Pspspspspsps.
*Makes kissy noises*
Pspspspspspspspspspsps.
*Clicks fingers gently*
Pspspspspsps!
*Crouches to the ground*
Pspspspspspsps.
*Huffs*
*Gives up with the tired attempts at beckoning you over, gets up and, instead, follows you from room to room.*
You, of course, being any beloved animal that inhabits this very planet alongside us. Cats, dogs, squirrels, pigeons, foxes, blue tits, Siberian jays, wolverines, reindeer, mink, turtles, jellyfish, otters, snails, sparrows, hamsters, bats, sloths, elephants, owls – and the rest. All creatures a little lower on the spectrum of sentience, but all beings that deserve to be. To be happy. To be loved. To be protected. And I’m forever a firm believer that every creature, great and small, possesses cognitive awareness and the capacity to feel deeply; all of which is entangled with their inner monologue who sounds like either Julie Andrews or Michael Caine. I’m sure of it.
Our Green Swaps so far have been centred around protecting our beautiful planetary home. Undoing what we’ve done throughout history and healing Mother Nature, restoring her, reviving her, returning her to her former global glory. But this month, we’re focusing on what Mother Nature is the mother of. More than just the apex predators we call our local postmen, dentists, TV presenters, family members. Beyond just the top-of-the-food-chain humans who’ve seemed to snatch the reins of existence into our own hands. But all those other living beings that live here, too. Every animal, every insect, every existing thing that pays the price for the damage we’ve caused to this very Earth. This month, this is for them.
We’re endeavouring to be eco-friendly and animal-friendly. With this selection of Green Swap challenges – you can be both. Here’s how:
1. Be an eco-friendly pet owner:
When you’re a pet owner, you’re not a pet owner; you’re a parent. Guardian of this curious creature, this domesticated beast, this tiny, furry, incommunicable being who’s wellbeing is the most important thing in the world to you. He’s not your dog, he’s your baby. She’s not your orange cat, she’s your very reason for waking up in the morning (and the reason you wake up so early, when she’s clawing at your face at 5am). They’re not just pets, they’re precious additions to your family.
But not all animals are somebody’s pet, somebody’s loved one. Some are stray, feral, wild. Most, in fact. For every pet cat, there are over twice as many stray cats, living out on the street. With 600 million felines worldwide, 220 million have homes, 480 million – don’t. And as much as I would love to adopt all 600 million of them (that’s right, I’ll even pinch the ones from your houses), I can’t. We can’t save everything. But we can do our part to help, to protect the animals and the environment that exist beyond our homes – by being eco-friendly pet owners, eco-friendly parents, with the animals we do get to call our own.
“Changing the small, everyday choices we make can have a huge impact on wildlife and the environment.” – The Wildlife Trusts.
Here are some eco-swaps or eco-additions you can integrate into your pet-routine:
Buy Earth-friendly pet food
Meat, as we know, is very resource-heavy. For human and pet food, alike, it requires a lot of energy to produce, and it’s a large source of pollution. However, your cat, Cindy Clawford, doesn’t care about that one bit. She wants meat. She craves it. She cries out for it eight times a day as though she isn’t the most well fed pet on the planet. So, naturally, it can’t be helped that you’re going to be purchasing meat-based products to feed her with – but you can help the planet by choosing what kinds of meat you pick. Chicken has a much lower impact than beef, for example. And many different kinds of pet food also have plant-based options that still provide your fur baby all the nutrients they need. Ones like The Pack and Lily’s Kitchen.
But it’s not just the food that’s the issue – it’s the packaging, too. So, if you can, try and choose a pet food brand that uses recyclable or biodegradable packing. Brands like Scrumbles and Pure.
Attach a bell to your cat’s collar
The chances are, Cindy Clawford is a certified killer. If she’s an indoor cat, that will stretch to the arm of your sofa and any carpet lining your staircase, but if she’s an outdoor cat, that might mean the unwelcome arrival of bird corpses and mice guts. A gift from your wild child, one that you cannot return – or revive. Sometimes, Cindy, it’s not the thought that counts.
Pets don’t mean to be murderous maniacs. It’s written into their genetic code. Hunters by nature and divas by evolution, they’re a volatile mixture of sweet little angel and homicidal devil. Equipped with toe beans and razor-sharp claws in one.
We can’t stop them from wanting to act on their instincts – but we can make it much harder for them to succeed at doing so. Indoor cats, you’re fine for this one. Outdoor cats, look away now.
Buy Kitty Krueger a collar with a bell, or a bell to attach to their existing one. Let it act as a warning bell, an approaching alarm to any unwitting creatures that are mere moments away from becoming dinner. Help them escape to the melodic tune of your cat on the prowl. It might not save them all – but it will save some. And some will always be infinitely better than none. Even one life is 100% more lives saved than zero. Right?
Cindy will get over it. Or she’ll be sick on your shoes. Either way, the garden voles will thank you kindly.
