Dear editor:
OK folks, buckle in – this is going to be a bit of a rant. First of all, I am a pet owner and an animal lover. I have two cats and three small dogs, and I am very responsible when it comes to their care and welfare. My cats are strictly housecats; Yes, they stay indoors 100 per cent of the time, proving that “cats need to go outdoors” is a myth. So, here it goes:
1) To the person who owns a young white (with grey/black markings) cat – I don’t know if your cat had three legs the last time you saw it, but I dropped it off at the North Calgary Veterinary Clinic Thursday night. I found it lying in the bushes in my back yard, sick and injured, covered in blood. I hope it survives its injuries, but obviously something attacked it. If you knew that it was three-legged, why in heck would you allow it to roam? As a matter of fact, why would you allow it to roam, period?
2) How is it possible that Cochrane does not have any emergency veterinary services? And, why is it that there is absolutely nowhere to turn to when you find an animal outside of bylaw’s hours? There is no emergency contact number anywhere on the town’s website or on bylaw’s recorded message. I had to drive this poor cat into Calgary and drop it off at the emergency clinic. Oh, wait a minute... I guess I could have left it lying in the bushes until Friday morning when the town offices opened again. When the Cochrane and Area Humane Society (CAHS) was allowed to take in strays, it made its facilities available 24/7. Since the Town of Cochrane decided that it was going to take this service away from the CAHS and use another “provider”, there is absolutely no information anywhere regarding what we are supposed to do with a stray animal, let alone with an injured one!
Would someone please address and answer some of my questions?
Ingrid Schmidt
