Rescuing animals can be emotionally taxing

We like animals. We feed a hundreds of birds of all kinds and squirrels every day. Probably $10+ a day in peanuts and all kinds of seeds - not the cheap stuff, only the best. They come running like clockwork and it delightful to watch. Some are endangered such as the woodpeckers. We even made up a safe den for an endangers species of snakes (people kill snakes). At know we feed raccoons, though some people don't like it that we do.

We rescue a lot of animals, nearly all are kittens and cats. Strays. Over the years certainly over 100, maybe 200. No, we don't have dozens of cats, we draw the line at 3, no more than 4, at any of our 3 locations (home and business).

We have pulling many back for the edge of death - from tiny kittens so full of worms they can't stand and are round like tennis balls to old declawed cats abandoned and so starved we think it is dead as a cat in nature without claws is a death sentence. Usually we find them homes and those we can't we keep using 3 locations. Some have been terribly abused. Others abandoned. We do not try to save feral cats as they truly are a wild animal.

Some we give away we have already become quite attached to - but if a good home that means we have room to save still one more. Because we get them into such great shape and so interact with them they are so people friendly and ok with other animals we usually have no problem finding them a home. But not always. And we can become TOO attached rarely to let it go. Or too people unfriendly so a home can't be found, so we keep those. Over time, they will warm up to us enough so we finally can find it a home.

There are far more than we can possibly save as there is a ceiling on how many we can or will care for.

There is only one we ever rescued from the animal shelter. This is about that cat.

The odds that anyone will take a cat from the shelter are probably a 1 out of 1,000 because their are just so many. If a cat is injured, the shelter immediately puts them down. Kittens have 3 days. The rest have 10 days.

We had lost a cat, full grown and beautiful, just got out the door and disappeared. So I had been going to the pound every 2 days just in case he'd show up somehow. I'd go thru the 2 cat rooms calling his name - we'd had him 2 years - looking at all the cats. I hate going to the shelter seeing all the abandoned animals knowing virtually all are doomed. The worst are the old lap dogs, loved all their life likely by an elderly person who had died. The old dog is crushed, not knowing what happened. You can see the shock in their eyes: "what happened? Why isn't my owner coming for me?" The shelter gives those a little more time, featuring them in the front hoping anyone will take it - but the odds are next to none.

We both HATE going to the animal shelter as it is a place of such great sadness and of no hope of what we see as defenseless victims who can't understand why this is happening to them.

Walking thru the shelter calling out the cat's name, the cat started calling for me. It was him - until I got right to the cage. It wasn't him, just the same color and a truly beautiful cat - pure black with copper eyes - not green like the one we lost. The cat was really talking to me. The shelter volunteer told me that he had been there 3 months - way, way past the kill date - telling me the cat was SO vocal and SO personable, they just couldn't put him down. I took him.

A couple years later someone broke into our porch (theft) and he got out. But a month later a vet called us. Someone had brought him in and the vet had scanned the chip. The woman who brought him in begged us to let her keep him. She was crying "Please, please let me keep him!" So we said sure, another rescue cat with a good home leaving us room for still 1 more. That was 2 years ago.

Yesterday the shelter called, had him, but that he was in "bad shape." We went and got him - spending over $1000 at our vet as he is in terrible shape. Starved to skin and bones. Nearly completely paralyzed from his mid-body back - only able to move one leg a little and the other not at all - and unwilling to eat - trying but then violently shaking his head - because his teeth have been shattered and it just too painful. Not going into detail, we think someone had stomped on and kicked him repeatedly.

Had he been lucky again? The chip implant still listed us as the owner. But for that chip, for his injuries they would have immediately put him down. Twice, he had been spare certain shelter death.

He doesn't fight us, is calm and can pull himself up on a chair by his front legs and can pull himself around by his front legs. He is just this side of starved to death. He isn't crying, but we are watching him giving up on life. At first he tried to eat, but not any more. We're feeding him kitten liquid truly a syringe like we do starved rescue kittens, but he resists it for the pain.

