A vet who does house calls may help reduce pet's fear
Dear Cathy,
In a previous letter, Deborah from Allentown's wording for her "question" to you about cats and fireworks was so rude and unfair that I am moved to write a quick and first-time note to you. Deborah's triple play of questioning your authenticity with "You call yourself an animal advocate" along with her audacious suggestions that you don't know that "cats are animals too" and that "cats even exist" are just too much.
Why couldn't she just have written you something like "My cat's behavior changes at fireworks time, too, and I could use some tips, please"? You cover cats a lot in your column; always with obvious affection and understanding. I often think after enjoying your feature, "What a compassionate and nice person this writer is!"
Your column educates me, calms me and/or leaves me with a "wow" feeling. The advice you give is smart, creative and user-friendly. We need more people like you in the world!
- Nancy, Telford, Pennsylvania
Dear Nancy, You're sweet to respond. I have worked in the animal welfare field for 30 years and written pet advice columns since 2003. Occasionally, a reader will disagree or be upset with me over something. If I publish the letter, I don't delete the negative comments, so my readers know they can trust me to share their frustrations.
On the flip side, I generally don't share letters of appreciation. I am making an exception today to assure you (and other readers) that a tough tone and unkind remarks won't keep me from using a letter if I think the content might provide some value to other readers or give me a chance to revisit a problem with solutions I might have missed or not had room for in a previous column.
Thank you for your kindness Nancy.
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(Cathy M. Rosenthal is a longtime animal advocate, author, columnist and pet expert who has more than 25 years in the animal welfare field. Send your pet questions, stories and tips to cathy@petpundit.com. Please include your name, city, and state. You can follow her @cathymrosenthal.)
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