And then Seanan got angry.: seanan

And then Seanan got angry.

I am, to a degree, a public figure. I know that. I am also a low-level enough public figure that I am accessible, unlike, say, anyone who's actually famous. That means that some of the things I do and say will be judged in ways that will seem unfair to me. I know that, too. I've basically come to grips with the fact that if I want to be an author, and if I want to make my living doing this, I'm going to have to deal with people judging me. That being said...

Don't you ever, ever insult my cats. Don't you ever, ever imply that I own them because they're "status symbols," or because I am in some way taking pleasure in the knowledge that other cats are being put to sleep right now. Lilly, Alice, and Thomas are my companions. They are my friends. They are the closest I intend to come to having children, and while I may be up for judgment, they are off limits. Leave my cats the fuck alone.

Why do I get my cats from reputable breeders, rather than from the local shelter? A whole bunch of reasons.

I do it for the health of the cat. When I visit a reputable breeder, I can not only meet the kitten I'm hoping to take home with me, I can meet their parents and grandparents. In the case of Alice and Thomas, I met their great-grandfather. I want to know that my cats have a good genetic shot at a long, happy life.

I do it for the temperament of the cat. I have had incredibly sweet, loving shelter cats in my life. I have also had bitter, terrified, xenophobic shelter cats who couldn't be integrated into a household, because they were too damn scared. I want a kitten that has been socialized and loved, and that has been bred to have a good personality to go with those good genes. I want a Lilly, an Alice, a Thomas, a Ripley, a Toby, an Alligator.

And yes, I do insist on kittens whenever possible. At best, I'm bringing home a new cat to an adult who isn't sure about the situation; at worst, I'm bringing home a new cat to two adults who already think there's no room at the inn. I am loud. I move quickly. I go away for long periods of time. I do things the way I do things, and a lot of adult cats can't adjust to me, no matter how hard we both try.

There are cats in shelters. There are cats in rescues. There are cats in need of homes. But I am not in the market for an adult rescue, and the kittens don't need me to be the one that saves them; kittens stand a much better chance than adults. Why do I know this? I know because I have volunteered at shelters and rescues and free clinics since I was twelve years old. Just like I know that I want as complete of a genetic profile as possible on my cats, because I buried so damn many of them when I was bringing them home from the pound.

My cats are not a zero-sum game. Bringing Thomas home from Betsy's didn't kill a kitten somewhere in the world that was waiting for my love; if it hadn't been Thomas, it would have been no new cat at all. Do I wish that there were no cats anywhere in the world waiting for their forever homes? Yes, I do. But that doesn't mean we shut down the breeders, abolish the breeds, and become a Domestic Shorthair and Domestic Longhair-only world. It means we breed responsibly. It means we support the shelters. It means we spay and neuter our pets.

And it means that my cats are not fucking status symbols. They are not somehow less worthy of love and comfort and a place to sleep than cats who have been abused or abandoned. They are exactly as worthy of all those things. And they are getting them from me, as will all the cats in my future.

If you can't be nice to my cats, you leave them the fuck alone.

trialia

May 17 2011, 23:38:56 UTC 6 years ago

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I do not understand human beings, sometimes, I swear. *faceplant* Sorry you were on the receiving end of that idiocy.

seanan_mcguire

May 20 2011, 16:51:18 UTC 6 years ago

Neither do I. :( Thank you.

briargrey

May 24 2011, 17:46:10 UTC 6 years ago

I totally am not surprised. I have 4 children. They were all born within 23 months of each other. Try going to a zoo in Seattle with more than 1 or 2 kids -- while I love Seattle and its people in general, having more kids than zero-population-growth dictates seems to bring out the worst in complete strangers. I got asked if I knew what caused it (er, sex? maybe?), my (ex)husband got asked if he got a vasectomy (er, no -- but his next gf probably wishes he had sometimes), and I got lectured about what I was doing to the earth. Then I would run into people who didn't have kids and find other people who would browbeat them for choosing not to have kids!

People suck. Whether it's cats, kids, reading sci-fi/fantasy, enjoying erotica, eating meat, or , someone will think you are awful for doing what you do and someone will believe they are justified in ramming their opinions down your throat until you choke on it.

My solution -- come up with smart ass answers. "Why yes, I know what causes so many kids -- and I *LOVE* it!" "Well, I used to rescue cats from the shelter, but they lack the genetic fortitude to stand up to the rigorous experiments in my underground lab." "Porn? I stopped watching it when my mom stopped working in the industry."

Hang in there, love your cats, you rock!

May 25 2011, 22:14:21 UTC 6 years ago

*nods* I'm one of the ones who gets browbeaten for not having kids (usually because I'm cis-female and OMG, how dare I not want children?) - and then there are the people who opine, usually publicly, that I shouldn't have any at all because I have a disability that can be - it's a 50% chance - inherited.

I've given up trying to make everyone happy, for the most part. Now I just try to be who I am and get through life the best way I can. Easiest way...

June 14 2011, 20:18:58 UTC 6 years ago

If you're having children and sex isn't the cause, you are a miracle of science. People should mind their own damn business. Also, you have four, but I have zero, so you're just replacing for people who choose not to!

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And then Seanan got angry.

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