abuse and neglect

I was watching the news last night which I have learned is a big mistake. There is always something that has me mad by the time it's all over. It was only a small segment, but it was absolutly awful. Somewhere in Nebraska the authorities had to go into a a home and remove an outlandish number of cats that from what I could see were very neglected. One poor thing had a huge gaping hole where it's eye should have been. There were pet carriers stacked all over the yard that were being filled with the poor cats. While I was ranting on about the whole thing my daughter says that they were taking cats out of the freezer. Now why on earth would someone want to do such a thing. I didn't hear if they were trying to find out if the poor things had been put in there alive or if they had already passed on before being given a frozen grave. I love all my animals especially my cats. I sometimes wonder what is going through their minds when I walk into a room and see one hanging from a curtin, but abuse has never crossed my mind. My daughter would probably die if she knew I was telling everyone this, but she tries to punish the cats for bad behavior. She honestly tries to make them sit in the corner. Her view on the whole mess is it works for her when she gets into trouble, so the cats should sit in the same corner and think about what they have done.
My point is why can't people like that just give the animals away before harm comes to any of them. To me there was very little love to be offered, and the cats deserved so much more than that.

Shannon; Like you, I sometimes wish I could avoid watching the news; it seems that lately so much more has been televised about these people who have a problem they call"pet hoarding". Be it cats or dogs or even large animals like horses; it is, I feel a simple case of animal abuse, but it seems like society is wanting to label this activity as a from of a sickness or psychotic behavior. As if giving it a label makes it more "tolerable" or makes it something the doers can't help doing. I say that is a giant "Crock of Crap". We should not be finding "excuses for these people. I do believe that abuse should be prosecuted not sensationalized. This publicity may be contributing to the seemingly growing problem. Like you; I don't know what posesses these people. I try to discipline my cats but I also feel that 1/2 the job of conditioning animal behavior is chaging the way we, the owners, take the time to train them early and stick with their supervision. Much the same way we parent respectful children. Most of what a cat does, that annoys us, is purely natural feline behavior and should not be punished but, rather ogmented to suit household guidelines.
I think the part about your daughter wanting the cat to sit in the corner is "beyond precious". . . . . . . Would that it worked!!!!!

You know, this house in Nebraska is no different than a lot of breeders and the people who supply animals to pet stores. These so called breeders will keep their animals pregnant most of the time with minimal care. They live in cages witout bottoms to let the waste drop the the floor or let them live in the waste. If they have a kitten that needs some medical attention they will either freeze it, inject it with draino or flush it down the toilet. They will also do this to cats who are no longer able to breed. The best part is that people keep them in buisness by buying these animals from pet stores. Thats why I can't even stress enough the importance of finding a close breeder or flying to see where your pet is coming from.
I just got done reading The cat who cried for help. Tell me if this shouldnt be classified as abuse. This woman takes a cat off the streets. She brings him home and immediatly declaws him because he is scratching her furniture (like he knows what furniture is). She then takes him to the behaviorist for help. He is crying all the time. Hell, he has been outside all his life and now is made to be inside and had his claws taken to boot. So she tells the Dr. the time she would have to invest in working with him is too much and the drugs he gave her didnt keep him quiet enough. So she had him devocalized!! That poor cat, I can't imagine what goes through peoples heads!

Oh my God, Sandie that is horrible!!! She had him devocalized??????? She should have her tounge cut out.

I am trying to choose my words very carefully because I have it in me right now to let loose with more than my share of profanity. I had no idea of the things that breeders can and sometimes do. The only creature that has ever been flushed down my toilet has been a pet fish that died. Even with that the poor thing had a funeral. I could not imagine having it in me to inject a poor helpless body with drano let alone have my cats ability to vocalize taken away because it makes too much noise. I understand that all breeders are not like that, but I have still been turned off to the idea of doing business with them. There is more joy to me in bringing a pet home from the animal shelter, or making a rescue off the street.
I am a firm believer in all creatures great and small being created equal. With that when these buttholes(excuse my language)die and get to the pearly gates I hope that Saint Peter is waiting to give them a boot right back down to the burning pits of hell where they belong.

Very well said, Shannon!!!! I totally agree!!!!!!

I have been learning all about puppy and kitten mills lately and how most people are in it for the profit instead of purifing the breeds. Sometimes I would dream of having a big house in the country and rescue all unwanted animals. But I know my income is limited so I stick to my cat right now.
i saw one were there was this woman and she had a puppy mill and all the dogs were inside a trailer and it was all closed up with very little ventilation and light. The floor was all covered with urine and feces and they were not fed very well. i think this country needs to investigate and crack down on the mills and put these money makers out of business. It would be real nice if they made it a felony for anyone involved in the mill business.

Dear Nena10; You and I think the same way on this subject. I would LOVE to have every needy cat and/or dog, but I know that I would not be able to provide for them adequatly. Still it breaks my heart. . . . .I get so disgusted when some people; who learn that I have 6 cats, say things like, "What are you? A pet HOARDER?" or "Do you have a problem?"
I have even heard that people in my church,(of all places), have been known to make statements at pot-luck picnics, etc. ; "Oh, I never eat anything that comes from Sis. Darlene's house! She has all those cats, you know!" Yet these same people would never say things like, "I don't eat anything that comes from Sis. Jones house because she has all those "snot-nosed brats!" or "I could never eat anything that comes from Sis. Smith's house because her husband always has "Pit-stained" T-shirts and cuts some "really juicy"
f--ts!!!" Oh, no, let's just assume that because I have cats, my cole slaw is loaded with hair balls or that I would shape pie crust with the same hands that just changed a litter box!

