Quitting Smoking Could Save Your Pet’s Life
There is so much talk about smokers who produce secondhand smoke, which is unhealthy for their family members and co-workers, that it has become an excuse for some smokers. Those who live alone claim that it does not matter if they smoke in their homes because it is only them. What these people forget is that many of those who live alone don’t; they have a pet in the home with them. Many of these pets are cats because those who live alone and work long hours know that cats can manage on their own while dogs need to have access to the outside. Since a large portion of single apartment dwellers have cats this is one area that these smokers must take into consideration. Though they assume that the smoke only harms their non-smoking counterparts they are forgetting about their pets.
Research has proven with a doubt that smoking is hard on pets of all kinds and can cause a variety of medical issues for them. Cats that live with smokers, and so breathe in secondhand smoke daily, double the risk of developing feline lymphoma as cats that live in a smoke free environment. Feline lymphoma is a type of cat cancer that is known for being deadly. Cats also develop an assortment of respiratory problems if their owners smoke. They can wind up wheezing, coughing and sneezing; all very unpleasant for them. Dogs also suffer from secondhand smoke but they are more likely to develop nose or sinus cancers over time. They can also suffer from other respiratory issues. Even rodents have difficulty when there is smoke in the home. Hamsters and guinea pigs often develop alopecia which is a condition where the animal loses its hair.
When you are sitting with your cat in your lap or your dog curled on the sofa beside you do not then take out a cigarette and smoke it. Do not take your dog for a walk only to satisfy your craving for another cigarette which your partner will not let you smoke in the house. You are harming your pet’s health each time you light up with them there.
The United States is a country filled with animal lovers. We rely on our pets for unconditional love. We look forward to arriving home and being greeted by our feline or canine roommate. If they are so important to us then it is only right that we worry about what smoking does to their health and seriously consider quitting. This may seem odd to some; why quit for our pets? But think about it. Many smokers want to quit they just cannot find the motivation. They enjoy their cigarettes and the social scene it brings them into. Perhaps, the health of their pets, the companions who never let them down, who always are pleased to see them and offer them that love and respect that is hard to find, might be the motivation they are looking for. After all, quitting smoking could save the life of your beloved pet.