I would appreciate it if there were few people with opposing viewpoints on this board. I would rather hear from other pagans/wiccas/witches as to their opinion on the subject. Needless to say, I was completely disgusted with the matter of varying respect based on species...

It'll be a somewhat lengthy story, but regardless, I would love to hear what you would have done, or what you think I should do, still. :/ I'm still utterly upset, and I honestly don't know how long it's going to take me to get over this.


Yesterday, for 4th of July, I went to my grandma's for supper. Before it was time to eat, I went out to the shed to see the kittens her cat Blue had a few months ago. My aunt, who noticed me going out there, told me that Blue and the silver kitten had died. I don't agree with keeping cats outside, but I didn't complain to her. It was going to happen, I mean, you keep a tiny cat like Blue out in the middle of nowhere with stray dogs and coyotes... something is going to happen. I suggested to my grandma to get rid of the cats, or take them to a shelter. She said she was going to, even. She said she needed to get rid of them, and I don't blame her. She doesn't need cats, she can't take care of them properly, she just doesn't need them. It really isn't her fault that they aren't getting taken care of, I understand that. She's an old woman with a lot of problems, I forgive her for that.

But, still.

As I walked in, both kittens were crammed into a rabbit cage--that could barely hold a rabbit, let alone two cats. The floor of the cage was filled with rotten chicken, hard food, and poo, it was disgusting. They were crying, trying to get out. It was pathetic. But I noticed that there was another kitten, much smaller, probably less than four weeks old, was stuck in there too. He wasn't from Blue's litter, and as I was going to open the cage one of my cousins comes in. She asked if I'd seen the new kitten, and by that time I was already pissed. I asked where he had come from, and she said her brother (Ray) wanted him, so he took the kitten from it's mom--who lived down the street at a junkyard. :/ It was. RIDICULOUS. That people would let that happen, the kitten wasn't even old enough to be fully weaned. He just took it.

And it gets so much worse.

I take the youngest kitten and bring him inside, and tell my mom I would like to talk to her about the whole thing. Without a lot of interest, she does come back outside and listen to me while I tell her that the kittens need to go somewhere where they can get more attention, and live better overall. She absolutely ignores me, and goes back inside without a single word on the subject. After we eat, I bring the kitten back on the porch while she smokes, and I tell her again. This time she says, "It's not my decision," which I fully understand, but if no one else is going to make the decision that is better for these animals, then someone needs to. So, I compare a kitten to a human baby. I tell her, "If you saw a baby in the same conditions, what would you do?" So she rebukes me and says that they are completely different. Despite the fact they are both young, innocent, and in trouble, she would do more for the human baby than she would for the suffering kitten. She would intervene to save a single child's life, but not to save three struggling kittens that had 1) lost their mother 2) are not getting proper nutrition and shelter 3) are getting so little attention that at eight-ten weeks one of the kittens still fights with people to not be held. It was absolutely pathetic.

At that point, my step dad asks me why I valued the cats, and I told him because ever life deserves to be treated equally no matter what they are--because it's still a life. He asks me what I did for Berry, my cat that disappeared (we let him out one evening before supper, which he usually comes back to eat and then go to sleep on the couch, but he didn't come back), and I said I did everything I possibly could. I looked for him on foot, I walked all over just screaming and looking. I hung posters for a missing cat at every building and soda machine I could find, and asked at the vet, and super markets, and shopping centers... but no one could tell me anything. The only other thing I could have done was to fork out major dollars for some sort of search and rescue, and we wouldn't have even had the money to search for a missing person. I did absolutely everything I could, and that's no less than what I would do if a person was missing. I would do everything to the best of my abilities, but the way they kept seeing it was as if I would as little as possible, because I did "as little as possible" to find my cat.

Everything deserves to be treated equally, and that's what I told them. But for some reason it was a completely outlandish thought, and I deserved to be rebuked for it.

We arrived home.

They understand I don't believe the way they do, and there have never been arguments before. But it's just... they're complete and utter hypocrites. I'm not trying to make them believe the way I do, I just want them to see that those kittens deserved to be treated with a minute amount of respect, and they deserved to have a better place to live. So my mom tells me that they're worthless, stupid, confused cats, and that people are 100% worth more than anything else. I told her that was her opinion, and she screamed, "No, that's FACT." I told her to leave me alone, I was tired of her telling me right from wrong, and she insisted she wasn't. But she continued to tell me what was "fact" in her opinion and what wasn't, which was absolute hypocrisy.

Does a cat deserve as much of a chance to live happily as a person does? I think so, yes. Is it fair to let it suffer in the way they were? Who has the heart to just... not care, and not respect something that hadn't so much as breathed on them the wrong way?


So now, anytime my mom wants to tell me something, she must be completely and utterly rude about it.

"We're going to Wal-Mart, get your checkbook and let's go."
"But I don't want to go..." (For, as you can imagine, I was still both incredibly upset, and my stomach was/is very... ill at the moment.)
"How are you're cats going to get food?! Well, nevermind, I guess they can wait. "

And she said it with such the worst smile you could ever imagine... like she would purposely want to suffer my cats because they deserved so much less than she did.

"CASEY! Come clean up this milk you spilled!"
"...I didn't spill any milk?"
"Yes you did! Come clean it up NOW."
"I didn't spill any milk...?
"You did! Look, what is this then?"
"It's not milk."
"Did you have a bowl of cereal?!"
"Yes, but that isn't milk. I didn't spill any milk."
"Then what is it?! Is that cereal in the floor? How did it get there!"
"I threw a piece for Half [the cat], but she didn't want it."
"Well what is it! Clean it up before someone slips on it."