The vet said we should have all his teeth pulled and then maybe he'll eat, but we did that once before years ago and it was so hard on that cat it absolutely refused to eat or drink.

So we now face the terrible decision of having him put down. We'll have another vet look him over on Monday and can keep him alive until then by syringe feeding him. We also don't know if he can control his bladder or bowels either.

It's hard. When we first got him he was the most muscular and powerful cat we'd ever had and so vocal he'd talk to us all the time. How he whittered down to nothing but skin and bones, crippled, in constant pain, can't eat or drink, dragging himself up and into a safe corner on a chair under the kitchen table.

Time to time we can't save them. We've had them die in our arms - kittens just too far gone - after days of holding them under our shirts for warmth and syringe feeding them - and its always hard because we failed. We had this guy for a long time and to see was some monster did to him and likely Monday will be his last day it very emotionally taxing. We don't care about the money we spent on him and if this second vet has any option other than pulling all his teeth we'll keep trying with him, even if permanently paralyzed.

Rescuing animals is very rewarding, but it is hard when you take the fate of another living creature into your care and decisions - and you can't save it. Very emotionally taxing, especially when you've bonded and the animal is looking to you to relieve its pain and suffering.

Damn it, I am not looking forward to Monday. It doesn't look good for him. To see such a beautiful, powerful cat who had been our pet and now so broken and crippled by human cruelty and sadism. We'll try all this weekend to save him, but we both seem to know how this is going to end.

 

It may have just been a car accident.
Unless you live in a sort of sketchy neighborhood where that sort of sadism is more likely to happen.

 

Don't let him suffer though, Jake, that would be selfish??

 

That is always the question - and it is a hard one. He's not crying and seems comfortable. The pain seems to only be trying to eat, ie teeth. Monday we'll see if our regular vet can remove 1 or just a few teeth to relieve that pain. We are not willing to go the route of all teeth removal, which the vet today (Sat) said needs to be done. That's just too hard on a cat and permanently.

The two real questions and that his life depends on are:
1. Do his bowels and bladder work?
2. Will he eat and drink on his own - or can be treated in a way to make it so he can?

If the answer to either is no, we will put him down rather than have him suffer as that is the inevitable.

I do not think he will regain control of his rear legs and tail - though he has a bit of control for one hip and can literally pull himself up on a chair by his front legs still having all his forward body strength. If his only problem is that paralysis because he can get around even in a sense standing as he the one rear leg works good enough for him to pull himself along, we'll keep him that way. I wouldn't want someone to put me down because my legs didn't work. He can get around well with his front legs - and still has his claws to help with that.

Other than trying to eat, he does not exhibit being in any pain. If he had been a stray we wouldn't do this. But because he was our cat in the past we feel a stronger obligation. We will have an animal who is suffering put down as you said.

 

Sorry to say it Jake but it sounds like you should let him go?

 

That was our first view as that is common. X rays show no bone damage or joint dislocation or even apparent spine damage. However, there is a large bruise about 4 inches down from his neck, which is all but certainly the cause of paralysis and we think he was kicked in the mouth on one side.

Hit by a car usually is a specific injury and if causing paralysis means it was run over and lethal internal injuries. A couple of times I've shot a dog that had been hit by a car, run over, and the back of their body crushed, though still alive. I'll pull it off the road, know it is only suffering but might live for hours, and end the suffering. I don't enjoy doing so but it is the right thing to do.

There is no evidence that usually is there if he was hit by a car. He was a very people-friendly cat even to strangers - many cats are not. We think it likely the woman made him an outside cat - all cats we have are kept indoors - and he went up to someone who stomped on him and then kicked him in the face/mouth or also stomped on his head, leaving him for dead, but of course can't really know.

 

It may well come to that, but we'll give him a chance - and it takes a while for both of us to come to accept it. First, we have to make peace with doing so within ourselves. We've pulled many an animal, not just cats, back from death and we do give them the best chance we can, but also will accept the reality when either this is not possible, the animal is suffering, or it is just too much a burden for us.

