Tag - Your Found

Uhg, here is a HUGE pet peeve of mine. People who do not put ID tags on their pets. It never ceases to amaze me the "It could never happen to me" attitude that some pet owners have.

Case in point, posted on the local kijiji website:

I lost my Flame Point Himalayan cat in October in the Bible Hill Trailer Park by the exhibition grounds. He got out while someone had the door open I have tried to find him around the area with no luck. If anyone has him or has seen him please contact me as we are heart broken over this loss. Leroy was about 8 yrs old, front declawed and he was fixed. He is a beautiful cat and I would love to have him back. Thanks

Obviously you had enough money to de-claw your cat, but not enough to buy him a $10 id tag and a $7 collar to put it on?

People, just because a cat is an indoor cat is NO excuse not have have a collar and tags on them. You attitude of "He's not allowed outside and we don't let him out" will not protect him if he gets out accidentally. It happens all the time! Doors get left open, latches don't catch properly, and visitors don't always make sure the door is closed behind them, or close the door fast enough to prevent fluffy from getting out.....these are facts of life.

I worked in pet store for a short time and I was amazed at the number of people coming in and asking advice on how to find their beloved pet that had gotten out. The conversation goes something like this:

Customer: "Ummmm....hi, excuse me, can I ask you a question?"

Me: "Sure, fire away."

Customer: "My cat got outside and now we can't find him/her. We're worried to death, what do you suggest we do?"

Me: "Does he/she have a collar and id tags?"

Customer (This is when a litany of excuses start to come out of their mouths): "No, he/she's and indoor cat, we don't let him/her out. The door only got left open for a minute/second while we moved the couch, let visitors in, etc etc."

This is usually where I want to start beating them with a 'clue' stick.

Tags are NOT only for outdoor cats, they are in case of emergency if an INDOOR cat accidentally gets out! It happens ALL THE TIME, get a clue people! A $15 combination of collar and tag can mean the difference of your cat being returned and being lost forever.

Think about it. If your cat gets turned in to the local SPCA with tags you'll get a call to come pick it up. If they don't have tags they may be adopted out to someone else, or even worse put to sleep. If you cat gets run over in the road and it has tags on, someone may at least inform you of what happened, if not you may never know.

This is not only a problem with poor trailer park people such as the above example, but fancy cat breeders too. Yes you are a breeder, yes your cats are fancy and expensive, but can they still get out the door and escape?....yes! You are not immune because your nose is in the air and you have a holier than thou attitude. If you cats are so precious and expensive, then protect them and have id tags on them....heck, go the extra mile and get them micro chipped too.

Rants over for today.

~Out