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Bowie, MD 20718
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Last Updated:
7/24/2014 6:10 PM
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The Link



When we ignore the plight of homeless cats, or when we destroy them merely for lacking homes, we are making a statement about the value of life.  It is common sense that young people, like the rest of us, understand that statement and align their values and behavior with what they see as what is accepted and honored in the community.

But common sense is not the only argument for being kinder to feral cats.  Today, hard evidence supports the belief that there is real danger in allowing animal abuse or suffering to go unanswered.  Cats outdoors without management and caretakers can fall victim to cruelty.  And the same impulse to treat a cat cruelly, can and frequently does lead to treating other people with equal violence.  There IS a connection between abuse of animals and later criminal acts of violence, involving humans.  Read more about the Link, here:

http://www.americanhumane.org/site/PageServer?pagename=nr_fact_sheets_link

then find out how you can help educate others in the community about the connection, courtesy of this page:

http://www.hsus.org/ace/15828

http://www.vachss.com/guest_dispatches/ascione_1.html

Above is a link to a paper on one study of the connection, the Link.  As you read the quotes of the abuse victims here, you may notice that the cat in the story seems to be outside -- not necessarily an owned pet, more likely a "stray" cat in the yard, whom the child in the violent situation had taken pity on.  This abuse victim befriended a helpless, homeless cat, probably wanting to help ONE other creature in trouble.  The abuser here used the cat as a part of his control of his victims.  Colony caretakers would, at worst, have noticed this cat was missing, if they had not been able to intervene before the cat was killed.  That cat's life would have mattered, and very possibly this abuse situation could have been identified sooner.

How does a Trap, Neuter and Return program contribute to breaking this link?  Easy.  It offers veterinary care and daily monitoring and care of the cats in our community that have no home with a human.  Participating in a TNR project shows others in your neighborhood that you recognize the value of the life.  And if a community cares about the needy animals in its midst, it's much more likely to know how to care about the needy human beings.  Young people learn by seeing that even if a living creature is small and without a voice, it is important for us to care for that creature.  They learn that the answer to our problems is never the taking of a life, and they see that it's possible to solve any dilemma if we approach it with compassion and respect.