For example, years ago I had bought a ferret off a guy for $100 because he kept it locked in a dog carrier alone in a backroom perpetually. I didn't want a ferret, but was just too cruel. A little tiny runt. We got 2 more ferrets just so he'd have to company and the big ferret cage and all the tubes and toys for it. Had the 3 for years. But finally his health declined and time and again we would have syringe feed him until back to health. But each time would be sooner than the time before. Finally we knew it was time let him go when he couldn't really get around. We then gave the other 2 - quite beautiful, plus cage and all the rest to a good family with children to play with them.

There is a time to let an animal go, but we first give it a fair chance at recovery and a good life. Maybe a bit of guilt to since if we had told that other woman "no" to having him maybe this wouldn't be the case. Usually we check out who is adopting one of our rescues including visiting their home - and we hadn't done that. We may well need to put him down and already set the measures by which we will do so. Most cats are just cats, though each their own personality. But some have super friendly bonding personalities - and he was one of those.

Usually, a sick or injured animal will let you know when its time, giving up on life itself in a way you can sense.

It takes us a little time to emotionally accept - a little longer for those few special ones that became our pet and not just temporary rescue - so we are confident to our own minds that we did the right thing.

 

That's very poignant, and it's guys like you who give animal lovers a good name . . . thoughtful, compassionate, but putting the best interests of the animal before your own. Some months ago my nephew's dog (a Schnitzel) contracted a fast-moving pulmonary illness, but instead of allowing him to go peacefully they kept him going until not only could it not move any more, it didn't have enough breath to eat or drink. I don't visit them (we have nothing in common) so thankfully I didn't have to watch the inevitable happening.

 

There are people we will not give a cat and particularly a kitten to because we know that after they tire of it they'll just put it outside. That might work some places, but not here. It is not that they have no chance against the owls, hawks and coyotes, but within weeks they will be covered in fleas, ticks and mosquitoes - and starving to death even if fed because they are filled with worms.

Sometimes an animal will seemingly be recovering with no apparent injuries, but then no longer will eat and weaken. You can force feed it, but possibly all you are doing is filling its lungs. If an animal has intestinal damage (twisted, blocked or punctured) it cannot survive. That is why whether he can pee and poop - and eat on his own - is decisive.

He now has both pooped and peed. And could get in and out of the cat box on his own. A good sign. Also he had some use of one leg - none of the other nor his tail - and not strength in the one leg he has some control over to lift himself in the back. However, just like with people if not too great nerves can often bridge and restore body control. If he can get control of even just one of his rear legs he'll regain all but running mobility. The vet confirmed he has circulation in both legs and his tail - if not that also is a death sentence.

However, we have done this long enough and enough times to know that with just this short of time, there could be other issues and injuries by which he suddenly could go downhill. We won't let him suffer and learned our lessons on that quite some time ago. You can't save them all and there is a point that it is cruel to keep trying. You are 100% right about that.

We also know that vets are in the profit business, so there is a point we will tell a vet "no more" since the inevitable is clear and the vet is just running up the bill until then. Granted, I suppose a vet should do everything possible even if just to prolong life just like a doctor for a person. There are elderly here who will pay $10,000 for open heart surgery on their blind and crippled 15 year old lap dog. That's just cruel.

We won't go that route. If the animal's natural life has come to an end, its quality of life is not good and/or there is instead suffering, we'll end it as the compassionate thing to do. No different a view than of myself and my living will that says "pull the plug."

 

Brilliant stuff, Jake . . . keep up the good work mate.

 

I won't give hourly reports, but this first 24 hours is critical. We set up the chairs under a kitchen table, surrounding it with towels, so he can feel secure from the other cats. I just watched him figure out how to get down on his own, go in the cat box, pee, and then pull himself back up to his safe space - using one back leg to assist - all with relative ease. It means he hasn't given up and laid down to die, he is self mobile, and the force-feeding is giving him strength back. Hopefully, the vet can relieve enough mouth pain without full teeth removal so he will eat and drink on is own.

