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On Valentine’s and Project Treadstone

First, Bill directed me to a Grist vegan Valentine's Day recipe. I just bought raw vegan chocolate from Glaser Farms (all raw and vegan), which I am fortunate enough to have near me, so I'll probably use that and save the frosting part of the Grist recipe for another time as they have nearly identical ingredients so there's no need to make more.

Have a great day, and as I tweeted this morning, if there's a behind-the-music about how Valentine's Day was originally some horrifying day full of blood and guts and strife of untold kinds, can we wait until Monday to tell the story?

Here's a newly-neutered boy named Fluffy.

Fluffy

He looks a bit like Emily, who recently did this . . .

Emme

Of course, if you have a cat, you've seen that trick a million times.

Then there's newly-spayed Tabby Girl.

TabbyGirl

When I went to the vet to pick her up I was told, "She was just about to term so she'll need to stay at your house until Saturday morning" (they're both still here). On my way home I thought: What the heck do they do with the kittens? They kill them obviously, but how? Is this standard policy? I know they don't spay lactating females because their kids need them, but what about the kids who were almost here?

Now, I'm all for not letting another cat give birth for a long, long time, but this is my first time facing what happens when you are all for not letting another cat give birth for a long, long time.

Not a great feeling.

Microchipping, by the vet, will not be done. He would charge us only the cost of the chip, which is $19.88, and that's about $19 too much as far as I'm concerned. I will, however, be able to learn how to do it myself and buy microchips for a cost of $5/each, and I am proceeding with that. And that's great because I've been really bored lately and looking for something else to do.

No chance.

Next week, allegedly, the spay RV situation might be solidified. You may recall that when Project Treadstone was upgraded, the new name was BlackBriar. I might just have to go with that, though I wouldn't want to confuse anyone. Do you know that when you Google "Project Treadstone," this TNR effort is the 4th entry? If people are able to learn from my experience and mistakes and help cats because I like Jason Bourne, then that's fine with me.

Speaking of which, I need to redo the blog post categories on Animal Person as half are meaningful (Gray Matters, Greyhound Matters and Language), but Ethics? Aren't they all about ethics? And Current Events? Are they events currently occurring (like Project Treadstone) or more macro things like yesterday's plane crash near Buffalo or the tornadoes in Oklahoma? Though I am committed to redoing them (and Project Treadstone will be one), remember that you can always use the Google bar on the right to search Animal Person. It's much faster than scrolling through categories.

And don't forget that I'm now on Twitter if you'd like to follow, and also on Facebook. I avoided both for a long time, but I'm actually finding that both can be fun.

Have a great Valentine's Day.

3 Comments Post a comment
  1. I'll resist any urges to pooh-pooh on your Valentine's Day from the ranks of the cynical, single, and anti-consumerist. 😉

    But anyway, I feel for you regarding the spaying-while-pregnant issue. When Mabel, my foster pit bull, turned out to be *very* pregnant with several puppies at the time of her spaying (she looked very pregnant, but one vet had examined her and decided it was a false pregnancy), it hit me hard. Even though I knew that I could barely take care of Mabel, let alone take care of puppies who inevitably would have been very sick, and that there are already far too many pit bulls out there in shelters (and worse) as it is, I was terribly conflicted over the situation. As soon as the vet came out to tell us that they'd found the puppies during the surgery (and implied, without saying, what had of course happened to the puppies), I felt like we had done something awful, like we had made a decision for–and taken something from–her that we had no right to make or take. You're right–not a great feeling. Not at all. This all ties into a blog post I've been meaning to write for months. Sigh. Perhaps it's time.

    February 14, 2009
  2. Oh the eyes on Tabby Girl! And I never thought about the kittens/puppies either – Just amazing how the learning process concerning animals never ends… there's always more – and it's usually not good. Sorry.

    That's great on the microchipping – I'm sure they send extensive directions with the supplies… right? Still, inserting something sharp into flesh – (that's scary). It's probably not going to be easy at first… Could you practice on a fruit or similar "flesh like" object, maybe?

    February 15, 2009
  3. Mary, I honestly do not think you should feel bad about spaying a pregnant kitty.
    Here's how I feel.First of all, although I'm
    not religious in any way, I guess I HAVE been a little brainwashed by so many,many accounts I've
    heard & read about people who had near death experiences and they always speak of the beautiful light & a feeling of being surrounded by love that I can't help but think at least some of them must be being truthful.
    And if by chance all that's true, those kittens are in a better place.
    And even if all that is just a lot of made up
    fairy tales….what WE DO KNOW FOR AN ABSOLUTE
    FACT, is that this world is a harsh, cruel, place for helpless animals, so even if there's
    nothing after death, they're in reality, probably better off.
    We should Never apply the golden rule to people, because with people we can almost always ask "What is your choice?" But sadly, with animals we can't. So with animals the best
    we can do is to treat them as we'd like to be treated if in the same situation.
    I very much doubt the kitty planned to get pregnant and I suspect if she understood what you did, she'd probably thank you.

    February 16, 2009

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