Huckleberries Online

Letter: ‘I killed your cat today’

Posted by DFO

Feb. 2, 2009 9:07 a.m. • 45 comments

I killed your cat today. Not because I wanted to, because I had to. You see, when your cat bit the lady trying to help him, he wasn’t able to show me proof of a rabies vaccination. I guess you didn’t think to send that along with him when you dumped him off. I killed your cat today, and I want you to know how and why. I want you to know so that maybe, just maybe, you think about this before you decide to get another pet. I want you to know so you can see just how emotionally draining it is on those of us who chose to take responsibility for your pet. I want you to know your cat died on a cold, stainless steel table, in the hands of total strangers. Strangers who held him close and stroked his fur while he drifted off to a never-ending sleep/Karen Williams, county animal cruelty investigator. (Letter: Coeur d’Alene Press here.)

Question: Do you consider pets ‘disposable’?

45 comments on this post so far. Add yours!

marmitetoasty on February 02 at 8:50 a.m.
Not disposable but edible…..

x
Cabbage Boy on February 02 at 9:07 a.m.
Marmie,
Yuck.

I should send a similar letter to the Norwegian cat I ran over a few weeks back.
nic on February 02 at 9:11 a.m.
CB, I think marmaite is refering to her chickens.
Sparky on February 02 at 9:12 a.m.
I read this letter and cried then I read this letter out loud to my husband and daughters. My family teared up. Animals are not disposable.
Cindy_H on February 02 at 9:16 a.m.
“I should send a similar letter to the Norwegian cat I ran over a few weeks back.”

How did you know the cat was from Norway?
brandxranch on February 02 at 9:20 a.m.
Cabbage Boy heard the cat shout “Ikke skad meg!!” just before he ran over it.
Cindy_H on February 02 at 9:24 a.m.
I thought maybe he yowled, “Uff dah!”
marmitetoasty on February 02 at 9:25 a.m.
What nic? ya mean you aint never eaten cat?…… I remember years ago sitting on the bench on our village green one winter chatting to Trampie our local winter village tramp, I had bought him a cuppa coffee from the bakery and was sitting chatting, when he said he had eaten squirrel before….. I asked him what it tasted like, and he replied…….. squirrel tastes like cat….. I bid him good morning and left it at that lol

x
Kage_Mann on February 02 at 9:25 a.m.
marmitetoasty,was talking about chickens? I hope so.I thought the story was about cats.
brandxranch on February 02 at 9:32 a.m.
Chickens, cats, squirrels….. they all taste like bald eagles
JeanC on February 02 at 9:47 a.m.
Pets are not disposable. You take on the responsibility of a pet you honor that responsibility. I have ended up with pets because people decided they didn’t want them or thought them inconvenient and dumped them out in the area where we live. The problem is, I can’t take care of all those dumped kitties and most end up dieing from hunger, weather or coyotes.

No, pets are not disposable.
Charlie on February 02 at 9:54 a.m.
Anybody that has ever had a pet and had to put it down knows the answer.
Cabbage Boy on February 02 at 10:25 a.m.
I know it was a Norwegian or at least a blond cat.

He tried to run across the road in front of me, and hit my rear tire.
Joker on February 02 at 10:50 a.m.
I’ve had to put down cats and dogs over the years. It’s never easy.

I personally believe a lot of vets prey on people’s emotions to get them to fork over hundreds, if not thousands of dollars, to save a pet who probably is suffering. If a cat or dog has cancer, the odds of it surviving aren’t good.

So are pets disposable? In our house, when the vet billl reaches $300, it’s time to make a trip to the humane society for a new one. Disposable, not really, but there are limits.
Kage_Mann on February 02 at 10:51 a.m.
We’ve rescued several cats and I really don’t find much humor in this subject.I like cats,b/c they keep your place free of mice
and they don’t bark.They’re also,cheaper to feed and are
cuddly.I would rather ******* one of those yappers that incessantly barks at the slightest disturbance.
Kibby on February 02 at 11:00 a.m.
People regularly dump cats in my neighborhood. In the 7 years I’ve lived there, I’ve rescued and adopted out over 15 of them. It is heartbreaking to see their confused little faces begging for food, shelter, and attention. I’ve had to take three cats to the vet to be put to sleep immediately, one due to poisoning.

I get so angry at the irresponsible owners who don’t spay and neuter, and even more so at the people who move and leave, or dump their pets. Make all the silly little jokes you want about cats and roadkill, etc. Your attitude is part of the problem. I sure hope your family doesn’t decide you’re “disposible” when you get old and can no longer take care of yourself.
moscow_minidoka on February 02 at 11:06 a.m.
I’m with Kage Mann - the dog who barks all night in the backyard *should* be disposable.
Kibby on February 02 at 11:28 a.m.
Frum Helen Back…you can get live traps from the Humane society. I trap, spay/neuter and then rerelease the feral cats in my neighborhood. The vet gives me a discount since they know I’m trying to help control the pet population. You might consider doing the same. It’s certainly a lot kinder than shooting the poor cats.
brandxranch on February 02 at 11:35 a.m.
We do the same thing, Helen, lotsa cat food for the ones that find the path to our barn before the coyotes get ‘em. At least they keep the mouse population down. We have a “dumped” horse, too. Sherriff’s Dept. says that due to the economy and the price of hay, folks are turning them loose or shooting them out in the woods. This nice young gelding just showed up, wanted to get in with my other critters. He was skinny and dinged up, I have no idea what he’d been through. A real shame. Our pets are part of the family, loved and cared for, and gently put down when it is time.
Idaho_Spud on February 02 at 11:42 a.m.
Pets are a responsiblity, same as your kids. If you take on a pet, you should take them on for their entire life. You owe them that much. They did not asked to be your pet.

What bothers me is the way people dispose of them. If you can no longer take care of them, then do the right thing. Find them someone who WILL take care of them and love them.

We get cats & dogs dumped where we live all the time. It irritates me to no end. We end up calling animal control so they will not be killed on the Highway. We already have enough dogs and cats, so, unfortunately, we cannot take them in. Every single pet I have has been a rescue.

I realize there are some of you who are not pet oriented, not even a little bit. But still, please show some compassion. The animals are not able to make their own choices.
Liz on February 02 at 11:57 a.m.
I’m with Joker. Pets are not people, but they still deserve to be treated with kindness and respect. That said, there are also limits. just because you CAN spent hundreds of thousands on health care for a pet does not mean that you should….
christywoolum on February 02 at 1:45 p.m.
Our pets are part of the family and my wish it that all pet owners would be responsible. We have the same problem with dropped off cats and we also have a cat door in the garage so I have a feeling when the lights go out it is free food some nights at the cat feeder for the strays. I guess all our cats must be hospitable.
Escapee on February 02 at 7:08 p.m.
I’m not asking my next-door neighbors to ‘dispose’ of their ultra-neurotic hound that aggressively barks at absolutely nothing whenever he’s turned loose outside. However, removal of the dog’s vocal cords? That sounds like a good alternative right about now.

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D.F. Oliveria is a columnist and blogger for The Spokesman-Review. Huckleberries Online was judged the best 2008 Idaho newspaper blog by the Idaho Press Club. And the best 2007 news blog in the Pacific Northwest by the Society for Professional Journalist. Print Huckleberries is a past winner of the Herb Caen Memorial Column contest by the National Association of Newspaper Columnists. The Readership Institute of Northwestern University cited this blog as a good example of online community journalism.