I admire his determination to keep going. That he is back at a home, people and another cat he already knew is probably a plus in he may feel like he is now safe again. I watched far too many critters give up and lay down to die. When they do you can't reverse it and its time to end their suffering. He was a notably tough alpha tom and that nature still seems in him.

 

He made it past the critical first 24 hours and is doing well. We put up a 20 inch barrier to keep him on the kitchen tile floor. I watched him make it over with ease. He has full use of one back leg, but does not have full strength in it nor figured out how to not trip over his other leg. He has feeling in his other leg, so it may instead be massive ligament damage like be thrown by his leg or slung into something by his leg. He is doing bladder and bowel movement, getting himself down, to the cat box, and back up by himself as needed.

He has been bathed (did NOT like that), de-wormed, de-flea-d, is syringe feed high protein, high mineral, high vitamin and electrolytes every 3 to 4 hours, and prescription pain medication for the certain severe teeth and mouth pain.

He still won't drink or eat on his own, but anyone who has had an exposed tooth nerve could understand since he has broken and dislocated teeth on one side, causing his whole mouth to be infected. Hopefully, the vet can do something about that.

 

You are a very good person. We need more like you in the world. I have always loved animals and feed all of my birds, keep my dogs from bothering lizards and take good care of my dogs. I have also always donated to shelters and animal rescue missions. But what you and your family do is above and beyond. I salute you!

 

He reminds me of the LOST DOG flyer:

“LOST DOG: Old Medium sized mixed breed brown dog. He has 1 eye, 1 ear, his tail cut off, 3 legs, missing teeth and is castrated. His name is “LUCKY.”

This cat is on the last of his 9 lives...

It is only due to this cat's appearance, personality, strength and one after another extremely good luck – some almost impossible odds - that he's alive. But we counted and he's now in the last of his “9 lives.”

1. Abandoned outdoors the first time. While cats in nature can do well in many areas, they won't here. Between the hawks, owls and coyotes, plus ticks, fleas, mosquitoes and worms they don't fair well. The only outdoors cat that tend to last any length of time are black or gray. They can not be seen in the shadows of the undergrowth during the day and do not stand out at night.

2. Not being put down when taken to the shelter. Adult cats have 10 days before put down. But because he is so beautiful with long blue-black fur, copper eyes (indicating a show cat) and how vocal he is (not noisy but if you talk to him he talks back). They delayed it 3 months hoping someone would take him.

3. Being selected at the shelter by me. People who go to the pound for a cat want a kitten. No one took him. We have his records and after 3 months he had been put on the 10 day kill list. But because he looked like the cat we lost and he started talking to me when I was calling the other cat's name, I took him. At this point he had beaten the death-odds by worse than 1,000 to 1 against cats of that history. What are the odds I would go to the shelter looking for a lost cat of his general appearance or him calling for me – the only cat of hundreds – when I called the other cat's name? We avoid ever going to the shelter as it is too depressing.

4. Back in the wild. Again he survives on-his-own in nature. He's an escape artist and was back in the dangers of nature. He survived. And someone took him in and took him to a vet sometime after. Chipped in our name, but we told the vet the person who had him (for many months) could keep him with her pleading to let her keep him.

5. Back in nature and horrifically assaulted/abused. Two years later he escaped again or is put out – and again survived the very real dangers of nature. However, he is horrifically abused and crippled. Teeth smashed. Spinal injury leaving him with a paralyzed leg and tail. His chance of survival out in the wild in this condition are next to none since he can't hunt or travel.

6. Rain! He didn't die of thirst. People have been increasingly complaining because it has rained every day and every night for nearly a month. An animal or person can go a long time with no food, but not without water. The rain gave him water every day. If a cat or dog was a pet, but is abused, it will hide from pepole until it is down to “stage 1 starvation” - the last stage before death – and then it will desperately go to any human or house as it's last chance and nothing but skin and bones. (Nearly ever rescue found us in that condition.) The non-stop rain – not common – had saved his life.

