Bud's family is in the deep South and over the years, I have noticed the local attitudes toward dogs and cats are changing. For the longest time, people seemed to not believe in spending any money on vet care of any kind. Ironic, because I noticed they didn't mind spending it for other things. A sick or injured animal got the old sunshine treatment, ie: Let nature take its course. The last time I was there, I was happy when my BIL rounded up a batch of stray cats and kittens and took them to the SPCA. In the "old days" those cats would've met a much different fate.