Saddest thing

Originally Posted by razl

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Cute ****

Aww, that's awesome.

Originally Posted by razl

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My wife and I do a lot of cat rescue work (though it's mostly trap/spay/neuter/release) - and,having read Korben's story, thought I'd share something similar...

We got a call from someone who got our number through the grapevine that an elderly woman had passed on and her family was unwilling to take on her 2 cats. Unfortunately, by the time we got the call, both cats had been unceremoniously excommunicated from their house of many years (cats don't understand this, and - after having been raised inside with food dishes - do not necessarily know how to forage outside). To make matters worse, one of the cats had gotten into a tussle with a local dog and, per their description was "hurt real bad".

By the time we got there, they had the cat's leg bandaged up, though the blood seeping through made it pretty clear it was a serious case of being bitten/mauled. Luckily, through our volunteer work, we have connections with some vets who do work either pro-bono or very cheap. Unfortunately, it means that the cats don't always get the best treatment. Long story, short - while I'm thankful we had a vet willing to work with us, they didn't quite give the patent the attention he should have gotten and infection set in. Within 48 hours it became clear that the only option was amputation.

At the time, we'd seen a lot of weird and wacky things with cats - blind, deaf, old, etc. - butnever an amputee. Once the procedure was done and the cat was retrievable I went to pick him up. I totally broke down when I saw him without a back leg. I really felt like we let him down (maybe if we coughed up the cash instead of the pro-bono route? what if we took him to another vet? what if....?) and he was fscked for life. The vet walked me through the basics of what it was going to be like with a 3-legged cat with the main point being - unbelievably - "he'll get used to it, he'll be fine!" which seemed impossible when I'm looking at a 3 legged cat.

I brought him home and when I got him to our extra bedroom/makeshift infirmary, I opened the carrier and he bounded out. I mean, he pogo sticked across the floor, slid on his stump, and then bolted right back at me, jumped on the bed and laid down with just a pleased-as-punch look on his face. I was stunned. He was far less worried about it than I was!! In fact, I suspect, he's still not quite sure to this day what's wrong or if there even is anything wrong (well, he probably suspects something when he goes to scratch using his "stump" and the side of his head is still itching...I lend a hand everytime I see him do it)

Like most of our "patients" or fosters, we planned on getting him adopted out, but I christened him "Max" (???) and, well, he's been here ever since.

Not all of our emergency situations turned out like this, but - like most things - it's feels so much worse when you're in the middle of it.

Thank you for your service and for sharing this excellent story.

I've never seen a three-legged cat, but have known two dogs without one leg. The animals do handle it surprisingly well, they are troopers.

Originally Posted by Nosu3

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I've never seen a three-legged cat, but have known two dogs without one leg. The animals do handle it surprisingly well, they are troopers.

Now that we've had him for a couple of years, his 3-legged-ness has become a bit of a novelty. He's a little less graceful, a bit more lumbering, but more than capable, able to get around and, yes, even jump (though that's more like wobble-launch + clamber-pull-up).

For others who might be in a similar situation I can at least say that losing a back leg for a cat is not only survivable, but perfectly do-able. They'll "pogo-stick" more than walk, but they'll be able to get around and manage just fine. I've heard that losing a front leg is a bit more difficult, but I don't know this first hand and, suspect, just like our Max, the animal in question will adapt to what they have. And, being the troopers that they are, they'll do it faster and better than you'd expect.

I don't think I conveyed it well in my previous post, but I'll try again - what occurred to me after bringing him home and seeing his reaction - no problems! - was that I was wrapped up in the emotion of the event. Since I could envision the "what if?" I was upset about the ramifications. For him it was just up-and-at-'em, a few days of "hmmm, something's odd?", adaption, and then moving on with his life. There was no sorrow, no worries, and no complaining - nothing more than "it's a new day dad, where do we go from here?" It was a lesson in a nutshell on practical pragmatism.

Originally Posted by Helix

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If you read that story and DON'T cry you should probably be in an institution.

I can't believe that story makes anyone cry. People (Americans) are SO soft these days.....

There are 100 trillion things worse in the world than a cat getting killed by a dog.

Originally Posted by Rosenberg

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the mountain lions were there first. i'm sure i'll get called a dick for saying that but it's true

1) It probably is not true. The mother was likely older than the puma.

2) Humans trace back to the dawn of life on earth just as pumas do.

3) What the hell is your point? Are you implying it was fair of the puma to kill the human and not fair of humans to kill the puma. You're not a dick, you just make no sense.

Originally Posted by razl

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Now that we've had him for a couple of years, his 3-legged-ness has become a bit of a novelty. He's a little less graceful, a bit more lumbering, but more than capable, able to get around and, yes, even jump (though that's more like wobble-launch + clamber-pull-up).

