Felines and Squirrels aren’t naturally the best companions, but this Redditor’s pets are getting along well. The cat and rescue squirrel cuddled on the bed for a few minutes, with the feline acting as a protector.
However, the Reddit users they shared the video with weren’t impressed because there’s a problem with wildlife domestication worldwide. Several animal care and rescue organizations, including PETA, constantly implore people to ignore videos glorifying the domestication of wildlife animals.
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In this case, there was no debate about the ethics of the situation but a consensus that things like this should stop.
Feline And Squirrel Cuddle
It’s Affecting The Squirrel’s Nature
Squirrels Need Their Kind, Not Predators
Fostering Wild Animals Is Inhumane To Them
Several Redditors questioned the Original Poster’s motives saying that they didn’t prepare the squirrel for the real world, a.k.a. wildlife, and as such, it may remain domesticated. In that case, there’s no point rescuing the animal because it’ll be miserable in a home.
One poster highlighted the toxicity of cats’ saliva and its dangers to squirrels. The person also highlighted the animals’ interactions as a red flag, saying the squirrel showed signs of infection and improper care.
Seek Professional Help When You Rescue Wildlife
While the video appears cute, it’s not right because animal domestication is ethically wrong. Squirrels are naturally wild animals because they need space to run around and chew on things that aren’t ideal for indoor living.
Domesticating a squirrel is an uphill task, and you’d end up frustrated or, worse, resorting to their inhumane treatment for even a semblance of sanity.
On the other hand, cats are easily domesticated because they’re not fussy and decide when to be tame. They’re inherently from a line of wild animals but don’t have the “destructive” tendencies of squirrels.
Cats and squirrels together are another case entirely because they don’t mingle well. Cats are natural predators, and squirrels are amongst their prey, so acting in their basic instinct, the two animals would always be at loggerheads.
That Redditor keeping them together strips both animals of their inherent nature, which is inhumane. Once they release the squirrel back into the wild where it belongs, assimilation becomes difficult.
Better with Cats says that raising cats and squirrels together may lead to less apprehension, but once their instincts kick in, the cat chases, and the squirrel runs! When you rescue a squirrel, don’t put it in an endangered environment – find the nearest wildlife rescue center and call for help from experts.
