I was down the back of my yard today, chopping some wood to light my fire, when my two kittens jumped the back picket fence into another yard, they refused to listen to me...........one made it up the tree in time, the other unfortunately did not, the neighbours dog grabbed her and shook the crap out of her right in front of me, she put up a fantastic fight, but the dog only let go of her as i took a swing at it with a long picket with nails sticking out the end of it......she curled up at the bottom of the tree and layed there, I was too frightened to jump the fence, not frightened for my safety, was just afraid that if i did the dog would come back up and grab her again, I was freaking out watching her stagger around in the grass and I couldnt bear to watch her as she struggled to breathe, so I called my dear friend who was at my house within minutes and in a split second had cleared the back fence and retrieved her. I will be eternaly grateful to her for that, we rushed her to the vet, where she was examined, they told me she had a punctured lung and to save her precious life they wanted a minimum of $400 on the spot....now as a minimum incoome earner, I dont know about the rest of you, but I dont have that kind of money to roll around in...all I could scrape together with the kind help of my friend, was the $70 they wanted to give her a lethal injection....now if they had let me give them a deposit i would have given them every other penny in my bank account and every piece of funiture in my house just to save her life...but instead I had to kill her.. sorry about the rant guys..I had to get it off my chest
Well, that really put a damper on my day. I'm so sorry, but this is greedy, terrible world we live in.
I agree with pipeandpen. Those sleazy bastards, wanting to take a down payment on somethings life. I mean even making you pay for the lethal-injection. I'm sorry to hear this. I've had to put many pets down and it's never easy. I hope you'll feel better, and get back at that damn dog.
It's not pleasant, but that's life. The fees were harsh, agreed. I have a thing against cats, though. They do far more harm than dogs in Australia and I'm actually sick of them. Although the dog was the vicious animal in this situation, cats as a whole are much worse across the country. Would you have felt the same way if that cat had of ripped apart a bird?
I couldn't agree with you more, however a cat does as a cat is, just like a shark and just like a snake. Really it's up to owners to control their pets. If you lived in South Western Australia (don't get me wrong I love dogs i own a red cloud kelpie and I'm as proud as pounch about that.) you'd realise that dogs are just as bad. The numbers of livestock kulled by dogs just rises every year
Serendipity I am really sorry for the loss of your cat. It would have been really heart breaking to go through that. It sickens me that people actually train their dogs to do such things. My ex used to set his dog onto cats that came into our yard. I was disgusted by that. And yes, vet bills are so high these days. I remember taking my horse down there when she had pnemonia. It cost us well over $1000 for that. Plus ongoing medications for the next 6 months. We spent a fortune on her. Each set of medications cost $100, just for 2 weeks dosage. It really hurt the pocket. I seriously think vets charge far too much.
i'm sorry and sad to hear about this. having to watch one animal maim or kill another is a terrible thing for me because i feel close to pretty-much all animals. the fact that it's completely natural for animals (just like humans) to hurt or kill each other does not make it any easier for me to experience nor, i expect, for you. @torana, here in philly there is a terrible pitbull-fighting underground in which animals are trained to maul other animals for the amusement of humans. even other animals that are tied up and helpless, such as cats and small dogs. god help me if i was ever present at one of their 'fights'- i would surely lose my mind.
Bluemouth - yes i would have felt the same way if the cat had ripped apart a bird,but at the same time accepted that it is part of nature. I have an unconditional love for animals, and I accept that nature does whatever the heck it wants to, there is a design for everything that happens in life, cats hunt small animals, dogs hate cats, cats hate dogs, dogs love roaming, car tyres love dogs,dogs and like gloom kitty has stated...dogs are no less destructive and have it in their nature to hunt and kill just as cats do..........its the way life goes, and as an animal owner you need to have the understanding that you will never have control over the destiny or fate of your beloved pets, all you can do is provide them with a warm comfortable home and giver them all the love you can until their days come to an end. I agree that cats are destructive animals in the sence of wildlife, but they are also very affectionate and loving if the owner is the same to them... Anyway, I had the point put to me earlier that perhaps my local vet clinic doesnt allow I.O.U's because too many people never pay up, but refusing to save the life of an animal that is dying in the arms of a frantic hysterical owner?????doesnt matter what creature it is, cat dog..hermit crab...they should all have a chance to be saved, money shouldnt ever be a necessity when it comes to life of a living thing.
cheers rumpole..and thankyou to all who have commented here...i know i dont know you, but you have all somehow given me comfort... Her sister is still here with us, she is fretting, its sad to watch, she is curled up by the fire on their blanket with mias favourite toy mouse..its cute and heartbreaking at the same time
I agree with you 100% Serendipity. They chose that career path to save lives of animals and they are telling us "No, we won't save your animals life because you can't pay our prices right this second. Get lost and take your pet with you." It happens all the time. Not in those exact words, but that is basically what they say. It is disgusting.
I am so sorry for you! I hope you complained to the owner of that BEAST that hurt our kitten! I would have killed!
That is so sad. I have two cats (one for about thirteen years and the other for a little over three years), and I couldn't imagine what I'd do if that happened to either one of them.
lost my kitten, Humphrey, in a horrific accident a year ago. still got my old bruiser, Alfie. you have my deepest sympathy. when a pet dies, particularly under violent circumstances, it can be extremely upsetting. for the record, your kitten looks like he had a great, fun-filled life if that photo is anything to go by
Very sorry, I missed the part where you mentioned it was your own cat. I know they can be affectionate because I have one that walks in every now and then, so apologies if I came off sounding really harsh. Do you live in the country? Perhaps that's the reason for the high vet bills?
My deepest symapthies. I adore cats of all kinds, and I have had to make decisions like this before, so I can fully empathise with you. (Except my little one had been with me for 17 years and she was hit by a neighbours car who never had the guts to own up to it - I'll take a cat's nature over that kind of human nature any day).
double trouble, I love those moments where you are just mucking around taking random photos and you end up capturing something hilarious or special
I sympathise but its a very difficult area. The alternative to fees would be to have a kind of NHS (National Health Service) for animals. This would have to be paid for in taxes and if its anything like the NHS we have for people in Britain then it would cost millions. Also people who have no pets may also have to contribute taxes towards it and im sure this would cause recentment. The sad thing is that in our complex and divided society, the plight of animals is way down on the list of priorities.
I know how you feel, Serendipity. Many years ago, my dog, Ninja, was hit by a car. His back leg was badly broken so he needed medical attention right away. Unfortunately, at the time, I was out of a job, collecting unemployment so I dreaded what the vet would say when he examined Ninja. I knew that Ninja would need surgery and that it would cost a pretty penny to fix his leg. After the vet examined Ninja, he confirmed my worst fears. Yes, Ninja would need surgery which would require his leg being wired and held together with a nut and bolt until it healed. The estimate? $700.00! I asked the vet if he would accept payments over 3 months. (I did not tell him I was unemployed.) When I asked him this, the vet suggested that since Ninja was so badly injured, maybe it would be better to get another dog and, well.... you know what would happen to Ninja. I politely declined but I promised him that I would make the payments and that I would pay him each time I got paid. He reluctantly agreed but only after I gave him a $100 deposit which was all the money I had until my next check a week later. I would then have to give the vet $200 a month until the bill was paid in full. The surgery was successful and I brought Ninja home a week later. When it came time to make a payment, I went to the vet clinic and again spoke with the vet. I asked if we could change the payment amounts from $100 every pay period to $50.00 so that my payments would be $100 a month instead of $200. After a bit of haggling, he agreed to the new terms and eventually I paid off the entire bill. I know it was a little deceptive on my part but I did fully intend to pay the bill. I could not stand the thought of having to put down Ninja especially when it was due to financial constraints. But I have heard many of these stories about how people had to give up their pets because of the high vet bills and the resulting heartbreak. My heart goes out to anyone who has gone through this as I completely understand the pain you must have felt. I know it was a stroke of luck that it worked out the way it did for me. On a side note: Ninja (he was a Doberman/German Shepherd cross) was with me for 15 years. I lost him last year and I miss him terribly. Six months before Ninja died, I lost my other dog, Bear (he was a Rottweiler/Black Lab cross) who was 13 years old. Our pets are like family members and love us unconditionally. My thoughts are with you, Serendipity, and the other little kitty who misses her sister so much. Give her extra love and attention. As you comfort her, she will most certainly comfort you as well. Take care, Amadeo
Here are pictures of my two best friends. Bear is the black dog. Ninja is the black and tan dog. These pictures were taken in Kalispell, MT about 4 years ago. The photos of your kitties are so cute, Serendipity. You have definitely treated them well! All the best to you, Amadeo
