The other day, I was doing some research on the internet. I came across a post that intrigued and puzzled me.
A woman from down south posted that she was very happy because her cat, who we will call Fluffy, had just been certified as an emotional support animal (ESA). OK, so I had to look up just what an ESA cat was and how they get certified.
The government loves its rules. In Canada, for a cat to be registered as an emotional support animal, it must be prescribed by a licensed therapist or another health professional. There was no mention of what this might cost the government or the individual, but doctors and therapists get paid by someone and they don’t come cheap. Also, how do they decide that a person needs a support animal and determine that the animal in question is suitable?
I have heard of support dogs but couldn’t recall hearing about supporting cats, but it makes sense. There have been lots of studies that show both dogs and cats can make people feel better and petting them can certainly calm a person down. However, some people would like to take their support animals everywhere, even though some places ban cats because some people are allergic to them. Other people are uncomfortable or afraid to have them around, and the animals can be noisy and even attack people.
It’s a bit of a conflict. One group of people and a branch of government are encouraging the use of these animals while other people and branches of government are trying to limit them. If someone is running a restaurant, the health department may not want to lets cats be there because they shed and lick themselves in private places and then go and lick other things. So, there is a pro and anti-cat debate that never ends.
Here is another aspect of dogs and cats most people don’t think about: some animals have jobs, and you can claim some of their expenses on your income tax. Imagine a farmer who has a few barn cats to keep the rodent population down. Or they have a dog to chase predators away from the chicken coup or a couple sheep dogs to herd animals.
A person who runs a scrap yard may get a couple guard dogs to keep away intruders and thieves. Some homeowners have dogs for the same reason. Also, there are guide dogs, rescue dogs, and dogs that sniff out people, drugs, explosives and even dead bodies. Because of dogs’ high sense of smell throughout history, they have had many uses. In the North, they pull sleds and give bear protection.
Cats can also have jobs or benefits. I read an essay about the plagues in Europe. Because of a fear of witches and their cats, many were killed or driven away and cats in general were destroyed. A lot of innocent old ladies who lived in the country, grew herbs and had cats were killed or driven away. This meant the rat population exploded, and there were fleas on the rats that spread the plague.
Another article talked about a move in China's history where they tried to eliminate outdoor cats and, once again, the rodent population soared. Because rats eat a lot, there was a shortage of grains and foods leading to human starvation.
That is the thing about balances in nature — they are sometimes hard to figure out or predict. I think it’s safe to say that most domesticated dogs and cats that have human company are support animals. Just like working dogs and cats, they have a job to do and deserve a tax break.
A world without dogs and cats just wouldn’t be the same.
