WHATS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN '&' AND 'OR' WHEN IT COMES TO DOGS & CATS?

EDITION OF TUESDAY, DEC. 10, 2024 [PetPowellPress] I was having trouble coming up with an opening paragraph this morning so I turned to ask the Readlarrypowell Office Cats for some help with words.
They were already occupied by the Office Cat Union Mandatory Nap in their contacts. So, this photo is what I got
instead of words.
In the foreground that's young Junior Office Cat Stevie Ray Treeboy and, in the warmer window spot, that's Senior Office Cat William Powell, the fellow who taught Stevie Ray how to function as a grown-up, loving cat.
Both are rescues. Speaking as a suspected human (I've never actually been tested to ascertain my origin), I find that rescued cats give me a great bit of companionship if I am always near a box of cat treats. And they teach the dogs how to quietly sit and wait for their cat treats, too. [Show of hands: How many of you, Dear Readers, have given a cat treat to a dog but can't get a cat to eat a dog treat? Cats apparently have refined tastes.]
SPEAKING OF CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS. OK, we weren't, but probably nobody reading this needs to be force-fed another paragraph about all the animals at risk in area shelters. You know where they are -- Dallas, Fort Worth and any other city that has a taxpayer-financed shelter for unwanted, strayed or cruelly dumped dogs and cats. Puppies and kittens.
What is the secret to keeping city shelter's empty? It's getting people who can't live up to the promises of loving their dogs and cats to move out of town.
That and spay and neuter. Though the longer I am involved in writing about dog and cat deaths due to overpopulation of shelters, the more I realize that "Spay & Neuter" is a message with the wrong connecting word. It should be "Spay or Neuter" so people won't walk into a vet's office and asked to have their girl dog neutered because it's cheaper.
You think I'm kidding? Ask around. Though the phrase "spay and neuter" has been around for decades, the metrosprawl is loaded with people who ain't got a clue. Honestly. Ask around. [LARRY FYI: I slipped into my Northeast Texas "ain't" patois.]
And, yes, I have encountered people (not so many lately) who told me how they'd lectured their cat about "going outside and getting pregnant."
[NOTE TO VETERAN RESCUERS: You've run into these situations, right? People who don't do rescue think all dogs come when called and all cats respond to the tender whisper of "Kitty! Kitty!" They do respond -- it's called "running" and "jumping up into a tree completely out of reach by a human!"]
For every dog or cat at peril whether in a neighborhood or a city shelter that buys euthanasia juice by the barrel, there is a common element. A human.
A human who didn't care. Or a human who was too busy to learn about the ways dogs and cats operate in real life but always thought they wanted one anyway.
Sorry, Dear Readers, I got carried away today because I woke up mystified by human behavior.
As you can see from these photos, the Office Cats are quite relaxed and so are the dogs, Porche Noel in her natural office bed pose and handsome Dudley the Angel in his "The cats dared me to sleep on the floor" pose.
In reality, I've never met an animal I didn't like -- unlike the great Oklahoma philosopher Will Rogers, that's not the way humans are adding up in my estimation.
Be kind to animals. Pass it on. Save 'em all. Spay & Neuter. Stop being stupid humans.
Next time instead of typing, I'll find a free lance shrink and schedule a lunch 'n' conversation session at an all-you-can-eat (desserts included) restaurant. What? Of course I suppress my challenges by eating more food -- I'm a born-into-a-fried chicken, taters and gravy household. It's a family tradition. I'm the only vegetarian. The dogs and cats don't look at me strangely -- for that reason, anyway. Do those glasses make my nose look bigger? Bigger than what? A bundle of carrots? Just kidding --- I hired an actor to stand-in for me the day we shot staff photos.
-- Offer advice or recipes by clicking on 'comment' below or by emailing [email protected] and put 'SPAY OR NEUTER' in the subject line. ---