Can kids prevent cruelty to animals? Absolutely! Why? Because it's the right thing to do. Animals are living beings who deserve kindness and compassion. But they can't speak for themselves so they need people like us, folks who love animals, to speak for them. And kids can help in many ways!
How can you help? Here are some helpful ways to prevent cruelty.
1. Know the law. In New Hamshire, a person is guilty of a misdemeanor (a less serious crime) for the first offense of negligence and a class B felony (a serious crime) the second or more times of negligence. This means if someone fails to provide shelter, food, or water they would be guilty of negligence. If the animal is hurt or sick or suffering because someone does not care properly for the animal, the owner would be guilty of negligence. If someone hurts an animal on purpose they are guilty of a class B felony (a serious crime) any time.
2. Know the signs. These are clues an animal is in trouble. Even if someone has not hurt the animal on purpose, the animal needs help.
*The animal is too thin.
*The animal is missing patches of fur
*The animal is limping or acts hurt.
*The animal has cuts, scrapes or bruises.
*The animal whimpers, hides, or acts aggressive when certain people approach.
*The animal is outside all the time or most of the time with no food or no water or no shelter from heat or bad weather.
3. Write down what you see or hear. What did you see? Write down the time and date it happened. Write down where it happened. Write down which animals and people were involved. Then ask a parent or a teacher to help you report the case. You always want adult help with something as serious as animal cruelty!
4. Call for help. With adult help, contact the police or animal control office in your town or city. Give them the information you wrote down. Then they can investigate and help the animal who is being abused.
When a cat lives indoors, your feline friend can really pack on a few extra pounds! Living inside is safer but not a very busy lifestyle. So, it's up toa cat's owner to liven things up, provide excitement and fun to keep a cat happy. As luck would have it, cats are easy to amuse. There is very little in our homes that could not serve as a cat toy in a pinch. In fact, commercial cat toys may gather dust while items set aside for recycling are great for your feline friend. Bottle caps, paper shopping bags, and used shoe boxes may be garbage to you but they might give your cat a rip-roaring good time.
When choosing household items for cat-worthiness, pay attention to bits and pieces that could be chewed on and swallowed, caught on a claw or become stuck in the cat's throat. While most cat love hiding in paper shopping bags, they hate be stuck in the handles. So snip the handles off the bag first. Don't hand over paper curling ribbon, plastic milk cap rims or alluminum foil. These can cause stomach and digestive problems that require expensive medical treatment. Tie a string to a foot long stick and use the other end to tie a feather. This can be great fun and certainly an inexpensive item.
Some commercial items can also prevent damage to your furniture. A scratching post, climbing stations and cardboard floor-based scratcher are all good investments. Making a window sill available as a viewing station can is also entertaining too.
Easter Is A Great Time To Plan A Garden!
Cocheco Valley Humane Society wants to remind everyone that bunnies and baby chicks are NOT good additions to your Easter basket. But packages of seeds would be just the thing! Ask your parents to fill your basket with seeds for a spring garden. Maybe you'd like a flower garden that attracts butterflys and humingbirds. Perhaps a pizza garden full of vegetables, basil and oregano is your idea of a tasty treat. Salad gardens full of lettuce, cucumbers and grape tomatoes would be a healthy addition for the entire family. Talk to your parents and let us know what you think. CVHS would love a picture of your Easter basket garden. Just sent it to humaneed@cvhsonline.org and let us know what you planted!
