Last week, Mark Nassutti’s letter continued shaming animal owners for not properly caring for their animals (“Don’t blame the cougar; work to better protect island livestock instead,” Aug. 2). While I am fully aware that my response will not end this practice, I can no longer be silent.

Those of us who own animals actually love them. Some of those animals have names and come when called. I am not concerned about hurting the feelings of the cougar when calling its “activities” an attack. We live on an island with hundreds of miles of roads and hundreds of acres of well-manicured lawns. We live 15 minutes from one of the largest and fastest-growing metropolitan areas in the United States. Vashon is not natural. It has not been natural since Europeans chopped down all the trees to build Seattle. It will not be natural again until the humans are gone. We live in “Bellevue With Trees.” Cougars cannot bring nature back. They are a non-sequitur when this island is the context. If you’re wondering what a real natural area is like, try backpacking in the Bighorns of Wyoming. Many animal owners (lovers) have had animals long before the other apex predator swam Colvos Passage. Many do not have the means to simply erect a building just like that. There are permits and the pesky issue of cost. Those who can do so, herd their loved ones into shelter every night and free them every morning. Those who cannot risk losing a friend whose name brings mist to their eyes when the memory of the brutal attack haunts them.

Cougars are no longer natural in this place and they cannot bring nature back. I will be relieved when it is gone.

— Gregg Rocheford