This is my new soap box issue. Some people may not like this post, but I don't much care. At first I was sad and upset, now I am just plain angry. What happened today, and my kids had to witness, should have never happened if people were responsible for their own pets! You take them, you are responsible for them. That means any kittens or puppies they have. Honestly, there should be laws, that if you give puppies away, because you didn't have them fixed, then you should have the whole litter fixed at your expense before getting rid of them. Period, that is how it should be. If you are not smart enough to know to do it yourself then the law should make you.
Since last week, I have been shooing kittens, and the mother cat, out of my backyard. The backyard is where my two dogs play and run. It is fenced, and it is their domain. Because, I obviously do not want any harm to come to the cat and its kittens, I always check first before I let the dogs out. The mother and most of the kittens, got the idea. One kitten, however, would not leave. Everyday I shoo it out of the yard. It is not friendly and mostly comes out at night, so I can hardly see it. I am also very allergic. It scratched me and my hand blew up. Last night I finally coaxed it into a pet carrier and took it to the front porch where it would at least be warm and safe. Gave it some food, and told it good night. I noticed it appeared to walk funny, and possibly only had three paws. Because, it is always dark, and it is scared of me, I was unsure. This morning, when I went to check on it, it had escaped from the pet carrier and was sitting on top of it looking at me. The mother cat never did return for it any of these four or five days. So, I guessed I would be caring for it. This is not the first time, strays have had kittens and left them in my yard, the front yard, or cars just stopped and dropped kittens out of their car. It is a huge problem here. Matter of fact a year or two ago a grey kitten just came out of nowhere, no other kittens, no mother cat. We called the local shelter and they said we could drop it off for 25 dollars. What? It wasn't even my kitten. They said everyone says that. So, I had to pay 25 dollars for a kitten that was not even mine. Anyway this morning we went out for our Run Club. The kitten was on the front porch when we left, and when we returned. I thought good, at least it will stay out of the back yard. A couple hours later it was gone. Caitlin checked the back yard and porch and it was not there, or so she thought. She let the dogs out and it was in a corner where she didn''t see it. Before I could stop them, the little dog had it and shook it to death. It was very traumatizing to us. The kids said their goodbyes and we buried it. I know now the mother cat most likely abandoned it because it had a mangled back leg that was infected. I don't know how it got it, but I know it wasn't from my dogs because I am always out there with them. Caitlin felt like it was her fault, and cried for a good long time. DJ was upset the dog wouldn't listen to him when he said stop. Needles to say the little dog, which grabbed the kitten, got a good scrubbing and mouth cleaning, even though she did not actually puncture the kitten just shook it. The kids were mad at the dogs at first, but they realize the dog was protecting their turf. I do however think more command training is in order for them both. They need to listen better. We never let them out front, where there is not a fence, and are only walked with a harness and leash.
I just feel so awful. This all could have been avoided if the owner of the mother cat, who has had about ten litters of kittens I might add, just had her fixed. I am so angry at them right now. Please, have your pets spayed and neutered. It is not hard to tell when an animal is in heat. It is your responsibility to everything in your power to make sure they don't become pregnant, and if they do YOU have to be responsible for their offspring. Needless to say, we did not get a full day of book lessons in, but got lots of Reality of Life, and Irresponsible Pet Owner learning done.
