Poor Bunnies...poor Cat Options

[Furkidlets' Mom]

I've come to vent my frustrations of the last 2 days. I felt like enti tling this "How Stupid ARE People Anyway?!", considering.

I know someone who is to move to another country this summer. The family has 2 bunnies, one of them fairly elderly and not very healthy overall, despite this woman being a healer & 'into' natural methods of healing and health...at least for humans. Her beliefs & practices don't seem to extend entirely to her animals, apparently. She's looking for a permanent home for them now because (one thing to her credit) she realizes that to subject them to 6 months of quarantine (the ol' rabies nonsense again) wouldn't be either right nor wise. They currently live in her family's garage, the way it's always been for them.

Then she told me she was considering this family she knows, to possibly take them in. There are 6 kids there of varying ages (the first part of likely a bad idea), one of whom.....was just in court recently for threatening to KILL somebody! And yet, she was still considering allowing her rabbits to go into this home! She spoke of how these 2 bunnies had done so much good for her own 2 kids when they moved here, helping them to adjust, etc. and what great, little healers they, themselves are. And maybe they'd do the same for this disturbed kid.

Granted, perhaps they could/would. But equally as possible is that they'd become the easy targets of this kid's inner rage! I asked her if she'd willingly take the chance of leaving either of her two human kids in such a situation or not. She never replied to me about it. Must have hit a nerve, or she just thinks I'm being ridiculous to compare the two. I know she's never shown any real understanding of or much compassion for my loss.

I think this is nothing more than deliberate projection on her part, and an attempt to be all airy-fairy about it so she doesn't have to do her due diligence in finding them a PROPER home (I'd already sent her clear info. on the best how-to's of this). I'm repulsed. How could anyone even consider such a thing for their own animals? Where is their accountability and conscience?

Another woman I know only somewhat, is also moving, but locally, and apparently can't take her cat with her. She claims she's grown "rather attached" to her cat. Oh boy. Shall we break out the champagne? Her cat can likely go to a friend of hers who'd be willing, but who already has one cat, and this woman is worried her cat won't like this, as she's always been an "only" cat. All I could think was "why move to such a place in the first place then, where your cat is not welcome to live with you?" I'm betting it's because it's just a nicer/newer/'better' place - the usual reasons for many people, as she didn't say she HAD to move. Again, I can't even imagine making such a choice.

I'm just sick at heart, once again, by the degree of indifference to even their own animals that's so rampant among human beings. They're so fond of yammering on about universal love, let's sit in a circle and sing "Kumbaya", blah-blah, yadda-yadda.....but they just don't connect the dots. And these two individuals are currently highly focused on helping human KIDS.....sure hope they don't end up passing on their VALUE SYSTEM to them in the process!

[myhrtisbrkn]

I'm afraid we are about to go through another cycle of more and more of this sort of thing as the global downturn deepens. The bursting of the " Dot Com " bubble in the late nineties was a holocaust for companion animals. Already the ASPCA and other rescues are reporting an up-tick in pet abandonments. I can't think of anything I wouldn't sacrifice for the sake of my furkids...up to (and quite possibly including) my life . I guess if I were literally in danger of being homeless and someone I either knew very well, or who was highly recommended to me was willing to take them in I might give them up for their own sake ---That 's a lot of " ifs"...

[Furkidlets' Mom]

Agreed and yes, the economic downturn has people abandoning not only their animals but their principles as well. As they say, it's always the animals that get 'hit' first. What does that say about people? Nothing all that GOOD overall.

In these two cases, however, there's no financial problem connected to it. These people are not hurting, money-wise, not at all. It's just a matter of their time and effort, and personal choice. And in both cases, they're presently and willingly taking on more and more tasks related to side shoots of their practices on a volunteer basis, which is ultimately connected to personal gain only, so it's obvious where they place their values. I see it as a question of priorities. Time & effort to find a good and suitable home, or time & effort to work on something you don't HAVE to do (no immediate financial payoff, so not really necessary) but that will bring you personal benefits that are optional &/or benefit other humans in the long run, but do harm to your animals in possibly both the short AND long term.

If you go around claiming your 'pets' are your family, too, but you don't KEEP your full responsibility for their lives at full throttle and act appropriately "for their own sake", as you so rightly say, then you're just a liar. They never WERE really a family member at all. It just sounded better to say that, so that YOU looked better in other people's eyes.

Your example is a good one, as this is the same kind of choice one might be forced to make for their human children, too - living on the streets, possibly under awful conditions, or in a trusted family's home instead, and suffering less in some basic ways....why some people give up their kids for adoption, right? (having said that, I've known members here who've lived in their CARS rather than give up their babies) But I'm sure you wouldn't move if you had the choice of keeping them versus having a different home, just for the sake of having the different home. Nor would you freely and willingly leave them in a home with someone with a known violence problem, right?

I would have gladly 'died' for my kids, IF that would have ended up (as far as I could discern) being better for them. Being w/o me, their Mom, might not have ever really been "better," mind you, as they'd be stuck here while I ascended to another plane, making them the "left" ones to grieve over my absence! Not an easy choice! I used to even lay awake some nights, my head stupidly fretting about "what ifs" like....what if a really nasty burglar broke in, and to force me into something, used one of my kids' lives as leverage?!?!?! What would I DO?!!! Put myself in the line of fire to try and save them, get killed myself so I'd not be able to try and protect the other one, or save them from being killed anyway after I was???? And on and on, wondering how to be prepared for such an unwelcome possibility, just in case! Whereas, I highly, highly doubt people like THESE would ever spend one second in such thought about their animals.

