DistantNews
Support us
Mikelkevičiūtė responds forcefully to Juodeika: An animal is not an object
🇱🇹 Lithuania /Culture & Society

Mikelkevičiūtė responds forcefully to Juodeika: An animal is not an object

From Delfi · () Lithuanian

Translated from Lithuanian and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • Rūta Mikelkevičiūtė defended animal shelters' screening of potential adopters after Gediminas Juodeika described his experience with the adoption process.
  • She said shelters need to assess whether owners can cover food, veterinary care, routine care and unexpected expenses.
  • Mikelkevičiūtė argued that love for an animal is not enough without a commitment to provide responsible lifetime care.

Rūta Mikelkevičiūtė says adopting a pet requires more than affection. In a response to Gediminas Juodeika's account of seeking to adopt a cat, the television host defended shelters that question applicants about their thinking, finances and ability to care for an animal.

She said animals are not objects and that shelters have invested time and money in treating, feeding and rescuing them. Their questions, she argued, aim to help place animals in reliable homes rather than risk sending them to abusive owners.

Why wouldn't I trust the cat? An answer to Gediminas Juodeika.

— Rūta MikelkevičiūtėShe opened her social-media response to Juodeika's criticism of shelter adoption procedures.

Mikelkevičiūtė also addressed Juodeika's surprise at a potential cost of 2,000 euros. Veterinary treatment can be expensive, she wrote, citing 400 euros for removing one pet's tumor, including imaging and a biopsy, and nearly 800 euros for another animal's operation. She said shelters may have charity accounts or agreements with veterinary clinics, and some foundations help cover treatment costs.

This is not about a dog, it says a lot about a person.

— Rūta MikelkevičiūtėShe discussed owners who built a walking aid for a dog with incurable degenerative myelopathy.

She described serious illness as another test of an owner's commitment. Citing an 11-year-old dog named Eva with incurable degenerative myelopathy, she said the owners built a walking aid for her. "This is not about a dog, it says a lot about a person," she wrote. She added that deciding when to let an animal go requires a responsible owner to recognize its suffering, while the phrase "I don't want it to suffer" can sometimes conceal an unwillingness to bear the financial and emotional burden.

Speaking to Delfi, Mikelkevičiūtė said the questions raised by Juodeika are not unique to him. She said she had brought many cats home from dumpsters, but that responsibility remains the same whether an animal comes from a dumpster or an expensive breeder. "Love for an animal is not enough, a responsible owner must also have the financial means to care for it throughout its life," she said.

Love for an animal is not enough, a responsible owner must also have the financial means to care for it throughout its life.

— Rūta MikelkevičiūtėShe explained why shelters assess adopters' ability to meet long-term care costs.
About this summary

Originally published by Delfi in Lithuanian. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

More Stories

From Our Blog