. Bratt's rationale is that May will have more kittens, and that she doesn't want to have to deal with it.

Ummmmm... it's really not a difficult thing to overcome. As I said... fill out some paperwork, and a voucher is yours! Bam! Easy!

Sometimes I feel like she just has no heart. There is a disconnect there that I don't understand. My pets are friends, and I'd never treat a friend as badly as she's treating May. Maybe she shouldn't have any pets. I'd take May, but Mojo isn't a huge fan of other cats. He tends to be a little bit of a bully and a show-off, but he's also a bit of a coward. He's the type of cat to stir things up, only to get his ass royally kicked. The mean tomcats in our neighborhood would have a field day with him. After our adventures with Big Mama Cat, I'd prefer to keep Mojo away from other cats, mostly for his sake rather than theirs. May is small, but scrappy. Mojo gets along perfectly with dogs though, so that's the kind of buddy he'd do best with.

It's sad, and I just don't understand. Why don't people show their animals the love and respect they deserve? When you choose to have a pet, it is your responsibility to care for them. There are far worse things that people do to their pets, and even though this is small in comparison, it still upsets me.

I hope that all of May's kittens end up being male torties! May is a calico, and male torties are so very rare. Maybe they'll get decent homes that way. Grrrrrrr...

Enough ranting for now. These pants are ranted out.