Losing a friend

It has been a while since I last posted anything. Several reasons and some excuses can be put forward but one is probably more valid than the others. My wife and I lost a friend. He had been with us for several years and had brought joy and love (as well as some discomfort due to his temper) to both of us. His name was Buddy and he was a black cat with a white spot on his chest that looked like an ascot. He developed diabetes a couple of years ago and I had to give him a daily shot. Diabetes is what finally caused his bodily systems to crash and so my wife had to have him put to sleep. Now with the background established, let me say that my wife was really devastated by his death. There is a lot of research that indicates that cats and humans can bond with one another to a high degree and that bond can cause much distress when severed. (I have heard that that can happen with dogs but I can't argue for or against that idea since I haven't had a dog in over thirty-five years.) I cared for our cat but not to the depth that my wife did. We seem to invest much of ourselves into our pets. I think that is a good thing for us as well as them. I am thankful for Buddy's life with us. I expect that we will get a replacement for him in due time, although the next one won't be Buddy but a new personality.

My brother's blog about JLo and PETA is a good one. I have almost an aversion to the airheaded thought processes that they consistantly exhibit. Their beliefs are SO focused on one aspect of things that they won't even discuss anything else. They have been asked on several occasions about other issues and (they are at least consistant in their refusal to answer) they refuse to even consider discussion on other issues. They also have the belief that they are "right" about their beliefs to the extent that they are willing to shout down anyone else in their advocacy. Just one more group that refuses to accept alternate opinions.

I believe that humanity should take care of animals. Using some for food and some for companions and some for clothing, etc., realizing that humane treatment should be on the top of the way we care for the animals. I DO NOT believe that animals are on the same plain with humans (although there are some humans that fit beneath animals because of their treatment of other humans, child abusers, radical Islamists who chop people's heads off, rapists, etc.). Whether you believe in God or not, the simple fact is that humanity is demonstrably the top of the scale for almost everything and we do have dominion over the animal kingdom. We can eliminate or expand habitat for animals or humans in reasonably short periods. The idea that we have this "ability" should give us pause when we consider the consequences of our actions.