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Proponents argue that cats are “non-native” and do not deserve compassion, even though “non-native” and “invasive species” are the language of intolerance, based on an idea most of us have rejected in our treatment of our fellow human beings — that the value of a living being can be reduced to the place of ancestral origin.

Indeed, people are “non-native” to Hawaii, too, and unlike cats, they cause most of the environmental harm impacting other animals: eating birds, using pesticides, and destroying wildlife habitat to build hotels, shopping malls, and golf courses. But to the nativists on the Council, the rules do not apply to them.

Nathan Winograd, The No Kill Advocacy Center.

Article Highlights

PLEASE READ COMPLETE ARTICLE HERE:  NO KILL CENTER LINK

Hawaii Nativists Choose Cruelty Over Compassion

"... Moreover, biodiversity has never been higher in Hawaii. To make the opposite case, nativists simply do not count the plants and animals they dislike. And therein lies the rub: as much as it pretends to be, Invasion Biology — the underpinning of nativism — is not science, it is ideology; and a morally repugnant one at that. It is also cruel and unworkable.

In addition to depriving cats of food and care, the bill also harms people. A recent study found that approaches similar to those in the Hawaii bill lead to profound human suffering."

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It would also protect birds by reducing the number of cats, cat home ranges (and therefore, the chance of contact with birds and other wildlife), and hunting. It would spare cat suffering, caregiver suffering, and teach children how to solve challenges without resorting to the infliction of harm. Doing so would be an embrace of the “aloha” spirit. In the Hawaiian language, “aloha” means love, affection, compassion, mercy, sympathy, pity, kindness, and grace.

But nativists on the Island will not allow it. And they will not allow it because they trade in violence against animals and people, not love, compassion, mercy, or grace —or, for that matter, real environmentalism. As Carl Jung, the father of analytical psychology, argued, if you want to understand someone’s motivation, look at the consequences of their actions. If this is true, the goal of nativists is to harm cats and those who love them. Indeed, while the bill prohibits compassionate care, it explicitly allows for their trapping and removal, and thus killing."

PLEASE READ COMPLETE ARTICLE HERE:  NO KILL CENTER LINK

NO KILL ADVOCACY CENTER

The No Kill Advocacy Center is the leading organization working to end the killing of animals in shelters. Through legislation, litigation, direct assistance, consultation, education, and rescue, The No Kill Advocacy Center has been the leading force in the creation of hundreds of No Kill communities across the country for the better part of two decades.

When we started, mass killing in shelters was the norm. Today, we have No Kill communities across the country and they all achieved it using our approach. For the animals who live in those cities and towns and for the people who love them, we are making a life and death difference. A No Kill nation is truly within our reach.

Learn more at NoKillAdvocacyCenter.org.