Alamo Drafthouse South Lamar
Controversy Over 'Luv Doc'
RECEIVED Thu., March 8, 2012
Dear Editor,
It sounds like the Luv Doc needs to change his name to the Locked 'n’ Loaded Doc, judging by his overwrought response to a gardener who was simply looking for some tips on discouraging a cat from using her garden as a litter box, not going all Wile E. Coyote on the unsuspecting kitty [“Luv Doc Recommends,” March 2].
Here are some tips that might actually help the homeowner: Use gravel, stones, or large pieces of pine bark as mulch (cats prefer a soft surface for digging); surround seedlings with pine cones or plastic fork “fences”; buy a motion-activated sprinkler (cats don’t like to get doused); or spray the area weekly with a cat repellent like Liquid Fence. If your yard is fenced, you can cut PVC pipes lengthwise and “clip” them over the top of the fence to prevent cats from gaining a foothold and getting in the yard.
It is because of people in desperate need of anger-management counseling, like the Luv Doc, apparently, that PETA encourages everyone to keep their cats safely indoors. The Luv Doc’s advice may have been tongue-in-cheek, but it is not unusual for angry neighbors to resort to cruel measures to deter free-roaming felines.
It sounds like the Luv Doc needs to change his name to the Locked 'n’ Loaded Doc, judging by his overwrought response to a gardener who was simply looking for some tips on discouraging a cat from using her garden as a litter box, not going all Wile E. Coyote on the unsuspecting kitty [“Luv Doc Recommends,” March 2].
Here are some tips that might actually help the homeowner: Use gravel, stones, or large pieces of pine bark as mulch (cats prefer a soft surface for digging); surround seedlings with pine cones or plastic fork “fences”; buy a motion-activated sprinkler (cats don’t like to get doused); or spray the area weekly with a cat repellent like Liquid Fence. If your yard is fenced, you can cut PVC pipes lengthwise and “clip” them over the top of the fence to prevent cats from gaining a foothold and getting in the yard.
It is because of people in desperate need of anger-management counseling, like the Luv Doc, apparently, that PETA encourages everyone to keep their cats safely indoors. The Luv Doc’s advice may have been tongue-in-cheek, but it is not unusual for angry neighbors to resort to cruel measures to deter free-roaming felines.
Sincerely,
Alisa Mullins
PETA Foundation
Alisa Mullins
PETA Foundation
[The Luv Doc replies: Damn it, woman, “Luv Doc Recommends” isn't about common-sense solutions to real-world problems. It's about feelings. It's about thinking with the heart instead of the head. As a member of a foundation that uses sensationalism and controversy to draw attention to real issues, I would think you'd get that. Cat crap is a real problem. So are feral and free-range cats, who, it is estimated, kill up to a billion birds a year. A billion tiny souls. Countless tens of billions of bird orphans and aggrieved love ones. A veritable avian holocaust. I personally don't know how you sleep at night, Alisa, with that kind of carnage on your conscience. What? Are we going to spray the entire outdoors with Liquid Fence? Somebody has to speak for the birds. Who will speak for the birds?]
