Editor:
My wife and I are contributing members of the Nature Center. We enjoy strolling through the museum with our dog Jake, who is always very interested in the various scents from the reptiles, animals and furs.
We enjoyed that friendly cat, Sunny, usually sitting regally on a chair near the cash register. Jake and Sunny had a friendship built on mutual respect. I saw lots of people enjoying Sunny and it never occurred to me that this cat was a problem.
Then, we enjoy walking the Loop Trail and the beauty of the area. Now, it is a shame that Sunny isn’t there anymore because apparently we will all succumb to toxoplasmosis if we are near a cat.
I have had five cats, long-lived cats, in my life and I nor anyone who came into my home ever succumbed to toxoplasmosis.
Help! I just looked outside. There is a squirrel on the deck, a jay in the tree, a lizard on the steps, a fly and moth in the kitchen. I’d better get inside the refrigerator for protection.
It’s ironic that the Nature Center has great info on the Native Americans and pioneering settlers that preceded us in Idyllwild, maybe even braving the dangers of a domestic cat. I guess now in the 21st century we are so weak that a domesticated cat, fully vaccinated, is a threat to our very lives.
Too bad, Sunny. By the way, we have had food prepped at the Nature Center on several occasions and at the time of this writing, we are still alive. Reading on the Centers for Disease Control website, I found that the only way cats can transfer toxoplasmosis is through feces — not through the air, touching, etc.
So unless you happen to clean out Sunny’s litter, there is simply no problem. For Sue Nash to say she “has no agenda” is disingenuous. Obviously, her agenda is to get rid of the cat. What a waste of County Park funds to deal with this. The whole “case” is nonsensical and pathetic.
Peter Davison
Idyllwild