Oh the things you say...

A friend and I got accused of animal abuse today when we mentioned we're not above a little spanking when it comes to discipline our animals. Cass works on behavior with dogs that are considered aggressive or temperamental. I've worked with rescuing cats. She knows dog behavior; I know cat behavior. So while it hurt to be accused of animal abuse because I discpline the cats (they discipline each other but shhhh, I don't want an ACO called on them!) I also had to laugh. This gal had no idea about the importance of remaining dominant in a relationship with an animal. A cat or dog may be considered a 'companion' animal, this is true. But it is also true that without a firm hand both dogs and cats can be dangerous. Now no laughing. I'm serious. If you've ever pissed off a cat (say by trying to put deworming pills down his/her throat) you know what it's like to be on the receiving end of animalized Hell. It seriously hurts when an animal forgets that you're not the one in charge or doesn't see humans as being dominant. Just ask all those peeps who work with big predators and end up getting eaten. Yikes.

I relate it to this; Tuffy is our dominant cat. He's around 11 pounds and is a dear. Marcel, another neutered male, is much bigger and physically more powerful. So why doesn't Marcel overpower Tuffy and beat him into submission? For one, Marcel is very submissive and skittish. He doesn't want to fight. He just wants to sit in the window peacefully, watching our friend pigeon coo on the roof. Tuffy, though pretty laid back, doesn't want Marcel to forget that he's dominant cat; if that were the case, Tuffy would lose his position in the pecking-order. Marcel sometimes pushes the boundaries of what Tuffy will allow him to do.

Say there's a really, really fascinating leaf blowing around outside and Marcel just absolutely has to see what it's about. But there's a problem; Tuffy is hogging the window. Marcel perches at one end of the window and Tuffy at the other. Slowly, like a snail, Marcel inches closer and closer. Tuffy at first tolerates this. Then it gets to the point where Marcel, who probably clocks in at a healthy 15 pounds, is nearly squishing him. This is just too much for Tuffy to put up with. So what does he do? He turns around and smacks Marcel across the head. If you've ever seen this go down, you'll know what I mean. Cats are fast. Very fast. Within a blink, Tuffy has pummeled Marcel 4-5 times on the head and the hollow thuds of paw-to-skull contact reverberate through the apartment. Marcel runs off. When he does come back, he doesn't push Tuffy that far again.

Now I don't beat my cats when the crowd the window or annoy me. If that were the case, I would be throwing cats around left and right. However if they get too rough in play, or endanger themselves by getting into things they know they are not allowed to get into, if they pick on another cat, or if they start becoming destructive then I will discipline. I will tap them on the butt. You heard me. I take an open-palm hand and whack them on the behind with my fingers. It doesn't hurt but it sure as heck gets their attention. I don't think I hit them even half as hard as they hit each other in play, but it serves as a reminder. Tuffy might be top cat, but I'm the boss. If I don't want him to get into my cupboard and potentially get into cleaning supplies, then I sure as heck will spank him if he does so. And just as a note, we do have latching cabinents but we also have Susie, a 6 pound black female cat who knows how to open them. So it can happen.

I also employ the use of squirt guns. I pistol whip 'dem bitches! No. I'm kidding. I don't pistol whip anyone (though it's tempting to carry around a watergun and do so) let alone my animals. I squirt them with water because they do not like being squirted with water. However, they do like to play in water so I always wonder if that isn't why the squirt guns aren't always very effective.

This gal was confusing abuse with discipline. Disciplined is used to teach a lesson. A mother cat/dog/horse/pig/freaking whatever will use nipping or slapping as a way to remind their young that Mom is in charge and they-are-not-to-do-that. Me smacking my cats lightly on the booty is the same way their mothers would have disciplined them as kittens. I don't hurt them, but I get them to pay attention to me. There are other training techniques, yes. But good luck. Cats aren't the sort that will work to gratify you unless you give them good reason so. Meaning, yes, they'll come on command or stop doing something if you have the reward in hand, but lose that reward and you're about as useful as a plant pot.

Abuse is the harm done to an animal with the intention of causing physical/mental stress and pain. Abusers generally get enjoyment out of doing so; for example, dog fighters. Abusers willingly put their animals into position where they can be hurt whether intentionally by actually physically placing their animals there or by simply through neglect. That's the difference between abuse and discipline. I discipline not because I get kicks out of the "WTF??" looks I get from the cats, but because what they're doing is not safe behavior to others (biting/clawing during play to the point of damage) or because their behavior is not safe to themselves, such playing inside the springbox where they could get trapped for hours or days if we were not home.

So this whole thing really bugged me. But it made me laugh as well; I know I take good care of my animals be they cats, fish, or the pigeon on my roof. My animals are fit and happy. This gal threatened to find out our real (gasp!) identities and report us to animal control officers in the region. I was tempted to give her my address. Can't be found guilty of abuse when there is none.

The moral of today? Don't accuse someone of animal abuse when you have no idea what it entails.