Letter to the previous owners of sweet Hazel.....

I had a landlord many years ago that had 2 dogs and a cat. One dog was a lab mix who lived in a dog run out back ( this was Long Island, NY) and was NOT allowed inside by his wife. He was a sweet dog. The only attention he got was when my husband or I would go visit him. He and I lived in a basement apartment at this couple's home. The cat was a large orange fellow, tabby maybe? who was also very sweet. The wife did not approve of him, either, as he lived outside and was also ignored by his "family". he was also very sweet and greeted me daily when I got home from work. Their second (first, really) dog was a Maltese who was the wife's. she, of course, lived INSIDE and was treated like royalty. Frequent trips to the groomer where she would come back adorned with bows and nail polish, she had fancy little outfits, ate only gourmet foods, etc.. the side door to the house was how we got to the basement and when it got really cold or it rained, kitty would cry pitifully there until we let him in. we always did, we felt so bad. we couldn't let him in the apartment because of hubby's allergies so we gave him a blanket, bowl of water and some food in the hallway outside the door. the lab mix at least had a doghouse to keep him out of the elements but kitty was left to fend for himself regardless of weather. I hated those people.

we lived there about 6 months and then moved on. about 3 months after that, we heard that the landlords had made some not so nice people mad (hubby was a scam artist) and they up and moved rather suddenly leaving the lab mix in the dog run and kitty in the yard. fortunately, a neighbor saw that they had been abandoned and took them in so they at least ended up in a better place than before.

Horrible stories!!

Malt, if I were you and I ever ran into your beautiful kitty's previous "owners", I know for a fact I would not be able to control my need to spit in their faces. It just sickens me. People are just so irresponsible and downright cruel. Thank heavens for the good people who are willing to clean up these people's messes (for the animal's sake, certainly not the people's) even if it is costing a small fortune.

Kat0121, it was very kind of you to reach out to those poor animals, did you ever try and report these people to animal services? or talk to them about it? Sometimes people are so fu*king mental/oblivious that they just need someone to show them what they're doing wrong to make them realize it..... or threaten them with some sort of action... ie. a golf club to the head.

Hazel has been doing really well! She doesn't even notice the insulin injections and her blood glucose levels are getting more manageable.I was concerned as to how much exercise this girl would be getting, as she is quite overweight and doesn't walk very far before she lays back down and doesn't seem too interested in playing.... but holy! The moment I turned on our Roomba robotic vaccuum, she chased that thing for the whole time it was running! Perfect little exercise tool for this angel.

Does anyone here know much about feline diabetes? I have a couple questions in regards to it, maybe I'll have to cruise on over to the diabetes forum....

JFED said:

 
Horrible stories!!

Malt, if I were you and I ever ran into your beautiful kitty's previous "owners", I know for a fact I would not be able to control my need to spit in their faces. It just sickens me. People are just so irresponsible and downright cruel. Thank heavens for the good people who are willing to clean up these people's messes (for the animal's sake, certainly not the people's) even if it is costing a small fortune.

Kat0121, it was very kind of you to reach out to those poor animals, did you ever try and report these people to animal services? or talk to them about it? Sometimes people are so fu*king mental/oblivious that they just need someone to show them what they're doing wrong to make them realize it..... or threaten them with some sort of action... ie. a golf club to the head.

Hazel has been doing really well! She doesn't even notice the insulin injections and her blood glucose levels are getting more manageable.I was concerned as to how much exercise this girl would be getting, as she is quite overweight and doesn't walk very far before she lays back down and doesn't seem too interested in playing.... but holy! The moment I turned on our Roomba robotic vaccuum, she chased that thing for the whole time it was running! Perfect little exercise tool for this angel.

Does anyone here know much about feline diabetes? I have a couple questions in regards to it, maybe I'll have to cruise on over to the diabetes forum....

