Hawkes Bay Today
  • Hawke's Bay Today home
  • Latest news
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
  • Video
  • Death notices
  • Classifieds

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • On The Up
  • Sport
  • Business
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Residential property listings
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology

Locations

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Havelock North
  • Central Hawke's Bay
  • Tararua

Media

  • Video
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-Editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

Weather

  • Napier
  • Hastings
  • Dannevirke
  • Gisborne

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Hawkes Bay Today

Why do pets matter more than kids

MARK STORY - Assistant Editor
Hawkes Bay Today·
19 Feb, 2012 10:10 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article

I'm at war with a neighbourhood tomcat.

The new moggie-on-the-block scraps with my jet-black cat on our turf, before stealing its food. Then, as a gesture of thanks for the fight and free meal, it urinates on our front doorstep.

Such feline arrogance has forced me to crouch behind the lemon tree and unleash a volley of yellow grenades. None have been accurate, yet, but with the cause reinvigorated by a urine aromatic each time I open my front door, I have little issue with hurling citrus at maximum velocity.

These are tough times for Bay pets.

In the past fortnight about 10 cats were picked off by marksmen, while another was scalded with boiling water. Dogs too were shot at in suburban streets.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

To add to the misery, the cash-strapped Hastings SPCA announced it may be forced to shut. The donation-reliant shelter's running costs are crippling.

Another symptom reared its head in Hastings District Court last week, where a young woman pleaded guilty to shoplifting after stealing dog-worming tablets from a supermarket. She told the court her dog needed treating but the tablets were too expensive.

When money's tight, the first thing to go is the Jellymeat.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But is it really?

On Valentine's Day last week, following another act of cat cruelty, a local citizen offered $1000 for information leading to a prosecution. The reward was increased to $1750 after others added to the kitty.

I have mixed feelings about the bounty.

The gesture was notable not just for its generosity but, because in my 39 years, I've yet to see a like reward tenured for acts of cruelty inflicted on the helpless within our own species.

Despite (or perhaps because of) this country's repugnant child-abuse statistics, the act of maiming animals still raises the ire of the populace much more swiftly.

The phenomenon reminds me of a controversial 2004 TV episode of Eating Media Lunch, where a mock slaughtering of Shrek the sheep was staged.

The next segment showed real macabre footage of Iraq soldiers shot dead as they crossed a street.

Not surprisingly the episode attracted complaints from viewers, namely, that the Shrek segment was distasteful. No complaints were offered on the slain soldiers.

Naturally, humanitarian causes shouldn't preclude our duty to protect animals. Yet that's what the SPCA is for.

Those who have the inclination and means to bankroll a posse for animal abusers would be better off sending that money to shore-up our ailing Hastings shelter.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

But let's get real.

Man's inhumanity to man or, in New Zealand's case - man's inhumanity to children, surely warrants the lion's share of our resources.

Save
    Share this article

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Hawkes Bay Today

Firefighters battle motel fire on Napier’s Marine Parade

23 Sep 09:58 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

Ross Shield: Defending champions Napier held to first-day draw

23 Sep 05:04 AM
Hawkes Bay Today

Collaboration and conversation: Performing Arts Exchange coming to Hastings

23 Sep 02:26 AM

Sponsored

Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable

22 Sep 01:23 AM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Hawkes Bay Today

Firefighters battle motel fire on Napier’s Marine Parade
Hawkes Bay Today

Firefighters battle motel fire on Napier’s Marine Parade

Many of the motel occupants evacuated onto the street during the blaze.

23 Sep 09:58 AM
Ross Shield: Defending champions Napier held to first-day draw
Hawkes Bay Today

Ross Shield: Defending champions Napier held to first-day draw

23 Sep 05:04 AM
Collaboration and conversation: Performing Arts Exchange coming to Hastings
Hawkes Bay Today

Collaboration and conversation: Performing Arts Exchange coming to Hastings

23 Sep 02:26 AM


Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable
Sponsored

Poor sight leaving kids vulnerable

22 Sep 01:23 AM
NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • Hawke's Bay Today e-edition
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Subscribe to the Hawke's Bay Today
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • NZME Events
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP