A cautionary pet tale to share with your neighbors, because I know You Would Never ....

in #teamusa6 years ago (edited)

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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.)

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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."

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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.

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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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Heart-wrenching tale, all of it :(

I don't know countryside people, or folk that interact with them on a regular basis, but if I ever do, I'm giving the latter group this link.

As someone who has pulled off maybe two or three such rescues (albeit with my parents), and not all of which ended with the creature in question surviving, I feel your pain with having to put down the likes of cats, dogs and birds. It's just too searing on one's soul.

I hope you're able to put this whole behind you (as best as it can be) soon.
Bless you and your husband (and anyone else that helps with it) for fronting this kind of effort and compassion in saving these creatures :)
May God give you strength.

Soul searing. Yes.

I'm pretty sure it's not something that I'll move past until we move away and I'm not excited about moving away. So.

I'm gradually cooking up some idea about how to educate but not sure exactly how. Maybe I'll start with taking to my vet ... hmm and my vet tech son in law.

Finding the local audience in the age of Internet is actually kind of complicated especially being rather new here.

Thanks for your empathy! Ttyl

Soul searing. Yes.
I'm pretty sure it's not something that I'll move past until we move away and I'm not excited about moving away. So.

:(

I'm gradually cooking up some idea about how to educate but not sure exactly how. Maybe I'll start with taking to my vet ... hmm and my vet tech son in law.

That's a good idea, and a good start. Perhaps you could also try writing to the likes of Animal Planet or National Geographic or something, with a story idea they could air. Like how they used to do, wherein they'd follow the story of a single animal (or maybe three at once), from start to finish, and how each animal's story would end. Something hard-hitting.

Or maybe to the likes of Buzzfeed, and 9GAG. Those are even faster ways you might reach people. Just send em' out there. And share this link wherever as well.

Finding the local audience in the age of Internet is actually kind of complicated especially being rather new here.

True, but once found...can be milked for all it's worth. Or the channels through which they'd be found, at any rate.

Thanks for your empathy! Ttyl

:)

We used to live in rural Iowa and had the experience of a LOT of dumped animals, cats, especially. There was an instance of some sort of flesh eating disease that went through the 'pack' of cats at one point and we had to put down every one we could catch. It was heartbreaking and spread to some of our pets as well. I don't ever want to go through that again.

It's just heartbreaking and as much as you want to save them all... as you mentioned, the cost becomes prohibitive really fast. I wish there was an easy answer.

We live in town now, but there are still cats and dogs that wander around our neighborhood with no home. My daughter has rescued too many! And my husband... well, let's just say we have 2 dogs and three cats (we would have more, but one dog and two cats recently passed away due to old age).

My husband rescued quite a few animals from the side of busy city streets and highways when he was a mail carrier as well.

I'm sorry... I'm just rambling now as your post has brought up a lot of memories. :/

You have a great writing style, btw. I have an odd fondness for bullet points and lists! :)

Sigh. Hello fellow rescuer. You've been through a lot! The flesh eating thing is terrifying! And they say it's the kids that have pets following them home but I've noticed quite a few husbands are bringing animals home too.

I've contracted a mild case of cat scratch fever. I'm sure this little one was close enough to share it with my cats. They say there's no reason to treat it unless it turns nasty. I'm not waiting. It's colloidal silver for everybody for two months.

As people have stopped by, I've started to remember all the dogs we rescued in the city. But in most cases the dogs were just lost. I learned all kinds of methods for finding owners. And plus it's just much easier to work with a fully staffed animal control center.

The neighborhood where I grew up had cats that were basically community cats until a boy got bit and had to get rabies vaccinations. Yeah. Cat traps were suddenly a thing. I think my dad carried off 3 in one week and he wasn't the only one carrying cats away.

Animals always induce rambling, though. Have you noticed?

I call this my UseeIsee... It's the only way I can tell a long story. You're welcome to use it. It also works great with short stories.

It is devastating how people abandon these helpless animals that have virtually no chance of surviving on their own. In my house, my mom, my dad and I rescued animals, we are what in my country is called "protectionist" (people who rescue abandoned animals and take care of them until they get another home). Currently in my house I have 27 pets: 9 cats and 18 dogs. Each and every one of them has been rescued from the street.

My country is going through a serious economic crisis and it is very usual for people without hearts to abandon their pet under the excuse that "they do not have money to support it". THAT IS FALSE. As I said before, I have 27 pets and I would NEVER be able to throw any of them. If I can keep 27 animals in excellent condition, an average family can keep one without problems. There are always ways and alternatives.

Animals have no less right than we, they are members of our family. Why are there people who do not understand that? :(

(Sorry for my bad English, I can not speak this language very well).

First and foremost, you can stop apologizing for your English. You may struggle but you are very accurate and very easy to read.

