theraptorcage

[theraptorcage]

Wonderful nature birds culture 😍🥰😍🥰

[theraptorcage]

In case any Americans are not aware of this: the rest of the world is FUCKING TERRIFIED of how this election is going to go. If trump wins, it affects more than just America. If trump wins, it will fuck so many other countries in so many ways.

So first of all, PLEASE VOTE. The rest of the world doesn't get to vote in your election, but we do get directly impacted by your election, so please do what we can't, and vote.

Secondly, remember that you're not just voting for America. You're voting on behalf of the all the countries that will be impacted by this election.

Please, for the love of God, vote blue, and save not just America from a second trump term, but the whole goddamn world.

[theraptorcage]

A friendly reminder to USians: if you are planning to vote on Election Day, your mantra is "Nothing I see today convinces me not to go vote."

Exit polls suggest DT cannot be caught? YOU STILL GO VOTE.

Exit polls suggest KH has it in the bag? YOU STILL GO VOTE.

Pundits are saying the country is swinging overwhelmingly red? YOU STILL GO VOTE.

Pundits are saying the country is swinging overwhelmingly blue? YOU STILL GO VOTE.

Polls can be misleading (intentionally or not). The methodology can be biased (or simply poor). Early results may not reflect what the full count will show. There may be a red mirage. NOTHING YOU SEE CONVINCES YOU NOT TO VOTE.

The biggest Democratic win in swing states means nothing if democrats don't turn out everywhere to keep the reliably blue states blue.

VOTE. Wear appropriate weather gear if you think you may have to stand in a line outside (coat, hat, gloves, umbrella, sunhat, whatever, you know where you live). Bring water and a snack and something to do (book, game on your phone, podcast and headphones, whatever, you know what you like). GO VOTE.

NOTHING YOU SEE ON ELECTION DAY CONVINCES YOU NOT TO VOTE.

[theraptorcage]

The white boop paw being a ghost reminded me of my own cat. This was Ghost. We had to put him down last Saturday after battling some mysterious illness for a full month. We discovered advanced cancer. Got 11 incredible years with the most cuddly and sweet cat who I would always describe as "As stupid as he was beautiful".

Boop your big dumb cats this Halloween for me!

[theraptorcage]

Oh wait question: do you get booped by TheRaptorCage or do you get booped by Human-esque???

I don't know how main blog vs side blog boops work

[theraptorcage]

WE'RE SO BACK RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[theraptorcage]

happy hallowing you can take TWO pieces

[theraptorcage]

imagine you're a chat and you ditch your chat spouse to go to the chat nightclub to have a hot chat date and you see your chat spouse there who is also ditching you. wyd

(from the Yellow-breasted Chat account in Birds of the World)

[theraptorcage]

by @CORVICIDE_ [commissions / shop]

[theraptorcage]

“People are inherently terrible” no!!! Have you ever seen a child wait for their friend while they tie their shoelaces? Have you ever known someone who would bring hurt squirrels and rabbits and mice to the nearest vet just so it doesn’t suffer? Have you seen someone grieve? Have you ever read something that hit your heart like a freight train? Have you looked at the stars and felt an unexplainable joy? Have you ever baked bread? Have you shared a meal with a friend? Have you not seen it? All the love? All the good? I know it’s hard to see sometimes, I know there’s pain everywhere. But look, there’s a child helping another up after a hard fall. Look, there’s someone giving their umbrella to a stranger. Look, there’s someone admiring the spring flowers. Look, there’s good, there’s good, there’s good. Look!!!!

[theraptorcage]

Friday Sept 27:

Millions are without power this morning and underwater.

Do not go into floodwaters. It is not safe. There is debris, animals, pathogens, and god knows what else in the water.

[theraptorcage]

I feel like wildlife education/animal ethics should be a required school subject for this very reason. These are likely the same people that would get out of their cars to go out and pet the bison in Yellowstone.

[theraptorcage]

I've gotten several asks about my tags on the rabies post saying that rabies vaccinated released ferals may be the only good part of TNR and asking for clarification.

While TNR does help to reduce a particular colony's abilities to breed, we are not doing enough of it to make any significant dent in the feral cat population as a whole.

These cats still spread disease amongst themselves (herpes, calici, panleuk, felv, corona virus, fleas, worms, ear mites, etc) all of which have the potential for significant impacts on quality of life or even become a terminal illness without medical intervention. This is especially true for the millions of kittens still being born each year.

TNR doesn't prevent feral cats from being attacked by predators like dogs, hawks and owls

TNR doesn't prevent feral cats from getting run over by vehicles

TNR doesn't prevent cats from eating and drinking things that are poisonous

TNR doesn't protect cats from humans who want to hurt them

TNR doesn't prevent cats from continuing to hunt native wildlife

There is currently a feral colony at my work. I've been there a little over a year. Any time a new cat shows up we trap and alter them. When I started we had 3 "ferals" (one we are certain is/was owned by someone nearby as he was already altered but not ear tipped and while he's friendly he overstims real easy and several people have been scratched/bitten by him). We're currently at 8 ferals. In this time we have: euthanized 2 at time of alter due to being positive for felv, had 2 vanish, had 1 be killed by a predator (found in the back acreage with remainder of corpse being eaten by vultures), had 1 get hit by a car in front of our clinic, trapped and euthanized 1 with a severely broken and infected leg.

We "gained" 12 ferals in a year and only 5 of those new ferals are still alive. TNR doesn't save ferals. It just lets them eventually die in worse ways.

I very much understand the reasoning behind TNR. It's very hard to look at a currently healthy cat and elect to euthanize it just because it wasn't fortunate enough to be caught and tamed and owned. And since so many people let their owned cats free roam without microchips there's a huge risk of euthanizing someone's pet and that is absolutely not okay. So TNR is our "best" option in the United States. Doesn't mean i think it actually helps much though.

[theraptorcage]

Look.

I have made you a chart. A very simple chart.

People say "You have to draw the line somewhere, and Biden has crossed it-" and my response is "Trump has crossed way more lines than Biden".

These categories are based off of actual policy enacted by both of these men while they were in office.

If the ONLY LINE YOU CARE ABOUT is line 12, you have an incredible amount of privilege, AND YOU DO NOT CARE ABOUT PALESTINIANS. You obviously have nothing to fear from a Trump presidency, and you do not give a fuck if a ceasefire actually occurs. You are obviously fine if your queer, disabled, and marginalized loved ones are hurt. You clearly don't care about the status of American democracy, which Trump has openly stated he plans to destroy on day 1 he is in office.

[theraptorcage]

Cujo, a 20 year old black vulture with the American Eagle Foundation! Vultures can consume produce outside of carrion, with personal favourites, but she is a big fan of watermelon.

[theraptorcage]

I've seen posts going around claiming that petting animals is basically tricking them into thinking they're being groomed, and it's bugging me because, like, there's no trickery afoot. Petting and scritching are grooming activities. They help to dislodge loose fur and foreign objects and more evenly distribute protective oils, among other things. Primates are social groomers, and the human impulse to scritch is the legacy of our primate ancestors. We see an animal we like, even a dangerous one, and the monkey brain says "groom that thing".