Surplus Cats

Our middle cat, Angilas, has some sort of recurring infection that causes the base of his claws to bleed and makes his them brittle and easily split. The vet says this might be caused by a hormonal imbalance and having him neutered might calm things down. (It’s a good idea anyhow, in the event that he ever gets outside.) We took him to the vet yesterday and he was in such a panic about being in the car that he tore his claws out furiously scratching at the carrier door. We didn’t realize what he’d done until we got into the vet’s office and saw his bloody paws and all the claws laying in the bottom of the carrier. I’m amazed at how he was walking all around the exam room, completely lovey-dovey with us, despite his paws and well, being at the vet.

Last night we brought him home (minus the kitten-making parts) sporting his new Elizabethan collar, which makes him resemble a big orange satellite dish. He is absolutely miserable and keeps walking backwards trying to get out of it, and getting it caught on everything in his attempts to squeeze himself into tiny closed in spaces under and behind furniture.  The vet says he’ll be ok as long as we get all of his antibiotics in him and keep washing his paws — two tasks that aren’t terribly easy to do. Mostly we’ve just got to keep him safe from Charlie who is vicious when she senses weakness. (My little girl!)

Somewhat related — I’ve been thinking about those commercials for Mirena (the intrauterine contraceptive) where they repeatedly mention that it’s for “women who have decided their families are just the right size” as if it isn’t an option for single women who have no children. If you didn’t have friends who work in health care and family planning clinics, you might get the idea from these commercials stressing “married women who already have at least one child” that this is some serious bullshit. If you’ve had bad experiences with doctors in the past telling you that your interest in sterilization is selfish and “what would your parents think? You would deny them grandchildren?” (Yes, yes, I had this happen. While half naked on the exam table no less. AWESOME TIMES!) or the ever-popular “You’ll change your mind!” — you might just change the channel and never give it another thought. This is terrible marketing.

The website isn’t nearly as hardline-sounding:

Mirena® is an estrogen-free intrauterine contraceptive for women who are looking for a contraceptive option to help simplify their lives. It’s for women who have decided their families are just the right size, it’s for expectant mothers to consider after they have had their baby, and it’s for women who aren’t satisfied with their current form of contraceptive. And, it can be removed at any time for a quick return to fertility. Like to keep life simple? Then Mirena® may be right for you. [emphasis mine]

…but how many people are going to even bother going to it after seeing these shitty commercials?

And of course, an IUD truly might not be the best option for you, depending on your situation, but why discourage people from asking about it? My Women’s Health Oracle/Fountain of Educated Lady-Things Advice produced valuable information regarding IUDs making it easier for chlamydia or gonorrhea infections to spread to the uterus, increasing your risk for pelvic inflammatory disease and sterility. If they just said this in the Mirena commercial, instead of going the “this is not for single ladies and by single ladies we mean slutty slutty harlots” route, maybe I wouldn’t want to hurl things at my television whenever I see this ad.

Maybe I am just hyper-sensitive to “subtle” digs against women who want to control their own bodies, but commercials like these just rub me the wrong way.

Last night I dreamed that the vetrinarian asked Angilas if he was positive that his family was the right size.

Tags: bad marketing, cats, media
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