It's just ridiculous! Because I want to treat something with respect, she has to treat me lower than dirt!


Does this make ANY SENSE TO YOU? What is going on! I thought I was being nice in thinking that the cats deserved something better than what they were getting, but what he hell... I am so confused. :/ And she won't even talk to me in a sensible tone, no matter what it's about. It's so ****ng stupid! I can't even talk to her about how I'm feeling because the only thing she wants to do is yell at me.

OOPS. Wrong board! I meant to put it here: http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum...hp?showforum=95

I felt like I was reading an episode from Animal Cops. All animal deserve some respect and kindness. I don't understand are the kittens still living in the conditions you described. If they are you should call your local animal welfare to go and get them. I love all animals and I can't stand it when people are cruel to them.

Now for the conversation with your Mom. If the cat's are yours it is your responsibility to make sure they have food and water. So get off you duff and go to Walmart.
It you spill or put something on the floor or your Mom just ask you to clean something up get off your duff and clean it up. If you want respect you have to earn it. Respect is not automatic.

Those kitttens should not have been in a closed rabbit cage. But they also don't need to be inside.

They are, for the most part. They're getting taken away by my cousins, who are so much worse than what they're in right one. One of those cousins, Ray, is the one that took the kitten away from its mother before it was ready--so you can imagine what sort of care they're going to get. I am not even kidding when I say this, but those idiots go through pets every WEEK. I do NOT want those kittens to go with them.

But, I have tried to call the SPCA before. :/ But, guess what, mom said not to! I mean, who on earth is going to call the SPCA otherwise? It doesn't matter who's place it is to decide something like that, if they're living the way they are SOMEONE needs to do SOMETHING.

But nothing is getting done because I 1) can't call the SPCA 2) they'll be getting taken to a ****ed up place in Georgia soon. .___. And it is so freaking pathetic I don't... I don't even know if I'm related to these idiots.

Heres an idea...call the SPCA anyways.

Or find an alternative home for them and the go back kidnap them and take them to a new home.

If you are as old as you say then you should call anyways if that is what you think you should do.

If push comes to shove, humans come first (id rather eat an animal than have it eat me.) Yep im speciest ,and probably racist, sexist, and homophobic if you take the opinion of some people.
Im only human after all.

But being human and thus sentient with a sense of morals and ethics also creates in me a responsibility to care for animals which cannot care for themselves and which need protection.

You are partly correct. Your family should care for those animals a lot better and you are right to feel some anger and guilt about it. However your mother is also correct. As humans, we have a primary duty of care to other humans, particularly also the weak and vulnerable members of our society, so yes a human baby at risk, should come first, in your priorities, before an animal.

I am a grest deal more concerned about the relationship breakdown between you and your family. Im not sure how old you are, but you are a very articulate and aware person. (I wish half the kids in my high school English class could punctuate their speech as acccurately as you do for instance)

That means you are are old enough to be responsible, both for your own actions, and for your reactions to your parents. It sounds as though they could learn some interpersonal skills as well, but i only have your version of events to judge by.

There are so many variables and things at play here that i dont know where to start. Basically if you are in your parents house you need to abide by their rules and customs. If you really cant do that, you need to work out how to leave. But i would not recommend that .You sound adult enough to be able to look at both sides of a situation. Try to examine both your parents pov and your own. If you can see some merit in their ideas, dont be afraid to tell them that perhaps some of what they said makes sense (and dont expect them to be so adult in return)

Whatever your differences i assume your parents have lived by their stated priorities and looked after you, fed you, cared for you and not kept you in a box outside with faesces on the floor.
They might be right. They might be wrong. They (and yes you) deserve the respect of being listened to, and not screamed, at or abused. While animal rights are a significant issue, there are many other things that different generations fall out over, which are potentially even more tragic. You have only one family, and it can be yours for a lifetime, or you can chose to throw it away. I personally would be very careful in deciding if an issue, or an ethical belief, is worth true confrontation with you family, and possible loss of that family.
It doesn't sound like your parents are hypocrites. They have beliefs and priorities which are different to your own. If they stick by those beliefs and principles then they are not hypocrites, just different to you. Not only are you trying to convince them your pov is right. They are trying to convince you that they are right and you are wrong. The trouble seems to be that you are arguing about two different things.

You are saying animals need care attention and respect(you are correct) Your parents are saing that humans come first (they are also correct) This could be a win win argument, but through the common enough breakdown in communication, both sides are turning it into a lose lose situation.

Ps hasnt anyone pointed out to you that you can never ever actually WIN an argument with your parents(doesnt matter if you are 5 years old or 50.)

The trick is to keep the arguments civil and rational . If you or your parents cant do that, then its a lot safer not to engage them in arguments, because its ultimately pointless. Eventually, you wil have to decide to act on your own beliefs and principles, but understand that if these are different to your parents, you should not act this way until you are physically independent of them.
I guess having a step dad complicates relationships too, and your anger sounds mostly directed at your mum, but examine your heart, and ask yourself, does she really deserve your anger, and can you chose a better way to relate to a person who has obviously done a pretty good job of bringing you up, and making you the person you are today (just where do you think you got your caring and compassionate nature from?)