Category: Thoughts

It really, really scared me when my friend’s cats got captured the other day. It was so unexpected. All it took was ONE animal-hating person to lodge the complaint. And yesterday, someone else called me to seek help. The management of her apartment has organised an “Operasi Menangkap Kucing” and she fears for the safety…

This is a follow-up on the subject of philanthropic prudence. Marvin Olavsky said: Philanthropic humility is necessary if a giver is to do more good than harm, but it is not sufficient – philanthropic prudence is also needed.  We wrote two posts about this previously: http://animalcare.my/2012/12/03/it-pays-to-be-prudent-when-doing-charity/ http://animalcare.my/2013/07/26/please-exercise-philanthropic-prudence-when-you-donate/ The above posts were written when we encountered applicants…

I’ve always been guilty of anthropomorphising animals. As humans, we can’t help but attribute our human character traits to our pets and the animals we relate closely to. I do it more to tell stories on the blog, actually! Saying that Mr Zurik is a KGB agent and that Willy goes on secret missions with…

Here’s what the renowned naturalist says: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/2013/01/22/david-attenborough-radio-times-interview-population_n_2524315.html An excerpt: David Attenborough has described humans as a “plague on Earth” that need to slow down breeding to stop the world’s population being reduced by more brutal means. Speaking to the Radio Times, the beloved naturalist said the impact of the rapidly increasing population “will come home to…

It’s interesting that coincidentally after I published this: http://animalcare.my/2013/07/07/an-owners-reluctance-to-have-her-female-dog-spayed/, a friend forwarded the link to a forum discussing the neutering and spaying of animals from a religious point of view. I read some of the views and a few were realistic, quoting the suffering they had seen on the streets and were therefore supportive of neutering.…

Nothing beats the old-fashioned way of curling up on the chair with a good book. http://www.amazon.com/Longest-Struggle-Animal-Advocacy-Pythagoras/dp/1590561066/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373342857&sr=1-4&keywords=norm+phelps Norm Phelps is my favourite writer on animal rights and protection. I know there are many, but perhaps I can relate to what he writes because he is Buddhist, hence, whatever he writes comes from the premise of compassion…

Read on: http://www.care2.com/causes/animal-rights-vs-animal-welfare-which-side-are-you-on.html Or, are you on the middle path, which also isn’t wrong! I read another article, I think it was by Norm Phelps where he classifies it to “Animal Welfare” (includes bigger cages, humane slaughtering and euthanasia) and “Animal Protection” (protecting them and ensuring no harm comes to them). And how about Animal Equality: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=av22cRQNBiQ (Peter…

A reader sent me this: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=573751349303438 It brings to mind a few years ago when I first started AnimalCare and at that time, I was sourcing for funds to roll out our neutering sponsorship project. An organisation I know had a “Humanitarian Fund” and I was informed that we did not qualify to receive funds because…

2012 is drawing to a close and it’s time to reflect on our whole year’s experience, learn from them, rejoice in all the good that have come our way and work towards a better year to come. Our grateful thanks go to: 1. Our readers, supporters, donors, well-wishers and volunteers who have supported us in…

On 7th July 2012, a group of neuroscientists signed the Cambridge Declaration of Consciousness: We declare the following:  The absence of a neocortex does not appear to preclude an organism from experiencing affective states. Convergent evidence indicates that non-human animals have the neuroanatomical, neurochemical, and neurophysiological substrates of conscious states along with the capacity to…

Ref: http://animalcare.my/2012/04/27/sweetheart-is-this-what-you-would-have-wanted-a-reflection-on-euthanasia/ A reader seems very upset (please see comments in post above) and she is of the opinion that we are condemning people who opt for euthanasia for their pets or rescues and that we are saying that it is wrong. Let me clarify here, and this is our official stand, that we are promoting…

Huey shared this: http://www.nathanwinograd.com/?p=9022 I think it’s really, really good food for thought. The gist of it is that the author questions if neutering is THE best way to control overpopulation and he thinks it is NOT. He thinks it should start with having no-kill shelters. There must be no-kill shelters first, and then, there has…

In the course of running AnimalCare, I sometimes receive requests from readers to spread the news of people who have afflicted cruelty to animals. Sometimes these news come with photographic evidence of the victims (the animals) and the perpetrators (the humans), along with the story of the cruel act. While I understand that the intention…

From Eknath Easwaran’s Thought For the Day: All things by immortal power Near or far, Hiddenly To each other linked are, That thou canst not stir a flower Without troubling of a star.  – Francis Thompson The science of ecology teaches us that everything in the universe is connected. We cannot separate ourselves from the consequences…

This just came in the email and I thought it is very apt for all of us who are trying (nope, wrong choice of word), not trying, but DOING something to improve the state of animal welfare in our community and our country. From Eknath Easwaran’s Thought For the Day: The only thing necessary for…