Tongan Pets

November 19, 2012

Today was a challenging day to say the least. I had to burry a puppy. We had found this small puppy that didn’t really have a chance for survival because it needed a mom to feed. I didn’t know what to do so I took it home and bathed it and tried to feed it. It was seizing and foaming at the mouth so I knew it really wasn’t any use. It lasted the night and most of the next day but I had to watch it slowly die. I tried to impart on the kids that this was a serious thing but between Tongans lack of compassion for pets (dogs in particular) and the language barrier, it wasn't really working. I got one of the kids to bring me a shovel and I dug a hole for the puppy because I couldn’t watch it waste away anymore. Eventually it past and we had a little ceremony for it- hopefully that taught some of the kids a little compassion.

This was the same day that they brought me a cat. I had been telling the community that I wanted a cat to help with my cockroach issue (cats eat roaches). Today the show up at my door around 7:30 am and hold up a potato bag. Inside the bag was a cat. As if that wasn’t jarring enough, Tongans perform a ceremony when passing off cats- the cut off their whiskers and pour babyoil in its eyes; I guess the cutting of the whiskers is to make it ashamed to leave the house (without whiskers) and the oil in the eyes is so that the first thing it sees after the oil is its home.. It was hard to watch, I almost expressed my annoyance at the seeming cruelty but I kept telling myself- it’s cultural let it go. The cat is still afraid of me and wont let me come near it- I hate to be cruel but as long as it will still eat the roaches I guess we don’t have to be friends.

As if it wasn't clear, Tongans don't really do pets. They have lots of animals but they don't think of them as pets like Americans do, the animals are strictly functional. Dogs are to watch the house, cats are to eat rats, pigs are to eat everything else (and be eaten). There is anything like pet food here, they just get fed scraps. All the dogs are pretty mean and look like they all have mange and you grow to hate them. You just have to pick up a rock (or pretend to pick up a rock) and the run away because they are used to being hit with rocks by the Tongans. It is hard to get used to but after awhile the dogs become Tongan dogs and you lose your sense of compassion a little bit (either that or you get attacked).

Side note- the cat may still be living in my house. I thought it ran away but I found paw prints on my counter and crap in the corner. I don't know where it is hiding though!