But Winograd does seem to want to make enemies when he doesn’t need to. I think his trashing of Dr. Kate Hurley of the University of California, Davis, is a good example. I have interviewed Dr. Hurley and was very impressed by her expertise, drive and compassion. She struck me as a person who truly wants to do what’s right by animals, and I winced when he attacked her.

Still, how he behaves is his business, not mine. And it remains true that his book blew my mind, and said what needed to be said. For that, he deserves a lot of credit.

I don’t think either organization is perfect - I have some big time issues with how the HSUS spends the money it raises, but steps in the right direction should be encouraged.

PETA on the other hand - is more like a cult - your either with them 100% or your against them. Likewise, Nathan Winograd is becoming more like PETA in that you either do it his way, or its no good. I admire him tremendously, but he risks being marginalized by constantly criticizing other approaches to NO KILL.

I think you’re seeing a sea change on this topic nationwide, thanks to groups like Alley Cat Allies, that show every day that TNR works and offer what cat-lovers need in terms of information and support to repeat a winning model in many communities.

HSUS….Ask any feral cat what they think.

Being vegan and supportive of humane animal food production is not mutually exclusive. You can be politically realistic about other people’s dietary preferences while deferring to your conscience when it comes to your own choices. Did you think that serving a vegan meal means that the hosts expects the guest to become vegan?

I always understood the HSUS to be an animal welfare organization, while PETA takes a hardcore animal rights view. Despite the frothing hatred that my dog breeding family has toward the HSUS, they’re actually pretty moderate. Perhaps they were different in the past.