Nov 28, 2015 2 min read

On Nov. 4, after all efforts failed to save her, a beautiful white cat had to be euthanized.

She was found in an abandoned hen cage, and although she would have had access to food and water with other animals, she had obviously lost much of her body weight and was starving to death. Having been spayed and declawed in both the front and back – obviously an animal that should never have been living outside – it is not certain whether she was ill and couldn’t eat or whether she was so traumatized that starvation shut down her system.

We will never know, but someone out there knows, as she was obviously someone’s pet.

This sad scenario happens too frequently. These incidents are proof that older, inside pets, for the most part, cannot survive outside or in a colony of cats. Often they are owned by older people who have died or can no longer care for them and no one can offer to take them in. Many are ill and instead of finding help for their conditions or humanely euthanizing them, they are dumped outside to fend for themselves. Contrary to uninformed opinion, these cats cannot hunt for their own food nor will they socialize with other outside cats who have survived.

When I read obituaries of animal owners, I often wonder what happens to the beloved pets they leave behind. Too often, relatives won’t take any responsibility, leaving these pets to face a dark future. An animal should never be released to the wild that is old, very sick or raised alone with its human companion.

Anita L. Biers

Washington