Secondly, I really encourage you to develop compassion for the people who are letting go. If they are choosing between feeding a child and feeding a pet, it is better that they let go of the pet. It would be nice if they knew they had a place to take the pet ... where it wouldn't be killed.

People who abandon pets never dream the pet will resist help until it is captured or unable to run away. They believe the pet will be friendly and sweet and so adorable that anyone who can will take the pet home. They believe their pet will willingly go to the new home.

They don't understand what really happens. Only occasionally is a dog so friendly as a stray. Most animals don't want new, don't trust new.

It is an amazing blessing that your family can care for so many. I hope you're thankful for this opportunity.

I generally find it is best to be thankful and resist speaking badly of people. I can think of numerous times I've been harsh. But, God has made sure I've found out the hard way what it is really like. I can tell you. Not fun.

Be sure to thank your parents also for being so generous in providing you an opportunity to assist the animals. And tell them thank you for helping the families who are letting go.

I really don't understand why people buy pets then end up abandoning them... Its really heartbreaking... These animals have feelings too.

Dear, Most people don't actually buy pets. And. These aren't pedigree animals being kicked to the curb. It generally goes in some version like one of these:

"My friend had a dog that had puppies, we took in one of the puppies but we didn't get it fixed in time before the neighborhood stray had it's way ... we managed to place one or two .... we took the rest to the country ... "

"My friend's cat got out and ... now she has kittens ... I took one of the kittens ... but now I found out that one of my kids is allergic ... so ... "

Same as above but ... "then my landlord | spousal unit | live in mooch (pick one) wouldn't let me keep it ... so ..."

I'm sure if you listen around you, you'll hear more of these kinds of stories.

Thank you for your vote :-)

T_T crying face!

omg!

Hello fellow Human! :-)

We had 30 cats dumped here one year, yup in the country...
One that was dumped onto my back deck railing was still out of it from surgery from being fixed!

O.O you just have all the fun !!

True story. Back when I was in my 30's some of our friends made a confession ... they'd known each other in college and one was studying to be a vet.

So uh somehow they would trap the strays and the vet student would do the fix em in the garage. ... I wonder if you happened to catch one of their fixes lol ... would have been like omg more years than I want to confess to. 40 some odd years ago.

You've been on my brain!! You remember that histamine web site that I found? Well, a few days ago, I got an email promo from the site talking about how fasting (sounds like intermittent fasting even) works to reduce the cells that are over active with histamines!! I'm definitely adding that info to my arsenal for the summer!

Wait. I should be able to find that email fast. TaDa https://healinghistamine.com/fastings-antihistamine-properties

Of course she's a business woman and has a package to buy with the whole plan thought out. But she's also really good about listing her resources. It's on my todo list to dive into those more.

I'm already kind of familiar with the idea as Mitch has been trying intermittent fasting out rather haphazardly. And ... he still brought his blood sugars down from just under 300 (after Thanksgiving Day) to around 130.

It also reduces inflammation across the board. I know I feel scads better when we stop eating by 4pm. Even just that small thing of not eating from 4pm to like 8 am has good effects. So. After reading her post, I'm feeling more inspired to try harder.

Winter has been hard ... but I'm dreading the bug bites of summer again. Without them, I've even been able to slip in a few pancakes here and there. :-)

Hope all is well with you !!

I do well if I don't eat anything after 3.
Winter so far we have survived, the pain is keeping the greenhouse temps up, cost of kerosene is pretty spendy.

Ah ha! You're ahead of me on the learning curve. Well done!

My winter has only been hard because of the bitter cold. Tired of it. We're getting 4 days above freezing though, then back we go into the deep freeze. Today is suppose to be 60F!

Sympathy to you in your pain! 🌻

People just dump their pets on your doorstep?

If the animal is really lucky, they dump them somewhere up on the property. I think the only reason I have Mrs. Kitty McKitty is that someone made triple sure she was very very socialized and then fed her extremely well on my front porch. She's the only one that ever started just walking around my feet the moment I stepped out of my door.

Molly dog was pretty friendly but that's just because the people across the way spent 4 weeks taming her. She was a good hunting dog. Ultimately, after her pups arrived and she got them grown a bit, all she wanted was a warm spot to sleep when she wanted to and a dish of food and freedom. She died with tumors of some sort about a year after her pups were born.

But anyway yeah ... most of the animals get dumped down at the intersection of 3 roads just a bit away from our drive and it's a long way from the street to the house. and besides the animals really don't want to be taken in. they want to go home.

We had one kitty dropped nearby. And we had to take her to shelter. It's hard to keep cats around without permission from owner.

We're not allowed to have indoor pets, which does complicate things some. But some times my cats come inside to visit for a little while.

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This is really inhuman and terrible. I can't believe people are doing this (even if I know that some are)
Where is the humanity?

Humanity lives in confusion. It was great to get to talk to you this morning / afternoon

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