You say "crazy cat lady" like it's a bad thing

That's what my socks say.  I bought them as a birthday present to myself a while back.  I really, really want a cat.  My home is very much in transition right now, so it's not a good idea to bring a cat into this much chaos.  Instead, I have cat things to comfort me.  Not too many, mind you, but a touch here and there--the porcelain cat on the entertainment center, the spoon rest with the tea things, an ink drawing bought many years ago.  I am definitely a cat lady.  Alas, sans cat.

So I get these emails from Mother Jones.  For a long while, I didn't read them. They don't land in the primary folder of my email program, so I don't have to look at all these "updates" unless I'm looking for something in particular.  Lately, I've been reading more and more of the messages, clicking over to the magazine and just getting depressed.  We are so killing the planet. Even our cats are killing the planet.  And we, their human enablers, contribute to their killing spree.

At least that seems to be the gist of Keira Butler's recent article, "Are Cats Bad for the Environment?"  Cats, as all cat lovers know, are natural born killers. Indeed, they quite enjoy killing, playing with and generally tormenting their prey in the process.  And then, the dears, they bring the corpse to us so we can pet them and tell them what good kitties they are.  As Butler points out, cats--feral or free ranging--are the top killer of birds in the US, far and above a greater menace than clear glass windows or wind turbines.  And birds, she reminds us, eat the insect pests that plague our enjoyment of the outdoors and help us cope with one of the more unpleasant side effects of climate change--even more bugs.

I think that an ethical life includes concern for the planet.  We are here for a short time.  Our present is affected by how the planet has been treated in the past, just as those who follow us will be affected by our treatment of the planet.  We have a responsibility to the future to live in the present having some care about the damage we do to the planet.

Does this mean I can't have a cat?  Maybe.  In my concern for my potential pet, I have postponed adoption until I have a more stable home environment.  I have been considering the pros and cons of declawing--and have not yet resolved my thinking there.  That my future pet will be spayed is a given.  I think that keeping the cat in the house is going to be another consideration.  I've lived with indoor cats, outdoor cats, and cats who keep me opening and closing the door 50 times a day.  The local coyotes and my songbirds are now casting opposing votes--the coyotes seem to be thinning out the outdoor cat population in our area; the songbirds are more noticeable than ever and suggest that keeping the cats away is a good idea.

Pets, however, are so healing.  I have several times visited Petco to talk to the cats available there for adoption.  In dark times, these cats have represented hope and comfort to me.  The cats of friends can be standoffish--as cats usually will be--so I've seen more welcoming attention from their dogs.  Dogs, of course, are either little and wiggly or big and slobbery.  Not at all what a cat lady wants, thank you.  Cat person or dog person or even reptile person, we are all helped by having some creature that seems attached to us, that accepts our care, and, with a little anthropomorphizing, serves as a companion in our life.  It's hard to see how humans can give up all pets in order to live ethically in respect to the planet, not easily anyway.

I have a no good answer for the growing problem of feral cats.  I can only look at what I can do as an individual.  So:

1. I'm thinking of ordering Teeny Tiny Kitten in a Box.  
2. I bought a teddy bear.  Really.  We haven't bonded to the point where I've given him a name, but I knew he was a guy because of the bow tie.  So far he ignores me just as I expect my future cat will do.  He will, however, willingly cuddle when I need something to hold on to.  He's better than a pillow anyway.  Cats, of course, are more often the deciders when it comes to cuddling.  They choose the time and place--usually when and where you are in the middle of some crucial task and there is the greatest risk of spoiling everything with a swish of a tail or a curious paw--for any cuddling that might be allowed.  The bear does not, however, purr.  I expect he'll get donated as soon as I do get a cat.  Unless the cat likes him.
3. As I'm considering getting a cat, I will have to be mindful of the consequences, not only for my life and the cat's well being, but also for the broader environment.  This means adoption from a shelter, likely an older cat whose previous owner had to give her up, spayed, indoor.  And then there's kitty litter disposal. Maybe I'll just see how this kitten-in-a-box does.