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Those people were no strangers to animal control but the husband was a contractor who did jobs for the city and I believe that he got tipped off when there was a call because the cat would magically appear in the dog run so he could say that they both had access to shelter (the dog house) and they both did have regular access to food and water so AC would show up, take a quick look and leave. both belonged to the husband. the wife is the one that refused to let them in the house. that's no excuse for never paying them any attention at all. their kids even ignored them. the dog's run was right outside our kitchen window and he always looked so sad so we visited him and brought him treats. my husband (then BF) asked the husband about them several times and he would say that they have food, water and the doghouse so they have what they need. those people ended up doing them a favor by leaving them behind because they were both taken in by a neighbor who did take care of them properly. the dog was spotted on walks with their kids and the cat was seen lounging in their front window.

LONG AND OVERDUE UPDATE!!!

Hazel went into diabetic remission in less than 3 weeks! She has already been adopted out by a lovely couple who will ensure that she stays in remission and receives the proper food! Off to her new forever home and her new life! She'll never be forgotten about and forced to fend for herself again.

Now we've got another diabetic girl who is a bit more of a challenge but we're seeing more and more improvement each day.

That's great news. I'm glad she found a proper home. Poor girl, she deserves to be loved and pampered after what she's been through.

Good luck with the new cat, I hope she finds a happy ending too.

I am very happy that Hazel's neighbors and you have taken such good care of her. Soon she'll be happily settled in her new home, and the memory of those weeks of wandering outside, frightened and hungry, will recede as though it had never occurred. I  loved the letter you wrote and wish that the previous owners of this cat could read it. Any chance you could mail it to their previous address in case they have a forwarding address at the post office and could receive it? People like this are clueless. I wish I could write a letter to whoever shot the feral I took in last summer. It would read something like this:

"To Whom it May Concern: My feral tomcat, Muffin, brought a beautiful young cat to my porch last summer to share his food bowl with. She was shy and timid, and seemed a bit feeble-minded. Muffin took good care of her, protected her from other wildlife,  and let her know that I was safe, someone she didn't have to run from. Two weeks later, a veterinarian felt something bulky in her pelvis. An x-ray confirmed she had been shot a few months prior--by YOU-- and the bullet remains lodged inside her. Her leg had been broken by the bullet, but healed, though in an odd way so now she will walk with a gait for the rest of her life and not be able to jump very high. Also, she was anemic, malnourished,  and has asthma.  She has been happily living with me and my other indoor cats for 8 months, and loves to play with her wand toy and eat from her own food bowl every day. My question is this: What did this poor little cat, who would have been only a kitten at the time, do to deserve getting shot? Was she nosing through your garbage because she was hungry? Was she crying too loudly? Could you find no other solution to this issue other than taking a gun and shooting her? My tomcat, Muffin, is a wild creature by nature who is used to fending for himself, and yet he brought this cat to me and took care of her and displayed a humanity you evidently do not possess. I hope that for the rest of your life you are haunted by the sounds and image of shooting this little cat, though I doubt you have the conscience to even care." Signed, one of the many people who care for the animals that you and others abuse.

JFED said:

LONG AND OVERDUE UPDATE!!!

Hazel went into diabetic remission in less than 3 weeks! She has already been adopted out by a lovely couple who will ensure that she stays in remission and receives the proper food! Off to her new forever home and her new life! She'll never be forgotten about and forced to fend for herself again.

Now we've got another diabetic girl who is a bit more of a challenge but we're seeing more and more improvement each day.

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Hi JFED,
I came across this poem that truly touched me!

I ADOPTED YOUR CAT TODAY
THE ONE YOU LEFT AT THE POUND
THE ONE YOU HAD FOR MANY YEARS
THEN NO LONGER WANTED AROUND

I ADOPTED YOUR CAT TODAY
DO YOU KNOW THAT HE'S LOST WEIGHT?
DO YOU KNOW THAT HE IS REALLY SCARED
AND, IN MAN, HAS LOST ALL FAITH?

I ADOPTED YOUR CAT TODAY
HE HAS FLEAS AND HAS A COLD
BUT I'M SURE YOU WILL NOT WORRY
SINCE YOU HAVE UNBURDENED YOUR LOAD

I ADOPTED YOUR CAT TODAY
WERE YOU HAVING A BABY OR MOVING AWAY
DID YOU SUDDENLY DEVELOP ALLERGIES
OR WAS THERE NO REASON HE COULD NOT STAY

I ADOPTED YOUR CAT TODAY
AND WITH ME IS WHERE HE'LL STAY
AS HE'S NOW IN HIS FOREVER HOME
AND HAS HIS OWN BED WHERE HE CAN LAY

I ADOPTED YOUR CAT TODAY
AND I'LL GIVE HIM ALL HE'LL EVER NRED
I'LL TRY TO RESTORE HIS FAITH IN MAN
AND HOPE HE CAN FORGET YOUR SELFISH DEED


Unknown

JFED,
Thank you for helping to clean up other people's messes. These sweet helpless creatures need us who care.

