Plato
The Electric New Paper :
Why kill a cat over scratches on car?
07 June 2009
ONE of the common conflicts between humans and cats in an increasingly dense urban setting arises from our increasing attachment to material things.
The more expensive the item, the stronger the attachment. The stronger the attachment, the more intense is emotional suffering from losing them.
A highly educated woman, who recently acquired a brand new car that cost '40 grand' was so worried about possible scratches from the few cats in the carpark that she complained to the Cat Welfare Society and the town council for the removal of the cats.
As far as the town council is concerned, that means activating the pest controllers for the cats to be killed at the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA).
Rejecting an offer of a free car cover from the Cat Welfare Society, the woman threatened to claim damages against the town council if she could capture the video footage of feline 'culprits' with a camera installed in the car.
She said that even cats should not escape being punished.
Paint on a car is manufactured to withstand the tremendous force of the gravel missiles as it speeds along the road, otherwise every car will be pitted all over as it speeds along the highway!
A paint technologist on this website (www.flippyscatpage.com/carpaint.html) wrote: 'The worst a cat can do to in normal circumstances is leave cute little muddy cat prints - annoying but not inherently damaging.'
High ground
Cats, by nature, like to rest on 'safe' high ground or seek the warmth radiating through the car bonnet.
Being animals, cats don't know that it is 'wrong' to do so.
A friend of mine, who grew up in the US, told me that when her brother drove home a brand new car, her father 'christened' it with some scratches.
The father had the wisdom to save his son from 'future sufferings' from inevitable scratches and dents.
The car has no feelings, no matter how badly scratched it is, but it is we human beings who feel the pain because we define our happiness in terms of material possessions.
Attachment, and not the cats, is the cause of our anger and therefore our wish to take revenge on the cats by wanting them killed.
The solution is obvious but has eluded many of us.
READER DR TAN CHEK WEE
