Emails to their advertised email address went unanswered and after several aborted phone calls, I got a message saying that they'd moved and had a new phone number. I tried that only to get a message saying they were unavailable for several days and to leave a message. I did, but with less than ten days remaining before a final decision would have to be made as to whether to have him put to sleep or not, time was running out for Ginger.

Then, on weekend prior to what could become a fateful day, I received a call telling me that a home had been found for Ginger. It seems that a grand-niece of Ginger's original owner has stepped in to take care of him. So, with just one day to spare, Ginger was whisked off to his new home.

It's a relief knowing that Sword of Damocles no longer hangs over him and that thought of having to have him put to sleep is now no longer cards.

He'll make a great pet for his new owners as he's a very affectionate cat. With exception of being a cat-flu carrier, his health is otherwise good. Given what he went though last year, he deserves to have a few good, happy years ahead of him and now he has.

Animal Rights

Being an animal lover, it is hard to understand difficulty over years to ensure animal rights are afforded to our animals. We as humans have power to control a lot of external powers that may confront us, however our animals don’t, and for longest time we have ignored this fact and focused on fending for ourselves. This puzzles me because I am sure that over years, we have noticed that human rights issues have become more and more prominent. People fighting for their rights is a great thing, however why is it so hard to believe that animals shouldn't have rights also? Just because common dog can not stand up and say, "I have right to pee on any patch of grass that I want," does not mean that that right should not be given to him/her does it? I am not a huge animal rights advocate, however I do believe that they do need to be prominent in society so that people know that they can be held responsible if a right to an animal is withheld, same way that some one can be held responsible if a right to a human is denied.

Do We As Humans Have The Right To Make Decisions For Animals? The answer to this question I believe has changed over years. Years ago before cat and dog were domesticated, I share belief that these animals had ability to fend for themselves without any human interaction. Now that we have taken steps to domesticate common dog and cat as well as numerous other types of mammals, reptiles and birds, I believe that we do play and need to play a role in decision making process that these creatures go through. When we domesticate an animal we suppress its natural instincts that it is born with. This sounds harsh, but it is so true. Take for example undomesticated dog. The undomesticated dog kills for its food as today’s domesticated dog is fed from a bag or a can. I would like nothing better than to delve into mind of a dog to find out which he prefers, however that component of science is unfortunately yet to be developed. Being able to modify such an important aspect to dogs life pattern scares me because it shows me how much mankind can dominate basically anything living that it chooses; this said, I do believe that humans do need to play a big role in lives of today’s pets. Suppressing an animals instincts is quite different from eliminating them. Stray dogs will still form packs and can be cause for concern if not delbt with. Your cute little guy could be all hunkie dorie in daytime, and turn into Wolf Dracula at nighttime while you are sleeping, returning to curl up by your fireplace following morning. The pray drive of common dog is what can get him/her into trouble and this is why I believe that human, master bond is so important. Speaking from experience, having a good relationship with your dog or cat helps to eliminate bad decisions that your pet can make. Sometimes, your furry pet is triggered by primitive instinct, same instinct that mankind has tried so hard to suppress due to its unwantedness in human society. This is an excellent example of why I believe that we need to play a part in decision making of our pets. I think ethical beliefs need to be modified when discussing domesticated or non-domesticated animals. Thanks to effort of mankind, we need to assist our domesticated friends because they do not have capability to fully function by themselves. I do not mean to sound derogatory by this last statement. I am 100% thankful for work that our predecessors have put in to allow us to enjoy company of a non-human companion. My belief is that most domesticated animals live better lives than they would’ve led in wild so how can domesticating an animal b unethical? I’m guessing response to this question would very depending on person answering it, and that is ok. People’s opinions will be different based on their ethical beliefs and I would never try to push my beliefs on to some one else, however I think I speak for majority of population when I say that without domesticated animals in our lives, life would just not be same. Conclusion I wish I could say that both nondomesticated and now domesticated animals have thrived on evolution as we as humans have, however I do understand that a significant component of animal evolution is due to man’s interference. Whether we like it or not, mankind was and is responsible for a large aspect of animal kingdom as we see it today. Clearing land, expansion and willingness to befriend, has greatly altered natural evolution and has imposed will of mankind on to our co-habitating non-human species. In today's world I am grateful to have option of walking up to a dog or a cat and petting him/her, an option that I would not have before domestication became prominent. In today’s society, animals play a huge role in lives of millions of people worldwide. Whether it be by fulfillment, labor related or just company, it is very evident that life would not be what it is today without domesticated animal along side us. These animals provide us with friendship, love, protection, a good laugh, and stress relief and it is because of all these positive factors that make me selfish as well as very thankful that evolutionization has occurred to level that it has.