I've been saying I have a Life Drama story to tell for the past few days. So. Let me sit down and tell it.
We live in a holler out in the country. People seem to think that because there's land around the house and a big old barn that we're able to take in loads of animals. Well let me tell you about what happens when your neighbor takes their surplus pets out to the country and dumps them out deep in the holler where the rich old lady lives with plenty of land and a big old barn.
First. She ain't old yet. Second, she's not rich. Third, the house and land aren't hers. Fourth, the big old barn isn't hers. Fifth she's already taken in 5 cats and 7 dogs. And so have all of her near(ish) neighbors!
Worse! It just doesn't work out the way your neighbor thinks it does.
Let's start with this little image here ... that was my last BW photo in the Seven Day Black and White Photo Challenge. And I'm gonna use my #useeisee format. (You are welcome to use it, too. It works great with even just a few little bullet points of info.)
You See
- A fluffy towel wrapped around something.
- One little bitty clue as to what.
What I See
- Cat bites all over my hands from the day before
- Making decisions about vaccinations I won't take. First reason: They are based on unclean animal parts. Second Reason: God only knows what else is in those because there is no honesty among thieves.
- Tears. Lots of Tears. Not because of physical pain.
- I messed up the only chance the kitten had of being adoptable because I surprised it and didn't grab it fast by the scruff. Biting animals don't get second chances.
- Memories of the puffed up little ball of Siamese kitten shivering in the cold 9 F (-12.8 C) breeze knowing the temps had been down to -1 F (-18.3 C).
- Memories of holding on fast to it in spite of the biting so I could get it to a crate and have it removed to the county animal shelter.
- Memories of having to decide my husband would have to put it down because the shelter was closed from Thursday 2pm until Tuesday 10am.
- Memories of it getting away from my husband and running from the hay field back to the garage and way back into the far most unreachable corner.
- Knowing it would probably freeze to death over night.
- Being shocked to find out it was still alive the next morning and once again on my front porch in a puff ball begging for help. How many days had it been learning from my own clouder of cats?
- Leaving out food even though the kitten hid from help.
- Who would have done this??!! Heartless ... that's what the lady at the Health Clinic called these people.
- Ignorant people. That is what I would call them. I'm sure they thought the kitten would just trot straight to my front door and straight into my heart. Not so. By the time these poor critters make contact they are near death. Always.
- I see the kitten returning in the late afternoon with its thin little meow.
- More tears and pleading with Yehovah (God) for help.
- Telling my husband via Telegram (text chat), "I'm going to go out and get that kitten one way or another. I can't handle this. And You make a Terrible Cat Killer." (not his first cat termination fail btw)
- Him telling me, "Okay, I'm sure we'll find a way to feed another mouth. Who knows, we might be able to find a home for it."
- Me telling him, "I really don't think it's going to make it through the night but it's going to die warm and full of food!"
- I see him sending me names for the kitten but I'm gone ...
- Finding the kitten in it's little bitty puff ball state, all huddled down in the grass beside the porch. Too weak to plead again for help from one of my felines. It just couldn't run to keep up.
- Gently placing the doubled up towel over the kitten. It stayed still and actually started to purr.
- Carefully carefully wrapping the towel around the kitten and picking it up. Snuggled up.
- Calling my husband who is now on his way home, "I'm terrified of it. It's all snuggled down into the towel and purring. I'm just going to sit here and hold it all wrapped up until you get home. I was going to wash the dishes before Shabbat but I think we're just going to survive." He laughed and figured we would survive. More names. He's so optimistic. I tell him, "Rough Start. Rough for short."
You See
- Cute little kitten tease
I See
- Feeling the little kitten begin to relax and it's purr fading as it neared sleep. I've held Mrs. Kitty McKitty so often as she did this. It's an unusual trust. (I thought all cats do this but not so.)
- Starting to feel hope.
- Worrying about air flow. Can't let Rough Start be smothered after all this!
- Realizing exactly how young this kitten is. Yes. Rough eats solids quite well. But it is muzzling around and smelling the air with its eyes closed longing for its mother's milk.
- Realizing Rough truly is just down to skin and bones.
- Tears falling as I gently rub its ears and between its eyes, eventually brave enough to stroke its cheeks. Rough responds with loud purrs.
- My husband arriving home. The kitten smells our food. Mitch brings some cat food which the kitten consumes so quickly.
- Us giving Rough a little lamb.
- OUCH another finger gets another bite. It smelled a bit too much of lamb. Somehow this just makes us laugh.
- I see us put Rough in the crate, under the heat lamp. Warm and full.
- Morning's arrival.
- Rough Ending.
Please Tell Your Neighbors
- Abandoned pets don't go to a stranger's home and ask for help.
- They roam about trying to survive hoping to find mama and home.
- They become very ill. Sick pets are most often exterminated despite all those fluffy, heart-warming rescue videos ... rescue of sick animals is not the norm.
- I don't care what the cartoons tell you, 99% of the time, the other animals in the neighborhood don't help the abandoned pet. They run it off for as long as possible. Often, this is the source of the abandoned pet's wounds.
- If the neighborhood pets don't hurt the abandoned pet, the wild animals will hurt it while they do their best to eat the abandoned pet (or while they resist being eaten by the abandoned pet).
- By the time the abandoned pet is discovered, it is extremely scared. Even the most mild-mannered little pet will move close to a wild state and resist capture by biting. If it bites, it will be immediately exterminated
- In general, abandoned pets resist help until it is way too late.
- People, often children, get hurt.
- Wildlife and livestock can be harmed / killed.
- People have to put the pets down. Most likely it's some poor soul that lives in the holler. Lets be precise. Some person who does NOT want to ends up having to Kill the pet because it is sick, wounded, and/or has bitten. Sometimes it's done by an animal shelter worker who is also a human and doesn't like it either! It's Damn Hard on Us.
- People have to keep the abandoned pet from infecting their own animals with God only knows what. If the animal shelter is only open limited hours (like ours), if we can't find away to quarantine it, the animal has to be put down.
Let's talk survival odds.
Of the six animals dumped in our holler that ended up at our house: Three have died/been put down. One might maybe might have been put up for adoption. We don't get to know. Two have survived to provide us with puppies and kittens ... we managed to place 3 puppies. We've rescued one other dog. So. We have a clouder of four cats. A pack of three dogs. It should have been five and four but death and loss. Well, six cats if Rough had made it. Oh and one dog got picked back up when we staked it out down by the road that said, "Free Dog or Pound Dog." Even so, that one was hurt.
There's been more animals taken away to the shelter and or shot across the way from us. They have children. When people are forced to choose between protecting a child or taking risks trying to capture an abandoned pet, the pet loses. It was so incredibly difficult for them. I think they stopped at five cats plus two feral cats that behaved.
Let's talk about the expense.
I know we have spent just over $1,000 on surgeries, vaccines, and trying to survive fleas and ticks in just 2 years time. I know the family that lived across the street was easily hitting the same levels of expense.
Point: People in the country already have more pets to care for than they should because of the abandonment of pets. We seriously can't take in more.
Summary
I'm tired of seeing unnecessary death. Please tell your neighbors!
Pets who are dumped in the country don't survive.
It is better to take the pet to the animal shelter. Almost every shelter has an adoption program. Even if the pet doesn't get adopted, it won't suffer for a week until it dies uncared for, unfed, sick and wounded.
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