'Pets first' or man?

[Christ_empowered]

I read somewhere that the growing narcissism in both the US and other modern countries is at the root of our new fondness for animals. I didn't get this until I thought about it.

Human relationships are ambiguous and require work. Animals need food, entertainment, and vet care. Human relationships build over time and involve reciprocity and the development of intimacy. With people moving all the time and then spending all their time on Facebook or plugged into an iPod, people aren't big into "real" friendships anymore; casual acquaintances are about as close as many people (at least, many people I know) will get to friendship. Then, in their vulnerable moments, these people whine about how "true friendship" is so hard to find, and how "nobody cares." Enter the pet(s); they're affectionate, they're cute, they can't talk back, and when they die you can look over your photographs with fond memories (and get a new one).

Also, as much as we may talk about "loving" our pet and our pet being our "best friend," that really can't ever be the case. C.S. Lewis classified the love of pets lower than he classified the love of friends. If you'll notice, if a pet is suffering, we won't hesitate to go to the vet and hurry up their departure from this world. Would you do that to a human being, even one you didn't know well? Probably not (although some "advanced" countries are moving in that direction).

 

[Chris]

All life is valuable but in terms of annoyance value nothing beats humans sometimes...well maybe a cat!

Lol for people without social skills pets might be a good option.

 

[Classik]

All life is valuable but in terms of annoyance value nothing beats humans sometimes...well maybe a cat!

Lol for people without social skills pets might be a good option.

Do you keep rats too

 

[Chris]

Do you keep rats too

nah I have 2 cats, 1 dog, 4 Hamsters, 10 goldfish & 7 hens courtesy of my family's love of pets. the kids grow up in a loving environment with the animals. They care for them and you know what I think it helps a little with relationships. People that love animnals usually are inclined be the nicest people. Its in their nature.


Lol my old tom cat is so independent and stuck up! thats why I wrote that above. I was thinking about my cheeky cat.

Soon as I put the newspaper on the lounge room floor on a Saturday morning the cats inbuilt senses kick in and it comes from wherever it is to walk all over it and annoy me lol.

Ps The cat likes rats.

 

[jasoncran]

wheres that cat love member of ours. aka dora.

 

[Classik]

Ps The cat likes rats.

I guess you don't know what happens in our absence (for those of us who keep both)

It is actually worse than the case of Tom and Jerry

 

[Mike]

2 stigma
Poor and Innocent cats! These two have planned against you.

Are dogs better rat hunters than cats? No!
Do they consume less food? No - cats eat less.
Lower cost of maintainance? No - cats need less.


I get it. People who don't need cats love rats - Because only cats are king hunter of rats.

dogs are good at polishing off your dishes and heaping up ordure in the house.

Do not discriminate cats.

Cats. Truncate 'C' and add 'R' you get Rats.
Cast cats and rate rats or Cast rats and rate cats

The commonality is just the 'ats'.

I don't think I can visit a universe of rats in your homes

I was just kidding about cats. I'm not a fan, but I'd never mistreat God's creatures.

We have a deal, cats and I. I don't go near them, and those bony bags always insist on slithering near me and covering me with their hair. Kinda one-sided.

 

[Chris]

lol Mike I read your post about cats. I like them for thier low maintenance aspect. I dont mind cats kittens are fun.

Dogs have masters and cats have a house full of servants.

Thats what they think of us. Its funny.

There is my master- my 9kg (18 lbs) cat.

I had to give him a tablet a few weeks ago and was wondering if I would loose my finger pushing it down his mouth.

Like I was telling classik, he loves rats, he has them as often as he can.

 

[Classik]

Dogs have masters and cats have a house full of servants.

Thats what they think of us. Its funny.
.

Yeah!
Good pic

 

[Classik]

Like I was telling classik, he loves rats, he has them as often as he can.

well...maybe!
I have an interesting female rat that sneaks into my from time to time. I am becoming fond of her.


I know people who eat rats...there are quite fewer who eat cats.

C + H + R + I + S = cat + hyena +rats + Iguana + squirrel.

Chris must be a better lover of animals THAN...

 

[Classik]

I was just kidding about cats. I'm not a fan, but I'd never mistreat God's creatures.