GOD BLESS YOU and everyone who has helped defenseless creatures!!!!

That poem is unfortunately so true, my heart breaks when I go into our shelter and see all those older cats, abandoned and so scared. JFED, You will be blessed for all you do, I'm so thankful that Hazel found a home. And I'll pray that your new one does too.

Di and Bob said:

That poem is unfortunately so true, my heart breaks when I go into our shelter and see all those older cats, abandoned and so scared. JFED, You will be blessed for all you do, I'm so thankful that Hazel found a home. And I'll pray that your new one does too.

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It would break me to work in a shelter. Thank God for people like you who have the strength to do what you do. My husband and I have said when our babies have passed on we will only adopt seniors. Our humane society euthanize any animal 12 yrs and older My heart breaks for the older ones. Very few want them. They all want kittens using the excuse that older ones don't adjust. That's just not true. Most of my rescued babies were older and because we gave them love they never knew, they became the most loving. They never ever wanted to lose us. That would never happen. We have them forever but after being abandoned, they didn't know..They never wanted to be abandoned again and so they never took that for granted. I know they always had that fear of being abandoned. No matter how much love we give them, they will always wonder if we will abandon them someday. I hate the fact that they carry this fear. They never forget and it's been proven.

Writing these letters/poems can be a good outlet for our frustration with these kinds of people...unfortunately, even if they ever do read the letter/poem it would not have any impact on them. For someone to have the ability to either shoot a cat or leave it behind outside when it's sick, I highly doubt our words would make them reflect on themselves and realize that what they did was beyond wrong. They have to have had these values embedded in them from a young age.

My old landlords (in mid 70s) were very mental/misinformed when it came to cats. He grew up in the country with a father who would shoot & kill all the cats that people would just drop off and would end up at their property. So then my landlord treated cats with the same disdain, especially if *heaven forbid* the cats would get into the garden! His wife would never allow him to shoot the cats, but he'd set up traps and then spray them down with a hose, and she'd defend it because apparently.... cat poop is toxic and can kill you. I made a point of warning the neighbours who had cats, and checking the traps early in the morning before they did.

Oddly enough, when his father grew old and suffered dementia, he began taking in cats and feeding and caring for them. Clearly there was some rewiring of his brain... a little late if you ask me but it's better than never. 

And yes, as much as I looooveee kittens! I tend to gravitate toward the older, more unfortunate ones at the shelters as well. Kittens are always scooped up quickly...although, I bet a good number of them are returned once they get older and the owners have a plethora of excuses as to why they can no longer keep them *rolls eyes*

I want to thank YOU for giving these babies a permanent home. If I ever adopt again it will be an older senior, just because of what you found to be true. I believe that too. I worry now that I would die before a cat if I got them as a kitten, you never know! We have three at the shelter now that says 'owner died' on the posting, it really breaks your heart. Especially when you see that they were very well cared for and 'plump', I can't even imagine what they are going through!

I know, that is such a heartbreaking situation for those cats whose lives have been turned upside down by the deaths of their owners. And it would be equally heartbreaking for the former owners to know what has happened to their beloved cats.

I can rest easy in knowing that if anything were to ever happen to me, my family would see to it that my cats would be well looked after...and vice versa. I would take in my parents cats or my sisters' dogs in a heartbeat to save them from ending up in shelters again.

Di and Bob said:

I want to thank YOU for giving these babies a permanent home. If I ever adopt again it will be an older senior, just because of what you found to be true. I believe that too. I worry now that I would die before a cat if I got them as a kitten, you never know! We have three at the shelter now that says 'owner died' on the posting, it really breaks your heart. Especially when you see that they were very well cared for and 'plump', I can't even imagine what they are going through!

