Sunday, 6 October 2013

because neglect STILL isn't workin'!

...and that's why Earl Grey has my vote for Premier.  'Nough said.

Last autumn, something wonderful and miraculous happened in the Province of Nova Scotia.  What was wonderful was the fact that a tuxedo cat named Stan ran for Mayor of the largest city in this fair province.   What was miraculous was that the politicians of the province sat up and took notice.  We feline Nova Scotian residents finally had a voice and were bein' heard.  Amazin'.

I blogged all about Stan and his run for Mayor, last autumn.  Other news outlets picked up the story too but let's face it, as a Nova Scotian feline reporter, I sort of had the inside scoop.  You can read all about Stan's run for Mayor in my blog post, Stan is your man!

Although Stan was runnin' for Mayor of HRM, his name was suspiciously left off the ballot.  MOUSES!  Conspiracy theorists have come up with several theories as to why however so far, none have been proven.  On the other paw, none have been disproven, either.

Undeterred, we cats all knew what the autumn of 2013 would bring.  We Nova Scotian kitties were plannin' the biggest electoral upset in the history of Canadian politics.  October 2013 would bring a provincial election and our man Stan would run for Premier.

Then the unthinkable happened.  The day after the provincial election was called, Stan had to make his journey to the Rainbow Bridge.  What a terribly sad day it was for kitties all around the world when my pal Stan succumbed to cancer just a few short weeks ago. 

But Stan didn't leave us on our own.  He passed the political torch to his brother, Earl Grey, who is now running for Premier of Nova Scotia.  That's right...  in the upcoming provincial election, the number one, best-looking and most charming candidate is a cat.  Yoo-hoo!  YOO-HOO!  Excuse my exuberance but I just can't help but be enthusiastic at a time like this.  We have a cat running for Premier.  FINALLY!

Earl Grey is goin' nose-to-nose and paw-to-paw with the leaders of those other political parties.  Watch out MLAs, Misters Dexter, Baillie and McNeil.  The leader of the Tuxedo Party of Canada has four paws to your every two and when it comes to noses, that cute little pink one of Earl Grey's is by far the best lookin'.  Politicians disagree on a lot of stuff but there's no way, no how, that they can disagree about that.  It's a fact.

Earl Grey's candidacy has even been noticed by federal politicians.  In his recent trip to our province, the leader of the Federal Liberal Party was spotted chatting it up with an Earl Grey minion.  Yes, Justin Trudeau took the opportunity for a photo op with Earl Grey's furry representative.  Clearly, this is an attempt on Member of Parliament Trudeau's part to further political relations between our province and Ottawa.  Either that or he's worried that Earl Grey might eventually make a run for Prime Minister.


There are those factions who see Earl Grey's run for Premier as a gimmick.   Nothing but a bit of fun.  Those people couldn't be more wrong.  They couldn't be further from the truth.  The plight of Nova Scotian kitties is no laughing matter.  It's not funny at all. 

In the Province of Nova Scotia, live a large number of abandoned, unwanted and feral cats.  These cats are usually unspayed and unneutered and through no fault of their own, contribute to the cat overpopulation. 

Imagine living through a Nova Scotian winter alone and homeless.  Nowhere to go.  Nowhere to turn.  No one to help you. 

When temperatures dip far below the freezing point, the very ground upon which you walk becomes a painful torture.  The pads of your paws redden.  They become inflamed and raw.  Every step hurts.  Your tummy is empty but long ago gave up growling for growling was futile.  There are no mice to catch.  No moles.  No squirrels.  The ground is covered in snow and the only food available is what you might manage to scrounge from someone's garbage can.

If you're lucky, you might find a kind-hearted soul who will leave out for a dish of food for you, now and then.  But not everyone has a kind heart.  For every caring person you come across, you'll find another who would think nothing of giving you a kick in your side with their boot or chase you away from their doorstep with a broom.  And those people who do try their best to help the homeless cats of this province often face the wrath and ire of the unkind.  They're labelled as being "bleeding hearts" and scorned. 

My opinion is that to have a heart that does not bleed, marks you as inhuman.

In Earl Grey's Campaign Platform, he makes several worthwhile recommendations for the Animal Protection Act.  Abandoning companion animals would be made illegal, affordable spaying and neutering clinics would become available and those investigating and prosecuting charges of animal cruelty would be able to do so without having all four paws tied behind their backs.

The current Animal Protection Act, although revised in April of this year, clearly lacks any bite when it comes to the plight of cats in this province.  Nowhere in the act does it even mention the word, cat.  MOUSES!

As stated in Earl Grey's Pledge of Compassion and Action, this province's animal protection legislation "is dated and inadequate."  He asks that all candidates from all parties sign his pledge, promising to "help animals in our province."  Although a number of candidates have signed Mr. Grey's pledge, there are still a number of them who have not.   It's not too late.  The campaign isn't over until it's over.  There is still time.  You can still sign on the dotted line.

Many of the voters of this province truly believe that it is the provincial government's responsibility to put things in place that will help homeless cats.  People are often shocked to find out that many shelters do not receive adequate government funding if they receive any at all.  They also complain when charges of animal cruelty are dropped or when those convicted are not punished severely enough.  These issues have been brushed under the carpet for far too long.  It is time for the provincial legislators to recognise that animal welfare is an extremely important issue to the people of Nova Scotia.  And if it takes what they believe to be a light-hearted joke to get them to listen, then so be it.  It's time for the message to be heard.

Earl Grey's message is clear.  NEGLECT ISN'T WORKING.

