I'm
writing to you as a concerned hybrid cat enthusiast.
I
recently read the article "Where the Wild Cats Are" in the November
issue (page 46) of Cat Fancy magazine, and am very upset that
they printed what is essentially exotic cat ban propaganda in the
guise of an informative "article." The article starts out as if it's
discussing the preservation of wild cats, and then turns into a
tirade against private ownership of all non-domestic
felines.
If
exotic feline bans are implemented everywhere, what will that do to
the Bengal, Savannah, and Chausie breeds and their continued
development?
There
are issues with people owning exotic cats--for both
the animals (in all cases), and public safety (in some cases). But
the article paints all exotics with the same brush:
lion=tiger=serval=Geoffroy=ALC etc.. From a public safety
viewpoint, a lion or tiger is a vastly different issue than a
serval , geoffroy cat, jungle cat, asian leopard cat--or any
of the lesser cats. The solution is owner education and
intelligent regulation--not complete bans and
hysteria.
Cat
Fancy obviously feels they can bash private exotic owners and
implicitly support exotic feline bans (which often include
governmental confiscation of their animals) while they run feature
articles on Bengals, Savannahs, and other hybrid breeds: pocketing
the profits they receive from those breeders' advertising, and using
those breeds' pretty pictures to sell their
magazine.
As
you know, many exotic ban laws DO treat hybrids the same as the
original exotics, so supporting this kind of ban politics
will result in legislation that adversely affects even
later-generation hybrid cats--regardless of individual cats'
dispositions.
Make NO mistake about it: the people who want to ban
exotics also want to ban all domestic hybrids WITH those exotics as
well !!
With
the large readership that Cat Fancy enjoys, enthusiasts of
the small exotic cats and their hybrids cannot afford to let them
preach against exotic ownership unchallenged. They're jaundicing the
public opinion of everyday cat owners against our animals, and
helping set the stage for more bans.
Please
write to the following people at Cat Fancy and let them know
that you don't like their editorial stand against exotic cat
ownership:
Susan
Logan, Editor
Sandy
Meyer, Managing Editor
Laureen T. Silverman, Associate Editor
their
address is-- Cat Fancy magazine; PO Box 6050; Mission Viejo,
CA 92690-6050
Please
stand with me and let Cat Fancy know that you strongly
disapprove of their political stand against private ownership of
exotic cats, and what it could do to your business and your
continued use of their magazine for advertising.
Sincerely yours,
Greg
Lyons.
greg@NebraskaServal.com
PS:
The only way we 're going to be able to convince them to change
their editorial policy is with a groundswell response. I know you're
very busy, but if you could contact even some of your friends
and customers of yours who've purchased cats (or kittens) from you,
that would help tremendously. Everyone who's ever
purchased one of your cats or kittens has a big stake in this, too
(whether they realize it yet, or not). They'll appreciate the
heads-up.