I think you get my drift. Just because I choose to provide a loving home for,(what some term TOO MANY), a few cats, does not make me a psycho!
If anything, my house is CLEANER than most because I don't want to give people "ammunition" for careless gossip. . . . . . . Okay, I am finished ranting, (for now)!!!!

3LK


I would eat anything you fixed and feel lucky to get something homemade. I live on cereal and frozen dinners so please feel free to make me a pie or homemade coleslaw anytime

AP; Thanks or the vote of confidence. I shall put you on my Christmas Cookie Gift list immediately. Of course you will have to PM me your mailing address. That reminds me I have to put Cracker and Barrell on the Christmas Catnip "Meeces" list.

TLK

I can't believe people can do this sort of thing to an animal. How would they like it if someone did it to them? I also have had to learn od some not so nice things going on in my area. I found out while I was on my honeymoon a boy shot a cat 23 times. The cat did not live! I learned of this because the owner also had her dog poisioned this month so it was back on the news. I do not understand people sometimes!

Hi everyone, I am 19 and currently in college. I am going into the field of veterinary med. Where I hope to make life a little easier for homeless, abandoned and abused animals of any kind. Hopefully I will soon have a job at the local vet. clinic to. It is very demoralizing to read a post like this and be reminded of the atrocities people can commit to animals that have no way to defend themselves from us. It just creates a feeling like a rock in the pit of my stomach when I hear such horrible things and know there is nothing I can do about it.

Just wait until you get into the clinic! You are going to see and hear things that make your blood boil!! I have been working in a vets office for over a year now and I see something horrible every day. Matter of fact, the tech that works there just adopted a dog and she really shouldnt have one. Yes, she will provide medical care, but I think that's about it. Once you are in the field for ahwile, you will have to let me know what you think.

Darlene.....I have something to say about your post. It really infuriated me!!!!!!!!
In God's house of all places ,you are being slammed for being an animal lover!!!!!!!!! Maybe you should look into a different church!!! How DARE they make comments like that!!!!!
I would be proud to eat anything you cooked!!!!!!!! What do they think??? That you let your cats roll around on the meatloaf before you bring it???????? EEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGGG!!
Maybe I am responding a bit to angrily, but it PO's me that in church, of all places, people would be making comments about not eating your food, because of all the cats you have!!!

PS...add my name to your christmas cookie list!!!!!!! I will eat them with pride!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I apologize for any harsh words I have, I don't want to offend anyone. You have all been so wonderful.
But on the flip side of that I feel there are things to be said. I would like to ask some of these people who are abusing the pleasure and joy of having animals how they would like to be locked up in a cage and forced to live on only the food that their keeper got around to giving them. How they would like to lay in the stink of their own waste.
There was a woman in my community that got herself into serious trouble for having a puppy mill. The bad thing is the only reason she was caught was because it slipped out that she was performing
c-sections on the females. She by no means has a liscense to even come close to calling herself a vet.

How dare those women make such comments in church about your cooking!!! Too bad you couldn't find a recipe that has a hard crunchy texture. Then you could really give them something to talk about, when you announce that you think you mixed up the litter with the flour.

Darlene, you are so right! Children are much more dangerous than pets in passing illnesses. I don't mean to put down anyone wth kids Just to day that it's so much easier to catch something from a human than from an animal. In fact, there are relatively few diseases that pass from animals to humans. I hate it when people see a sick animal sneezing or coughing and they tell their kids to stay away and even throw a stone at the poor cat or dog! I would kiss such an animal on the top of its runny nose!

My MIL is very worried about how our baby will live with the cats and the dog. I keep telling her that it's much safer than have him meet lots of humans...

I get alot of comments about animals and children. One man told me not to get the children close to the cat because they could catch something, all because of the hair. One man told me that when his wife was pregnant that he had to get rid of their cat because he didn't want the woman or baby to catch anything such as asthma or allergies. I've told him that many pregnant women have tons of cats and are doing fine. Cats and dogs get alot of prejudice because they don't have the brain like we do. They don't talk and can't use the bathroom like we do. And they have lots of hair. People don't realize the good these animals are. They need to be educated.

Stories like this are always difficult to hear and I have to make myself read them - but I continue to do so as I need to continue to learn. 'Collectors' are very difficult to deal with - usually starting out with good intentions, but then things getting out of control and the animals end up suffering untold horrors. I was involved is assisting our local SPCA with a 'cat collector' case and I will never forget what I saw. One of the valuable things I have learned in studying these 'collectors' is that even when you remove the animals, they need to be monitored - as they will start collecting again!
TLK - I would be honored to eat cookies or coleslaw or anything from you!!!!! We have a recipe for "kitty litter" in our office cookbook. I would be glad to forward it to you for the next church social!!!! Evil of me, isn't it?:tounge2:

Darlene...we had a recipe for Kitty Litter Cake on here, ages ago, didn't we, Anne? Do you think you could 'dig' that thread up for us? That would be hilarious to see how the hypocratic gang at your church responded to THAT!!!