***  All photos were used with the kind permission of Earl Grey's campaign staff.

44 comments:

  1. I'm so sorry to hear about Stan but thrilled to hear Earl Grey is running. I support his platform and will share from the bottom of my Canadian,ex-pat bleeding heart.

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  2. I love Earl Grey's message - it's VERY important! Good luck to him, I hope the residents of Nova Scotia do the right thing and elect him.

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  3. This makes my heart break and my blood boil. so, any politicians doing ANYTHING? We need Earl Grey!!!!!

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    1. A good number of the political candidates HAVE signed Earl Grey's pledge already including, the leader one of the parties. You can keep track of who signs - and who doesn't - through the link to the Pledge of Compassion. purrs

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    2. There's this saying: The ONLY way for evil to prevail in the world is for good people to do nothing.

      And here's another one: Laws cannot change the heart but, they can restrain the heartless

      Martyn Luther King~


      I TRULY believe in them BOTH!!
      Because that's often said about declawing cats.

      Which I do not BELIEVE in!!!!!!

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  4. WE sure hope you get lots of people or kitties to sign the pledge. We are big fans of feral cats and always want to see them treated right. We hope Earl Grey gets elected. Have a great Sunday.

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  5. Good post, Nerissa! Wishing loads of luck to Earl Grey from Old Scotia (Scotland).

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  6. Very well said.

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  7. GO GO Earl! Wonderful blog!

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  8. Good job Earl Grey - even if you don't win, bringing this issue to the forefront is wonderful. THANKS for letting us know about him.

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  9. We've been following Earl Grey's campaign and we know he has the right answers for Feral Nova Scotians. We give 16 paws up to his platform.
    Harry, Dexter, Willow and Tipp

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  10. We're rooting for Earl Grey! We hope he wins!! Mom and Dad will tell their friends in Nova Scotia to vote for him!!!

    The Florida Furkids

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  11. Awesome post, Nissy. What a great and honorable campaign Earl Grey is running. We sure wish we lived in Nova Scotia, because he would have our votes for sure!

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  12. We are hoping that Earl Grey sweeps the board with those uncaring humans and turns them out on a cold winter night with an empty tummy and no shoes.
    Luv Hannah and Lucy xx xx

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  13. Earl Grey would have ALL our votes for sure! When will humans learn we're PEOPLE not POSSESSIONS?!?

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  14. Hooray for Earl Grey! He is much smarter than any politician we have in this country!

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  15. Go Earl Grey!! We're on your side! - Crepes (catinthefridge)

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  16. Yay, Earl Grey! We wish we could vote for him!

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  17. Go get 'em, Earl Grey! We know you'll do your Angel brother proud.

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  18. So well written purrrfect in every way. Go Earl Grey all the cats of America are behind you lead the way and perhaps we will start getting candidates here in America to run for Governor of each state in the Union. You are our Hero!!!!!!!

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  19. We are so sorry to hear about Stan but fully support Earl Grey!!!!!

    To bad we live in the U.S. and can't vote for him. (Sigh) cats really need to take over the U.S. the humans in charge have shut our government down.

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  20. agree with my pal Brian...Earl Grey is paws and ears and tails above anything in the USA that even thinks it is a politician. And I use "it" on purrpose...

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  21. Earl Grey would have our vote...if we could vote. ;)

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  22. I was sorry to hear about Stan also. Glad Earl Grey is running. Sounds like he would do a great job. I live in the US too or I would give him my vote too.
    Sue B

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  23. We would definitely vote for Earl Grey if we lived in the area!

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  24. Lady says a cat as prime minister may not be the world's worst thing . . . . . . She hears about a donkey who ran for office in Mexico. Lee and Phod

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  25. We are so super sorry to hear about Stan but glad brofur, Earl Grey, took his place and is working to have some better animal rights in your province. We're really hoping for the best and wishing him good luck. Purrs and hugs, Lily Olivia, Mauricio, Misty May, Giulietta, Fiona, Astrid, Lisbeth and Calista Jo P.S. from Mauricio: Nissy, Have you given any thought to joining Cat Scouts? I think you would be a real asset.

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    1. Cat Scouts, huh? Hmmm... I saw Sammy's uniform and was super impressed. It's very spiffy! What exactly is involved? purrs

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  26. Well, if I was a Canadian kitty, Earl Grey would get *my* vote! And the Human's too. In fact, maybe he'd like to come on down here and see if he can use some duct tape and superglue to put the US government back together..... Oh, wait, no--maybe it's better when they AREN'T doing anything.

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  27. Good luck to Earl Grey we hope he is elected. Have a marvellous Monday.
    Best wishes Molly

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  28. A very good message! Good luck to him!

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  29. Well I'm certainly rooting for Earl Grey even though I can't vote - wouldn't it be fabulous if he did win? Amazing.....totally.......

    Kitty Hugs, Sammy

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  30. We will support this campaign all the way

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  31. It seems that Earl Grey is doing a good job so far!

    Nerissa, I have nominated you for an award. Stop by my bloggie if you can =^.^=

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  32. If international voting is allowed, Earl Grey has ours!

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  33. OMC !
    This is soooo cool !
    Can tell you that a Cat in a election in Sweden will NEVER happen in a million years !
    Go Earl Grey GOOOO !

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  34. Good luck to Earl Grey,got to say if I lived there I would vote for him,xx Speedy

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  35. Replies
    1. Gotta get the word out about the Tuxedo Party of Canada, for sure! purrs

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