5 Steps to Not Being a Shitty Pet Owner
- c/o nyanimalrescue.org
- Not Mr. Bones. This is a female cat named Elton. She is available at Sean Casey Animal Rescue.
Don’t Take Advantage of the People Who Help You
This is so, so important. Not just because you don’t want to ruin your relationships with humans, but because it is potentially unfair to your pet. For example, if you have someone cat-sit for you because you are going vacation, don’t forget to get your cat back when you come home. And, yes, this is a thing that people do. Virginia Smith related to me the story of one, Mr. Bones, and while it is ultimately heartwarming, it is also full of a lot of fucking pathos. Basically, Mr. Bones was a cat, a female cat. Yes, she was called “Mr.” Bones, but, you know, a rose by any other name, and all that. Anyway, Virginia was asked to watch Mr. Bones by friends of hers for a couple of months. This stretched into six months and then a year. A YEAR. Assholes. Virginia loved Mr. Bones, but couldn’t keep her forever, but the original owners wouldn’t take Mr. Bones back. Assholes. Eventually, Virginia gave Mr. Bones to her parents, who took care of her until her death. Luckily, Mr. Bones lived out her final years under loving care, but she could have just as easily been abandoned by her original asshole owners. Don’t be like those assholes. Not everyone has a Virginia around to do the right thing.