Cat Responsibility

Let me start by saying that I'm a cat lover, and always have been. At this point I'm still in mouring for a beloved feline friend who passed away three months ago. With that said, I cannot ignore this: http://abcnews.go.com/US/roaming-cats-kill-billion-birds-year-american-bird/story?id=13194701

This article was posted on Witchvox's facebook news page, and some of the comments were just shocking to me. People who claim to follow a nature-based religion should realize the harm that pets can do to the environment, and be responsible pet-owners. This includes spaying and neutering, and minimizing our furry friends' impact on the local ecosystem.

We shouldn't let our sentiment blind us to the truth that in many areas our domestic cats are an introduced species; and, if left to roam, they can cause damage to an ecosystem that hasn't had the necessary time on an evolutionary level to adapt to their presence. In places like Australia, and other island ecosystems, the feral cat problem has become very serious, and roaming felines are hunting indigenous species which have no natural defenses against such foreign predators.

I implore other cat-lovers who read this to become aware of the situation. We, as pet-owners, have a responsibility to ensure that our pets do not contribute to the problem.

It's Been Awhile

I know. Don't tell me. I've been a failure at keeping up with this blog. I confess my sins and seek absolution.

Life's been a damned whirlwind lately. I shall begin with the most recent. My parents have full custody of my nephew and the state is no longer actively involved in the process. If my sister and her boyfriend want their kid back, they have to take my parents to court and prove not only their own stability, but also that my parents are incapable of raising the boy. Yeah, good luck with that. The idiots have moved four times this year and are now currently staying with a friend who goes through a revolving door at rehab. They can barely feed themselves half the time, much less their son. Oh yeah, and my parents haven't seen a dime from them since the $300 they coughed up because of court several months ago. Way to be responsible.

I married my friends in November. No, not in the polygamist way. I officiated their marriage despite having little to no voice and feeling dreadfully sick. Baltimore actually makes the legal process really easy. I just filled out the form that the couple got from the courthouse and mailed it back. Simple and sweet.

I'm still watching the baby from 5:45 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. every Tuesday through Friday, and helping my dad on Saturdays. The kid has a couple teeth now and is gibbering and saying words. He'll be walking soon too. I just wish the child would take naps. He's active the entire time.

My big thing this year is to focus on myself. I don't mean that in a narcissistic way. I want to focus on my health, happiness, and sanity. I'm going to stick to my duties and obligations to others, but I want some "me" time as well. I want to start taking long walks in the park, getting glamoured up for no particular reason, and paying attention to my own needs and desires.