7. Back at the shelter. Normally that would be instant death. A severely injured animal is immediately put down, but he was chipped. Because of that, per their rules they MUST contact the owner. That chip saved his life.

8. Improbably clerical error. When we told the vet that the other person could keep him, he should have changed the records to show her as the owner. But they had not been changed and still showed us as the owner. What are the odds of that?

What chance is it that the other person would spend $1,000, $2000 on him – or have our experience of decades rescuing cats? Besides, the shelter had contacted the vet, who gave them his second owner's phone number, so the pound had called both us and her. She never returned their call. That clerical error inaccurately still listing us as the owner saved his life.

He is now in his 9th life. Tomorrow the vet will tell us the chance his mouth problems can be resolved enough so he will eat and drink on his own. He doesn't have any lives left to spare. He needs to be LUCKY this last of his 9 lives. With a bum leg his escape artist days are over.

 

That made me well up.

 

Today's the day for the 2nd vet - and it's looking good. He started eating dry food on his own last night (canned wet food is not good for a cat for many reasons) but wouldn't drink, so we gave him water by a syringe. This morning I woke to his drinking water out of a dish like there's no tomorrow. Now he's exploring the entire place, hobbling along ok - probably looking for an escape route.

He has some control over his other leg and I think I know the story, though the Vet will say. I think a couple things are at play. The immobility may not be nerve damage but extreme dislocation and ligament damage because he has feeling in both legs and his tail. I suspect he was kicked twice - in the head and then back - then maybe unconscious and seemingly dead was grabbed by the tail and one leg and thrown in some undergrowth. However, he also may have been hours from death when found from lack of food and water.

A mini pom I had for 14 years died earlier this year. We were as close as close can be. At age 12 the vet told me to count every day as a blessing, that any surgeries would likely kill her from putting her to sleep for the surgery. She died in my arms across about 4 hours and knew it coming. Her back legs slowly stopped working, then her front and then the rest of her body. She was never in discomfort, rather just her body shutting down. That is the order of dying for a dog and maybe a cat.

Humans dying in this way - body shutting down - at the end will do what they call the "death rattle" - a rattling last gasp of air - a final instinctive attempt to live. For a dog, it is the "death run." My little Pom stopped breathing and the end had seemingly come. I called out her name - and her legs starting running full speed for about 2 seconds - and that was it, she was gone. The death run. One last instinctive attempt to live somewhere hardwired in a dog's brain.

For this cat, I think the rear leg problems likely are extremely severe trauma damage to one, combined with his being in the last hours of life and his body shutting down, starting at his back legs as that is the sequence of dying from thirst and/or starvation. The body will save it's last strength for the heart, lungs and last of all the brain - the same order a body will use its last heat when freezing to death.

 

Each animal is so unique. We had a very tiny rescue kitten we heard crying in the woods for 3 weeks at night - calling for its mother. We couldn't find it but coaxed it in over 3 weeks with food near where we heard it. We put the kitten with the mini pom for warmth and comfort, it sleeping in her thick fur. The Pom was his mother.

My Pom was a tinkler -didn't always make it to the puppy pads. So we had a child gate up to keep her on tile. The kitten that could walk under my Pom a year later could walk over her - a tall long cat. The cat, though, then and now thinks its a dog. It was funny. The Pom would be looking thru the child gate and the cat would have his front paws up on top it it meowing "please let me out!"

At any time it could have just jumped over the gate not even touching it, but the Pom didn't jump so he didn't either. We've had him about 4 years and to this day he will never jump on the table, counters, go up on a chair or on couches. My tiny Pom couldn't - so he can't either. We did show him he can go on the bed. In almost every way, that cat acts like a dog.

They all are unique with their own personality traits. When they are THAT unique and this a lot to do with raising them, it is very hard to give that one away - so those we keep are all sort of odd.