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Yes I worry about them outliving me too. If I was to be diagnosed with a fatal illness, I would have my furbabies humanly euthanized. I know some wouldnt agree with me on this one but I couldn't bare them to be split up and I have spoiled them so with love that if asked ,and they could answer, they would want to be over the Rainbow bridge waiting for mommy. They don't fear death but being without me would be their biggest nightmare. I would hope my husband, who loves them as much as me, would look after them but he already stated if I die he would kill himself. I Love my husband but he knows I would take care of them if he should pass. I would not kill myself if he should die before me. Sorry dear!
I do understand where you're coming from. My mom worked for hospice and they would always have posters, looking to find homes for their pets before they passed. Broke my heart. I couldn't put my babies through that. I Love them that much!

JFED said:

Writing these letters/poems can be a good outlet for our frustration with these kinds of people...unfortunately, even if they ever do read the letter/poem it would not have any impact on them. For someone to have the ability to either shoot a cat or leave it behind outside when it's sick, I highly doubt our words would make them reflect on themselves and realize that what they did was beyond wrong. They have to have had these values embedded in them from a young age.

My old landlords (in mid 70s) were very mental/misinformed when it came to cats. He grew up in the country with a father who would shoot & kill all the cats that people would just drop off and would end up at their property. So then my landlord treated cats with the same disdain, especially if *heaven forbid* the cats would get into the garden! His wife would never allow him to shoot the cats, but he'd set up traps and then spray them down with a hose, and she'd defend it because apparently.... cat poop is toxic and can kill you. I made a point of warning the neighbours who had cats, and checking the traps early in the morning before they did.

Oddly enough, when his father grew old and suffered dementia, he began taking in cats and feeding and caring for them. Clearly there was some rewiring of his brain... a little late if you ask me but it's better than never. 

And yes, as much as I looooveee kittens! I tend to gravitate toward the older, more unfortunate ones at the shelters as well. Kittens are always scooped up quickly...although, I bet a good number of them are returned once they get older and the owners have a plethora of excuses as to why they can no longer keep them *rolls eyes*

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• jfed
• Apr 17, 2014

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I Love that JFED,
So true! I'm not lying, my sister has probably adopted about 15 dogs fron the humane society and returned every one of them. Complaining about some type of behavior problem. They still let here adopt. Those poor things. They think their getting a forever home just to be taken back and since they've been there before they know exactly where and what it's about. My sister and I no longer speak. She is a diagnosed psychopath. Which is one of the signs. They love no one but for themselves so loving or feeling for an animal is foreign to them. I see all who treat animals bad that way and distant myself from those type of people. Family or not.

I'm so happy Hazel has a forever home and God bless you for that. My Buster Brown has been diagnosed with diabetes and I'm praying to get him in remission. He's a chunk-chunk who doesn't move. I try playing but he just lies there batting not chasing. He runs when the vacuum is on, when I brush him and when I clean his bottom. Hazel went in remission so this gives me hope.
Thank you for all you do in helping these poor babies! We're all they have!

How frustrating for you...I can't believe that there isn't a ban against your sister for adopting out more animals? Perhaps you could get into touch with the local shelters and provide them with a recent picture and information on why they shouldn't adopt to her.

I've got a girlfriend whose family is carelessly not getting their pets spayed. Her sister's cat recently had kittens and her mother's dog just had puppies... It kills me!! And these babies (as cute as they are) get adopted out INSTANTLY!! All the while the shelters are at capacity with older animals. 

To boot, their pets are all some kind of fancy breed that each cost a fortune....another thing that urks me the wrong way. I just cannot understand why a person would support the business of breeders by spending  $1000+ on an inbred animal which undermines the work of rescue shelters. Then you have the idiots who just like a dog because of the way it looks without understanding ANY of the behavioral characteristics that are specific to that breed. So when their cute little puppy grows up and their idealistic vision of a naturally well-behaved Border Collie/Pit Bull/Husky are crushed, off they go to the shelter! Blame and consequence only falls on the animal and NEVER on the halfwits who adopt them.

The world according to me... I tell ya.