[myhrtisbrkn]

I try to teach the human children I have a relationship with that any human child who is has speech, and can turn a doorknob is more autonomous, and less vulnerable to neglect, or abuse, than my neighbors 300 lb. English mastiff. Children grasp this immediately...the oh so "Martyred Mom " types, generally don't. They also generally don't meet my standard of responsibility for their human children either.

My heart goes out to those furbabies in question...and rabbits are so terribly fragile.

Funny, I have the same "burglar" fear...somewhat modified since my surviving furbabes are dogs, and especially Birga is a shepherdy, protection driven type. My h is retired Army Special Forces. We are both grandchildren of the frontier ...armed and dangerous, to anyone who threatens us or our kids. But, I'm afraid the kids would get in the way. NO, I know they would get in the way. Then what? A "then what"particularly excited when someone kicked our front door down not long ago. Adding to that the "what if "someone did that when we were gone and the kids got out. There is no end to those concerns if your "pets" are your life.

[Jon730]

All I could think was "why move to such a place in the first place then, where your cat is not welcome to live with you?" I'm betting it's because it's just a nicer/newer/'better' place - the usual reasons for many people, as she didn't say she HAD to move. Again, I can't even imagine making such a choice.

Early on, when we lived in an apartment and moved often, renters who said "No cats" received an onslaught of anatomically impossible suggestions.

Vacancies are at an all-time high right now, and it's a buyers' market. She does not "have" to move there.

[Jon730]

I'm afraid we are about to go through another cycle of more and more of this sort of thing as the global downturn deepens. The bursting of the " Dot Com " bubble in the late nineties was a holocaust for companion animals. Already the ASPCA and other rescues are reporting an up-tick in pet abandonments.

My state is going broke, rasing fuel taxes, and the Lottery tickets for some reason are not producing winners.
I was sickened to learn the local shelter is closing. This is a beautiful, modern facility, that has been busier than ever.

I read of homeless people who have animal friends with them, so there is no excuse for abandonment.
Probably the failed yuppies who only got an animal because it was in the "script", and never cared about them in the first place.
They'd do it to their throwaway kids if they thought they could get away with it.

I hate humanity more and more every year. The abandoned animals have feelings, unlike thier (spit) "Owners".

[Furkidlets' Mom]

No kidding, Jon, and a big, hearty, "me, too!"

Out here in our 'town', they're going ahead with trying to open a supposedly "No-Kill" shelter....a big, 'fancier', pricey one. They claim it isn't to replace the existing ones (one is run out of my friend's own home....and a true "sanctuary"), but some of us don't believe them. We think they're just using the "no-kill" label to get more buy-in from the public, as we believe it won't REALLY be "no-kill," but the same-old, same-old means to "sanitize" the streets of all the abandoned animals. They wouldn't accept any of the info. I'd offered to them about REAL "no-kill" sheltering philosophies and models.....unless I ran for one of their board positions. Very fishy. Plus, the vet who just got chosen for one of their "members at large" (though he was originally running for a Director's position) used to work for another in-town vet who was definitely NOT a good bet for SMALL animals (his main focus was on large, ag. animals, so you can just imagine....), nor was he 'up' on ANY of the kinder &/or holistic ways of practicing and thinking, so I'm sure his partner learned all the same, old, bad techniques from him, straight out of vet. school no less.

They're using fear techniques of the recession (re: abandonment rising) to push for the 'need' for this facility and I'm afraid people will be too stupid and naive to see through their tactics. They never even directly approached the owners of existing "no-kill" shelters for their expertise. I'd be more than happy to "eat my words" should I be wrong about this, but I highly doubt I am. The President they chose doesn't even have ANY previous experience with animal work at ALL, so I fear it's going to be another holocaust for the furries, even WITH a new 'shelter.' What a total MISNOMER that label has turned out to be in most cases! (I'd posted a link to a video that explained the whole history of the shelter movement here before, but I don't think anyone watched it)

Oh, and Dayna, I'd meant to ask you earlier......so what happened when someone kicked in your door???!!!

[myhrtisbrkn]

"Oh, and Dayna, I'd meant to ask you earlier......so what happened when someone kicked in your door???!"


It was very strange. I'd been online with Beth off and on all evening when Gidget was so ill, and Beth couldn't sleep and I was worried about them both. Charles was up keeping me company...sitting in the den...heavy plantation shutters between the den and the front room and entry hall closed...mainly to keep Amos from going through the bay window after a rabbit. We heard a loud noise from the vicinity of the front door; and it took us a minute to realize it couldn't have been the dogs. Charles got to the front door just in time to see someone jump into a pickup moving slowly away from our house with the lights off. The police corporal they sent out said it was probably someone who had the wrong address?? What??... Long story slightly shorter...I believe, though I can't convince Charles, that it was a friend of ours who is having some serious mental health issues...not the least of which is he doesn't know any constructive means of getting attention.

It was someone who knew how to approach our house without alerting Amos and Birga. I wasn't terribly upset the night it happened, but I have lost considerable sleep since, worrying about the dogs.