 

Well, it's Monday & as someone currently with 5 rescued animals as pets, I fully understand the misery of trying to decide when it is the proper time to let a beloved companion go.

I say that we have 5 rescued animals (2 dogs & 3 cats) but I may very easily find another litter of kittens in the barn or my wife may come home with another dog so, tomorrow, we may have 6, 8 or 10 animals to care for, keep or find a good home.

I'm almost 70 & have had numerous "Scratch & Dent" rescued animals that required significant time and resources to keep alive, comfortable & happy.

For example, I don't regret curing the mange of a delightful, lost German Shepherd or even having to return him to his rightful, loving owners after I had gotten close to him.

Based on what you've written, I'm sure that you'll make the right decision at the right time.

Please keep me posted as time permits.

Best Wishes & good luck.

 

There is spine damage that indicates being stomped on. Dislocation and corresponding stomach hernia below. A car would have crushed him. The injuries, though are at least at least a couple months old according to the vet by how the hernia had progressed and scar tissue development. So somehow he had manages to stay alive - probably eating lizards and bugs which are everywhere here. Then at the very end, had dragged himself to someone's house or into the open, where someone saw him and called the pound, who came and picked him up - calling us because his chip ID had never been updated.

Return to complete use of his legs is unlike, but not impossible, and he can get around just fine now - though slowly. Very strong upper body strength capable of pulling himself up on anything if he can get hold with his claws. Except for his mouth, all issues he has are from the spine damage. Needs to add weight of course and build back up rear body muscularity as best possible. Having watched him pull himself up and down chairs, over a 2 foot barrier and pull himself or hobble all around, he has a very strong will to live.

Bottom line? It looks like he gets to keep this 9th life. He's got dental surgery ahead of him, an infection to deal with and some work on his back to do - but not surgery. The Vet said cats have a remarkable ability to recover and heal. I've been watching that myself the last 2 days. We've going to have a fair amount of $$ into him, but there really is no choice.

 

Anyone who would intentionally harm an animal for the pleasure of it should be themselves put down.

People who are cruel to the weak and helpless are the worst kind of scum.

 

We've done that too in the sense of put a great deal of TIME, devotion and often fair amount of $$ - becoming quite attached and bonded - but still instead find them a new, good home. This gives room for do it again with another one so we feel good about it. Some years ago we decided we had to draw a numerical limit as to how many we can help as it was starting to be like we're animal hoarders. And, of course, there are those special ones we just can't give up or know a home can't be found for it.

It's not that we WANT all these animals. But if there is you hear or see a desperately starved, abandoned and on it's last days of life, its just impossible to not fill such powerful empathy we just have to do something. In some ways dogs are emotionally more taxing because dogs that were pets are so human connected just their eyes say "please help me." Of course, any kitten or puppy in trouble is heart wrenching.

It is stunning how many adults can be so cruel to animals just to do so. The last one we got before this cat, isn't entirely a rescue. Just past the kitten stage, one day I opened the door and he just ran it. He came right to me, wanting to snuggle, making a cute twittering sound. Obviously someone's pet and lots of people have outdoor cats, I just put him back out. But later when I opened the door he dashed right past me and then came to me - the same thing. When I picked him up he wanted to hug me, but I also could hold him in my arm like a baby, his back down rubbing his stomach and chest. 99% of cats HATE that. Absolutely do not want to be held on their back or their stomach rubbed. For many clues, I figured this was a little girl's cat she had since a kitten and had spent huge amounts of time with it treating him like her baby doll. He also seemed a house cat.

So I decided definitely to not put him outside in case he was lost, and went to neighbors asking if anyone had seen him or knew who owned him certain some little girl was crying over her lost little kitty. One person had seen exactly what happen - and a TERRIBLE thing so many people do. She said she was outside and saw an SUV stop, driven by a woman. A little girl got out holding the kitty like a baby on her shoulder, and the car pulled forward about 100 feet, the passenger door open. The little girl then put the little cat down and ran as fast as she could for the car, the little cat trying to keep up but couldn't - and the car drove off. This was only a few doors from where we live. She said she had been putting food out for it, but doesn't want a cat and knew if she called the pound the cat was doomed.

