Tales & Tails of New York

  "I am looking to adopt two little kittens, as young as possible in January."    

The forwarded email was sent today to me and many other rescue agencies and shelters.   I wrote back to the young woman:  

"Nature is what it is."   

"Almost all species of animals reproduce primarily in the spring and summer months.  That is to insure better survival during the winter months.  By the time January rolls around, kittens born in the warm months are from five to nine-months old.  Those not happy with this reality are advised to either adopt during the summer when rescue groups and shelters are drowning in young kittens or be more flexible and realistic in demands. The middle of winter is generally not conducive to little kitten adoptions."  

Of course I realize this woman can go to a breeder or support "kitten mills" by buying from a pet store. 

Domestic pets have been forced to breed throughout the year due to human whim and demand. (i.e. "I want what I want when I want it."). There are always people seeking to capitalize on that fact of human weakness and vulnerability.  

But, why can't we, as humans simply learn to respect the designs of nature?   Doesn't nature, after all, do a much better job of reproducing healthy, robust and intelligent animals than do humans? -- Animals capable of survivial without human help?  

The other night I finally relented and took in Mario --the brother cat to Johnny, rescued a few weeks ago.  Both cats were born in the alley behind my apartment building.  Neither cat ever went to a vet, had shots or enjoyed the warm comforts of a caring home.  

And yet, Johnny and Mario are extremely intelligent, wily, robust and overall healthy animals, despite having to endure for two years, the rigors of extreme weather conditions and less than ideal living quarters.  

Nature's work at its finest.  

In dogs, it is the mongrels (or what we often refer to as the "Sheperd mixes" or "Dingos") who are generally the smartest and healthiest dogs one can find. 

Typically, such dog is about medium size, (30 to 55 lbs), usually a solid brown, black or fawn color, shorter or medium hair, long tail and upright, pointed ears. These are the dogs produced through random breedings or what nature itself producesif left to its own devices.  

But, "Shepherd mixes" or "dingo" types are also among the hardest dogs for shelters or rescue to adopt out!  

Where and why, this "disconnect" from what nature has intended and successfully designed for millions of years?   Why do we, as humans, now "demand" dogs that are almost totally opposite from what nature typically creates?     

Small, fluffy and toy-like animals or dogs with exaggerated features like short legs, long backs or huge heads?   Are such demands in line with what normally constitutes a smart and healthy dog?  A dog who has long legs that can run better, upright ears to hear better (and avoid ear infections) and short or medium hair that doesn't require a groomer's sheers?   

Why do we now demand that cats go against nature and mainly reproduce shortly before the Christmas holiday season?  

I recall a famous commercial made years ago which warned,  

"It's not nice to fool with Mother Nature."  

What is the price for "fooling with Mother Nature" where companion cats and dogs are concerned?  

Generally weaker animals more prone to illnesses and animal's whose brains over time, become smaller from lack of survival necessity and skills.  

Maybe healthy, robust and smart (in companion pets) aren't important for most people anymore? 

If that be the case, then I suppose one can put priority on "looks and breed."  But, then we need to be prepared for the prices one has to pay for compromise of (or really, confrontation to) nature.  An animal that can run into thousands of dollars in vet and grooming bills.  Or, an animal that needs a tight reign all of the time, because s/he can never survive the rigors of the outside alone.  

So far, I have had no calls to adopt Johnny, the affectionate Tuxedo cat (now neutered and vetted) rescued two weeks ago from my back alley.  It will probably take a long time to find people knowledgeable and compassionate enough to fully appreciate Johnny and his brother, Mario.  

Instead, I will find myself responding to emails and calls like the one cited at the beginning of this writing.  

As for dogs:  

I recall reading an article some years back by veterinarian and animal behaviorist, Michael Fox.   In the article Fox, asserted that if all the breeds of dogs were left on an Island for 50 years, the result would be the hybrid, "Shepherd mix" (or dingo) described above, for this is what nature creates.  

Isn't it ironic that except for overbred, abused and abandoned Pit Bulls, the hybrid "Shepherd mix" is the dog most likely to be destroyed in animal shelters across the country?  

Have we thus, "rejected" nature?  

An interesting, if not scary question.  

One that I don't have the answer for.                                       

************      

|  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this