I was flipping through some of the fall fashion magazines recently when I noticed a surprising trend. This season, a lot of women are going to be "faking it."
I couldn't be happier.
In years past, the September fashion magazines were depressingly furry. Last year, one magazine featured a two-page article on fur coats and shawls that were infused with a mist of 24-karat gold. This year, because of the ailing economy, ostentation is "out," frugality is "in" and many fashion trendsetters are sporting faux-fur jackets and vests instead of the real thing.
I urge everyone to embrace the faux-fur trend, and here's why. Many of the fur accessories and fur-trimmed jackets that you see in stores are made from rabbit fur because it's often cheaper than other animals' skins. But I've lived with several rabbits over the years, and I can tell you that they are much more than muffs.
Just like our dog and cat companions, rabbits have their own individual personalities, likes and dislikes. One of my rabbits, Henry, loved to be the center of attention, and he would sit in the middle of the living room while I watched TV or lounge on the futon with his legs stretched out to the side.
My rabbits Cozy and Freya fell in love and became inseparable. No matter where they were, they would always sit with their bodies pressed together. When I petted Cozy, he'd respond by giving me tons of kisses. Freya would gently nibble on my inner arm. They both had a sweet tooth and loved bananas, apples and raisins.
Rabbits make lifelong bonds with other rabbits as well as with their human companions and other animals in the household. Henry and my cat Winnie used to chase each other around the house and playfully wrestle. When my cat Josie groomed Henry, he would grind his teeth in delight. He especially loved to have his face cleaned.
Rabbits are fastidiously clean by nature, so imagine what it's like for them on fur farms, where they are confined to tiny, filthy cages, surrounded by their own waste. PETA Asia's director and a coworker of his visited a typical rabbit fur farm in China recently, and the first thing that struck them was the stenchà ‚¬"a sickening combination of urine, feces and freshly removed skins left to dry in the sun.
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