What a ROTTEN parent! People do this. They want a KITTEN, but as soon as it is leaving the kitten stage they dump it and get another kitten as there is an endless supply of free kittens. So 2 to 3 times a year she abandoned a 4-5 month old cat - trained only to be an indoor house cat and not big enough to possibly survive outdoors on its own. Think about what she's teaching that little girl and maybe what kind of mother she'll grow up to be. He is EXTREMELY personable, makes all sorts of twittering and other sounds I haven't really heard from a cat, endlessly curious, a bundle of energy, notably smart and trainable, and extremely affectionate - towards me as I had replaced the little girl. Most people wouldn't like that much close in-your-face and following you everywhere making his cute twittering sounds always to ask "what are WE doing now? What's going? Let's do something together!" Very gentle, extremely.

Keep up the good work! You both are heroes - because you do this and expect nothing in return.

I think what goes around comes around, and the love you get in the end equals the love you receive in life. When it comes to helping desperate animals, giving is better than receiving.

This I've been posting about is a TOUGH male - Big. Tall. Muscular. Determined to not be held back by disability. But completely gentle. While he would resist if doing something necessary that also is painful, at no time did he even accidentally twist and turn and scratch. He might be twisting and turning every way possible grabbing with his claws at anything he can - such as trying to get him into the cat carrier to go to the vet - but avoids scratching me. Never hissed one time either, though some things we had to do we knew hurt - such as pulling out of his safe space every 3 hours or so to force feed him and force some water down his throat. He resisted, but never lashed out. Most cats will not to be vicious but will by instinct.

Most hurt animals in pain will lash out. He won't. He maybe didn't like what we had to do, but seems to know we are trying to help him even if it does hurt. There is only so much I'll struggle with an animal that wants to bite or scratch me - certain if a rescue. We also have other animals so have to avoid a rescue that may harm them or isolate the rescue, though we have limited space to do that and we are not an animal shelter.

Bottom line? We don't need to put him down. He just have to help a little along a little more down the path of his best recovery.

 

I agree. Whenever I read or hear of a child being cruel to an animal such as putting a cat in a mailbox and then blowing it up, setting a cat of fire, viciously beating or kicking a dog etc, usually a boy, I think he probably should be sterilized so he never has children.

There is a strong sense in my of wanting to know who stomped on this cat so I could throw him down and stomp on his spine hard as I could with a hard heeled boot. See how well he can crawl with just his arms. Maybe kick out some his teeth with a steel toed boot too.

I never agreed with the SCOTUS ruling the death penalty can only be imposed for murder. I think sadistic torture is worse. Sure, a young guy goes in to rob a C-store, there is a struggle and he shoots killing the clerk. As bad as that it, I don't think it as bad as someone - often even a parent(s) - who starves, abuses, beats and harms a child for months or even years, having the child chained in a basement or closet, so starved it has even caused brain damage. Sadists like that should be hung - VERY PUBLICLY. That is far, far more an evil person than a punk who goes to do a robbery and in a split second pulls the trigger.

 

Great thread, Jake.

We've rescued many ... like "Boo Boo", a little 8 week old kitten who had been deliberately turned over to a dog to maul by the dirtbag boyfriend of a woman my wife worked with. Both of her front legs had been badly damaged, and we took her and paid for surgeries. Both front legs were in casts for weeks. But she lived, and, though she was hobbled a bit by the loss of parts of her front paws, she lived a long life and was very much loved. She was exceptionally gentle and affectionate. Our little Boo Boo who had booboos ...

 

All I know is that my Chloe is 18 years old and every time I come home from work I am paranoid about finding her dead on my bed or in some corner. The day that happens I will have to call in sick for the entire week.

 

Oh there's something worse than that - far worse - but I'm not going to say what it is lest some brain-dead cretin reads it then does it.