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| A Collared Cat |
1) collar: a band of leather or rope that is placed around an animal's neck as a harness or to identify it
2) animal shelter: a facility that houses homeless, lost or abandoned animals; primarily dogs and cats.
Summary
Dogs in animal shelters are returned to their owners much more often than cats. Statistically less than 2% of cats are returned, while 15 to 19% of dogs are returned. Some believe this is because more dogs wear collars than cats do. According to a study by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), putting collars on cats will increase the percentage of cats returned to their owners. One main difference between cats and dogs is that dog owners need to get a license by registering their dog. Cat owners do not always have this requirement, and are also less likely to have their cat wear a collar. A big reason why owners do not put collars on their cats is because "There is fear that a collar could strangle a cat, or that cats will rip them off," according to Linda Lord. Linda Lord is a veterinary scientist at OSU (Ohio State University). Lord lead a study of 538 cats throughout a period of 6 months. They all had collars at the beginning of the study, and after six months only 75% of them still wore the collars. Lord believes that "the big message is that people really need to think about identifying their cats."
Discussion
I believe owners should be more careful when it comes to ensuring that their pet will not be lost. Cat owners should be required to register their cats, because it may assist in returning the cat. Having collars for cats will make it easier for the owners to distinguish and keep track of their pets. There should not be fear of strangling or the collars being ripped. These problems are easy to solve. As long as the collar is loose, but not loose enough to be able to slip over the head, it is tight enough. If the owners are willing to buy a collar strong enough to not rip, then the problem is solved. To help identify their cats, pet owners need to begin using methods that will increase the chance of having their beloved pet returned to them if they get lost. Preventing a pet from being lost is not extremely difficult, and taking a few precautions can be useful.
Questions
1. Would there be any drawbacks to having a microchip implanted in your pet?
2. How many cats per year die from collars strangling them?
3. How many cats are lost per year?
4. Do the benefits of wearing a collar outweigh the risks?
4. Are there other, more efficient ways of retrieving your cat?
Sources
Article:
Bhanoo, Sindya N. "Helping Cats to Make Their Way Back Home." The New York
Times. The New York Times, 13 Sept. 2010. Web. 18 Nov. 2010.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/14/science/14obcats.html?ref=cats>.
Image:
http://graphics8.nytimes.com/images/2010/09/14/science/14obcats-span/OBOX-1-articleLarge.jpg
This article did teach me one more piece of information, but I am lost on the scientific relativity. How only 75% of the cats were left with a collar at the end of Lord's experiment fails to explain how people "the big message is that people really need to think about identifying their cats." I felt that this article was all over the place and would have liked it if you had gone further into depth in some of your points. Perhaps you focused too much on the introduction part of your summary that made me confused. I do agree with you on that pet owners should take more caution in ensuring their pet's safety and not being neglectful. Maybe in the future there will be a collar made especially for cats? I know that their collars are currently thinner than the ones the dogs wear, but with a little bit of research and time, scientists could produce a risk-free collar.
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