JFED, I agree 1000% with you. I have learned to isolate myself from everyone in my town. I'm the only animal advocate I know.
This is not a feline friendly town. My felines and my husband give me all I need. I know there's others like me here but I don't know them and everyone I have met just don't get it. They can't take descent care of their children and worse for their pets. To them it's just an animal and felines are at the bottom.

If I was to be diagnosed with a fatal illness, I would have my furbabies humanly euthanized. I know some wouldnt agree with me on this one but I couldn't bare them to be split up and I have spoiled them so with love that if asked ,and they could answer, they would want to be over the Rainbow bridge waiting for mommy. They don't fear death but being without me would be their biggest nightmare. I would hope my husband, who loves them as much as me, would look after them but he already stated if I die he would kill himself.

If you were diagnosed with a fatal illness, you would have time to find loving homes for your cats. Cats are remarkable in their abilities to adapt to change, even geriatric cats and ferals. There are cats who are blind and missing limbs and yet are able to adjust to life. I'm sure that if you asked your cats whether they preferred to live with someone else or get euthanized, they would choose life. Only people choose death over life--this does not occur within the animal kingdom, because animals have a strong survival instinct. According to your view, shelters should not exist because cats who have been surrendered are incapable of living happy lives in new families.

I hope you can encourage your husband to get some sort of counseling if he is talking about committing suicide should you die before him. Ask him to consider all the pain he would cause the people and animals who love him if he took his own life. There is treatment for the kind of depression that causes people to contemplate taking their own life, and I hope he will consider seeking it instead of making a decision that is irreversible and has consequences that would affect the people who love him. I worked as a crisis therapist for many years, and can tell you firsthand that suicide traumatizes family members for many, many years, and it's not something people ever get over.

MsAimee said:

If I was to be diagnosed with a fatal illness, I would have my furbabies humanly euthanized. I know some wouldnt agree with me on this one but I couldn't bare them to be split up and I have spoiled them so with love that if asked ,and they could answer, they would want to be over the Rainbow bridge waiting for mommy. They don't fear death but being without me would be their biggest nightmare. I would hope my husband, who loves them as much as me, would look after them but he already stated if I die he would kill himself.

If you were diagnosed with a fatal illness, you would have time to find loving homes for your cats. Cats are remarkable in their abilities to adapt to change, even geriatric cats and ferals. There are cats who are blind and missing limbs and yet are able to adjust to life. I'm sure that if you asked your cats whether they preferred to live with someone else or get euthanized, they would choose life. Only people choose death over life--this does not occur within the animal kingdom, because animals have a strong survival instinct. According to your view, shelters should not exist because cats who have been surrendered are incapable of living happy lives in new families.

I hope you can encourage your husband to get some sort of counseling if he is talking about committing suicide should you die before him. Ask him to consider all the pain he would cause the people and animals who love him if he took his own life. There is treatment for the kind of depression that causes people to contemplate taking their own life, and I hope he will consider seeking it instead of making a decision that is irreversible and has consequences that would affect the people who love him. I worked as a crisis therapist for many years, and can tell you firsthand that suicide traumatizes family members for many, many years, and it's not something people ever get over.

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I agree with you about my husband. It bothers me thatI can't count on him to look after my beloved felines if something should happen to me. He also loves them so you would think that love he has for them would make him consider the other. He's been in counselling and I know the impact suicide has on love ones. Him and I both witnessed it with friends.
We are both hyper-sensitive and things affect us differently then most people.
On euthanasia, well we're going to have to agree to disagree.

Hear, hear! I just picked up a gorgeous, teeny-tiny (6 pound!) adult tuxedo female. She had such badly matted fur that the mats ripped out her fur at the roots (we found that out after the vet clipped her) and is very scared of people. She desperately wants attention and sits right against me, but if I make the slightest movement, she explodes into a shrieking, scratching ball of fury. She also hates feet and will chase my feet from room to room, for half an hour at a time. I've never had a cat react this way, and I'm pretty sure these are signs of abuse and neglect. I know exactly who her owner is, and she's never going back! She's had less than a week with me, and my hands can stand up to all the scratches and bites she can dish out! I will tame her with unending love and gentleness. I have the rest of her life to work on her attitude, after all.

Too bad no one's likely to work on her former owner's attitude.