Have you seen the movie, Shaolin Temple? The major character is Jet Li. Dudes here don't kill animals at all: Mosquitoes, lice, bugs, praying mantis, etc (including viruses maybe)


But I can't spare all those pesky animals. (Adam and Eve sinned and everything turned against man. I could have had pets like dinosaur and dragons etc)

 

[Pard]

We don't have rats. We have mice. I kill more mice every winter than any of our neighbors' cats. My dogs kill more also. Plus that is what mouse traps are for.

 

[Drew]

deleted own post.

 

[Drew]

Matthew 6
" <SUP class=versenum id=en-NIV1984-23308>25</SUP> “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? <SUP class=versenum id=en-NIV1984-23309>26</SUP> Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? <SUP class=versenum id=en-NIV1984-23310>27</SUP> Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?"

Fair enough. I agree -there is a Biblical case that humans are more "valuable".

 

[Classik]

We don't have rats. We have mice. I kill more mice every winter than any of our neighbors' cats. My dogs kill more also. Plus that is what mouse traps are for.

Really? Interesting!
Mice like eggshells And you kill more mice than...wow! Rodents must have evolved from your area.
--
--
such traps suck. The smartests of all rodents are the rats/mice. They know what traps are.

 

[Drew]

I read somewhere that the growing narcissism in both the US and other modern countries is at the root of our new fondness for animals.

I very much doubt this is true - at least generally. While what you are saying is possible, and is certainly true in at least some cases, you have given us no real case (other than speculation) that the above is really substantially true.

I could equally well speculate that "fondness" for animals is evidence that God has "programmed" human being to be caretakers of the animal world.

Also, as much as we may talk about "loving" our pet and our pet being our "best friend," that really can't ever be the case.

This is a statement, without a case to support it.

 

[Chris]

We don't have rats. We have mice. I kill more mice every winter than any of our neighbors' cats. My dogs kill more also. Plus that is what mouse traps are for.

I'll have to loan you my cat, he loves mice too. He is especially fond of mice. Because we have chickens, mice would be a problem if not for the cat

 

[jasoncran]

I very much doubt this is true - at least generally. While what you are saying is possible, and is certainly true in at least some cases, you have given us no real case (other than speculation) that the above is really substantially true.

I could equally well speculate that "fondness" for animals is evidence that God has "programmed" human being to be caretakers of the animal world.


This is a statement, without a case to support it.

hmm why then do the chinese eat cats dogs and so forth? and one can have all the livestocks as pets and its rule that one never ever names the meal that you intend to eat soon.

 

[jasoncran]

drew, my wife would rather sit at home at times and just be with my dog cheyenne and me, and when i am gone to war or etc then she doesnt go out to be with friends and is with that dog only.

she is anti-social and i get on her about that. that isnt what god made man for.

a pet cant replace a human.

 

[Vic C.]

The first thing i want to say is directed at Mike. As I type this, my cay Missy, is sitting on my lap.

Caring for humans is our first priority. Jesus said so, so I believe it.

But... this is not a black and white issue. We need to be careful how we interpret and treat Genesis 1:26-28. Too much emphasis is placed on the word subdue and little on dominion. Plus, with dominion comes responsibility.

Did God gives the Israelites specific laws on how they were to be slaughtered because He was bored?

God gave us animals for many reasons, companionship is just one reason. There are some breeds of dogs... and most cats, who are kept to keep rodents out of man's food supply. The Eskimos use the Samoyed as a babysitter for their children. Some dogs are used for herding. Some are used in rescue situations.

They help the blind. They help the sick and elderly. I recently ran across a story where a dog was trained to sense the onset of an elliptic seizure of a boy and wake the parents so they could administer his medication.

Birds of prey are used by the military to develop better aviation technology. Snake venom is used to develop life saving medications. Who knows, there could be a cure for cancer or Alzheimer's somewhere along the way.

God put many an animal on earth for our service and we should treat them as such. Mistreating them is a reflection of how we treat each other.

Gen 1:25 And God made the beast of the earth after his kind, and cattle after their kind, and every thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind: and God saw that it was good.


Did you see that? "God saw that it was good."

I realize this is about pets, but as I said, it's not a black and white issue. I agree that many people get carried away. We have selfishly breed the dog in many cases to reflect our own liking and as a result, we do them an injustice.

They were put here to serve mankind for the good. I don't see the good in how some animals are treated.