Buy eco-friendly toys
You’ve probably already seen it in action. The arrival of your highly anticipated new pet purchase, this incredible and innovative electronic cat-nip spin-and-release contraption, with balls and slides and all manner of things for your cat to play with. And when you unboxed it and set it in front of Cindy… she strutted right past it without a mere glance and instead claimed the empty box as her prize. The toy cost £45. Non-refundable. Non-sustainable.
Your pets aren’t as fussy as they make out. A piece of string, a big stick, a tennis ball, your bare feet – they’ll play with anything they can get their paws on. So, instead of purchasing products that are made of harmful plastics and fibres, get creative. Empty loo rolls, cardboard boxes, shoelaces, string, balls, old blankets. Your home is likely already a treasure trove of pet toys. And if you are intent on buying – buy sustainable, recyclable, things with low environmental impact.
2. Use animal-cruelty free cosmetic products
Who of us would have ever even considered this to be a world in which beauty products were tested on baby rabbits? Chemicals tried out on poor creatures? Products trialled on animals that don’t get a choice, get a say? Maybe I was naïve to think that humans were better than that.
Alas, many cosmetic companies are still doing it. “According to a survey among the 50 largest cosmetic brands in the world, 88% of them are not cruelty-free. This means that 44 of the 50 largest cosmetic brands test on animals themselves or have them tested by third parties.”
It’s time we sought out the 12% that do care about animal welfare. Though they’re fewer and further between, there are still plenty of beauty and hygiene brands out there who do prioritise lives, in all their furs and forms. Brands like Faith in Nature and The Body Shop. In fact, here are two large lists, one put together by Peta and one by Cruelty-Free Kitty, of cruelty-free, “beauty without bunnies.”
But if you’re wondering how to tell if a product is cruelty-free whilst you’re out and about and browsing, it’s easy: look out for the bunny! “There are three official, certified cruelty-free bunny logos that you can trust: PETA cruelty-free, The Leaping Bunny and Choose Cruelty-Free.”
Image from: Cruelty-Free Kitty
3. Create a wildlife friendly garden
In fact, instead of just discouraging Ms Clawford from shredding any visitors in your garden – why not encourage more of those visitors by making your garden wildlife-friendly? A sustainable sanctuary for crawlers, flyers and passers-by-ers (and when your hellcat awakens, at least the siren song of her collar will alert them to the impending danger). Here’s how you can spruce up your garden space:
- Provide shelter and food for birds – feeders, bird boxes, seeds, kitchen scraps and fat balls. Stick the shelters up as high as you can to protect them from your on-the-ground prowler, and to keep them warm in the winter months.
- Compost! As we learned in a previous Green Swaps, composting is an excellent way to reduce your impact on the environment, enrich plants and soil, lower the emission of greenhouse gases and prevent food waste – and it makes an incredible natural habitat for worms and insects! So do bug hotels, actually.
- Mow your lawn less. Remember when we mentioned No Mow May? A way of letting your lawn grow to encourage wildflowers and pollinators, creating a thriving haven of biodiversity? Yeah. Try that this month, too.
- Add in a pond! If you’ve got enough space and a “How to Build a Pond” manual to hand, then you’re grand! Create a little waterworld for those who aren’t allowed into your local swimming pool. Somewhere with both shade and sunlight, if possible.
Call the RSPCA or USPCA any time you see an animal in trouble. An injured hedgehog or a little grebe stuck in a riverbed. Whatever the case, no animal deserves to be left helpless and alone. With you beside them, they’re neither.
4. October 4th – World Animal Day
World Animal Day is more than just a day to celebrate animals all across the world – but to recognise and raise awareness for animal protection. Because they belong here just as much as we do, and though we humans have conquered the majority of these lands for ourselves, we need to learn to share.
“World Animal Day is an annual event on the 4th of October, celebrating animal rights and welfare across the globe. It’s an important day and has been marked since 1925, with a growing international community striving to end the needless suffering of all animals.” – World Animal Protection UK.
It might be two months away, but that gives you time to prepare, to plan, to spread the word. Because anybody and everybody all across the globe can participate, can provide a voice for those who cannot understand us. Through fundraising events, charity support, peaceful protests, workshops, shelter open days, school events, sponsored walks, bake sales, pet adoption events, donations and education sessions, businesses, organisations and individuals, alike, can get involved on this year’s World Animal Day – in the hopes that what’s learned on that day makes a difference to the animals, every day.
Does the life of an animal mean nothing at all?
It does to us. All lives do. That’s why we’re making these tiny changes with tremendous impacts. Not just for us, nor even just for Mother Nature. But for all the creatures in her care, too.
*You follow Cindy into your living room. She disappears for a moment beneath the coffee table, then reappears, shoving your laptop toward you with her furry head. It’s already on, this month’s Green Swaps open on the screen. “Well look what the cat dragged in!” You say with a smile, knowing it’s not an animal from your garden. Cindy’s bell jingles. She looks pretty miffed. You couldn’t be happier.*
