Submitted by onymous in EarthAnimalLiberation

Pursuant to my last post here, I need proof of vaccination for my feline friend for them to be allowed to move with me. Problem is, it turns out their vaccinations aren't "up to date," even the rabies one. While I'm not one of those vaccines-cause-autism people, I can't put them in a cage and bring them to get held down and stabbed with needles repeatedly while they shrink away. I can't. I can't do it. I can't do that to them, and I can't betray their trust, and I think I might actually be sick if I try.

Has anyone else here dealt with a dilemma like this with being stuck in the "pet" relation? Any creative solutions that don't involve nonconsensual needle stabbing? I'm considering trying to modify the records I have, but I'm not sure if the landlord would follow up with the hospital (it's been a whole struggle to even get them to allow a cat). Also considering forging them completely somehow. (Was gonna post this to f/illegalism or f/be_gay_do_crime, but I'm not sure who'd side with me on the vaccination thing.)

2

Comments

You must log in or register to comment.

celebratedrecluse wrote

Are you seriously trying to avoid getting your pets medical care?

Fuck off

2

onymous OP wrote

You know, I figured I'd get responses like that, but I'd hoped I'd be able to avoid it in a forum called "Earth and Animal Liberation."

I'm trying not to traumatize someone I love (I refuse to think of them as my "pet" except as the societal position we're trapped in) by violating their bodily autonomy. If they had an idea of what the vaccine was and wanted it, that would be one thing, but as it is that's not really gonna be an intuitive form of health care for them (as other forms might be) and it's just going to be me putting them in a cage and having someone stick a fucking needle in them against their will. Not even in an emergency situation. I personally want, like, voluntary relations to my body, and I'm gonna extend that respect to others, particularly those I love.

"Medical care" isn't exempt from criticism just because it draws on positive emotions, and hijacks an actual life need to be channeled into a centralized, professionalized narrative. It separates you from your body and does to that body what it decides to no matter what you think, particularly if you don't even have the weak privileges being human allows you. Industrial medicine is just as much a fucking disciplinary institution as anything else. I'd really appreciate not being attacked for trying to resist it.

0

celebratedrecluse wrote

So what do you envision is going to happen if your companion gets one of these easily preventable illnesses?

When you take up companionship with a dependent person, like a child or a non human animal, you take on responsibility to ensure care for that person that they cannot get themselves. And a small part of that is getting them the best medical care you are able to. Not doing that is violence.

Consider that nobody insisted you to own a pet. It was something you volunteered to do, and now there are consequences to engaging in a domestic relationship.

1

onymous OP wrote

Okay. Look.

I don't know what to do about the diseases. I'm civilized, I don't know how anything works. I'm trying to figure that out too, but it's a bit difficult when even the people who'd even consider falling off the main path here insist on repeating the same fucking propaganda. (I'm being pretty harsh, but so were you, and this is important.) And for the record, somebody actually did rope me into having a "pet." But that doesn't actually matter, because even if a different me had chosen an oppressive role, that doesn't mean I shouldn't subvert it. It would probably mean I should even more, actually.

We are literally talking about an actual property relation. There's a whole narrative of positivity within the culture of having a "pet," and genuine love, and it all twists up from this base of actual, literal slavery. Pets are slaves. These days, due to automation (in my part of the world anyway) usually this slavery is for emotional labor. That's literally what it is; pets are cute, biological machines that you create this sugary (or bitchy, because tbh a lot of the mechanisms for how one's emotions are treated carry over) persona for, and keep captive in your house and control the food and time and movement and relationships and life of so you can use them for a commodified version of love. (Basically also what having a kid means in this world.) It's not even, like, slavery with extra steps, it's blatant, outright slavery.

And like every oppressive system, it has its own internal ideology. Part of that ideology is guardianship--the idea that you must assume authoritarian power over the "wellbeing" of your charge because they are unable to do so "properly." It's not the mutual, voluntary care of companions, it is the rhetoric of property maintenance dressed up so people don't see through how condescending, elitist, and cruel it actually is. It is not kind. It hijacks the instinct for kindness.

From my limited time on here, you seem like a thoughtful and insightful person, which is part of why I'm saying so much. I don't even care about the original ask anymore, I'm just desperate to say this, even if you don't read it. Maybe someone else will. Because someone is telling you, right now, that you have fallen for that ideology. You have pieces of it still stuck within you that you haven't scraped out yet. And this has the potential to hurt people, directly, but more insidiously, it has the potential to get you to hurt them. As undoubtedly you yourself have been hurt. Do with that warning what you will.

0

celebratedrecluse wrote

lmao you're the one asking for help on how to get away with putting your pet in danger of catching serious preventable illnesses, because you're squicked out by them getting a couple shots.

but i'm the dangerous person?

if you weren't serious I'd be laughing

1

[deleted] wrote

0

celebratedrecluse wrote

It wasnt hesitance. This person asked for help hiding their antivax actions from others by faking documentation. This would lead others to believe it was safe to bring other animals into direct or indirect contact with them.

This is how animals die of preventable illness. It has no fucking place on an animal lib forum, and they are acting extremely self righteous about being called out for this.

It would be different if they asked for help on how to ensure comfort for their companion during vaccination, finding compassionate vets or having the talk. But youre the one who was talking about that, not them.

1