For others who might be in a similar situation I can at least say that losing a back leg for a cat is not only survivable, but perfectly do-able. They'll "pogo-stick" more than walk, but they'll be able to get around and manage just fine. I've heard that losing a front leg is a bit more difficult, but I don't know this first hand and, suspect, just like our Max, the animal in question will adapt to what they have. And, being the troopers that they are, they'll do it faster and better than you'd expect.

I don't think I conveyed it well in my previous post, but I'll try again - what occurred to me after bringing him home and seeing his reaction - no problems! - was that I was wrapped up in the emotion of the event. Since I could envision the "what if?" I was upset about the ramifications. For him it was just up-and-at-'em, a few days of "hmmm, something's odd?", adaption, and then moving on with his life. There was no sorrow, no worries, and no complaining - nothing more than "it's a new day dad, where do we go from here?" It was a lesson in a nutshell on practical pragmatism.

An old ex-gf has an old-ish cat that had an eye removed earlier this year. Six days afterwards she posted a pic of said cat on fb, and I was horrified. We spoke later on and I asked her about it: she said it was the vet's recommendation, and Winky was getting along just fine with just the one eye.

Originally Posted by archetypal_yuppie

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People (Americans) are SO soft these days.....
I agree, but it has nothing to do with whether we cry or not...

Originally Posted by archetypal_yuppie

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There are 100 trillion things worse in the world than a cat getting killed by a dog.
Sure, but the idea of any creature being mauled to death should resonate with every human being. That's what empathy is, and it's part of what makes us human.

Yes, blocking it is necessary too - otherwise, in the words of Denis Prager, we'd literally drown in pain.

Just my .02, I have no real gripes with whether it really registers with you or not.

Originally Posted by razl

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My wife and I do a lot of cat rescue work (though it's mostly trap/spay/neuter/release)

Let me just say--you people really get on my nerves. How can you think it's more humane to "release" feral animals? Either find homes for them or destroy them. Sheesh.

Originally Posted by archetypal_yuppie

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2) Humans trace back to the dawn of life on earth just as pumas do.


Help me here...

Originally Posted by archetypal_yuppie

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There are 100 trillion things worse in the world than a cat getting killed by a dog.

The story wasn't just about the cat being killed. It was about how poorly it was treated by people and that its life was full of neglect when people could have been more kind and compassionate toward the kitten.

Originally Posted by Korben

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So I was on my way to work this morning driving my normal path and I come to a red light. A car had hit a kitten and the poor thing was trying to move with two legs.. The other two both on the same side had been crushed.. Its raining and cold and just a miserable day. I am sitting there in a new suit, warm car and gloves. I just couldn't take it... (this is one of the major streets in my city). I flip on my flashers get out of the car go to the middle of the intersection and pick the little thing up. Not a car moves... I get back in, put the little guy in the passenger seat (its making the worst sounds I have ever heard). Luckily my son had left his gym bag in the back and towel was hanging out, so I wrapped him up. Pulled a U turn in the intersection and went to the animal hospital a few blocks away. Long story short a ruined suit, two missed morning meetings, and about $2,000 in vet bills so far, I have a new little cat I'm gonna call.... Rudy. The little thing lost one leg completely but the vet salvaged the other. I thought they would just put it down but they asked me if I wanted them to try and save it and well I couldn't say no. He is resting at the hospital for now and they told me in 2 weeks I may be able to bring him home.

And to top it all off I am allergic to cats, starting allergy shots.

You are a good man. Story made my day.

Looking forward to an update.

Congrats on that show of compassion.

All the best to you and your new cat.

Originally Posted by Ataturk

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Let me just say--you people really get on my nerves. How can you think it's more humane to "release" feral animals? Either find homes for them or destroy them. Sheesh.

Real feral cats can't be homed - you'd be lucky to even touch one without getting a bite. We actually do have a few true ferals that we've placed (including one at our house, who took about 3 years to come around to the point where we can even touch him, and even then he still has a wild-look in his eye that makes you think twice...) but generally speaking, it's just not an option.

That said, ferals are capable of living in the urban/suburban "wild". They've learned to scavange since birth and are appropriately fearful of most everything. Their biggest problem is usually cars or people harassing them and not much else. That said, we're reconciled with the fact that is the real world and, yes, we've had to put down a number that were mortally wounded from incidents with such things.

fyi: for the ferals we do re-release, it's usually a colony of sorts and we're supervising. We make regular weekly rounds, we source/buy/donate the food ourselves, we know the cats and the people/environment around them. We usually have local volunteers enlisted to handle feeding and keep their eyes on them. Since the food is regular, the cats stay around and don't venture. We have also moved individual cats and even entire (small) colonies when it just wasn't practical where they were located (usually because people politely objected).

I think what you're confusing cats that are lost, dumped, abandoned with ferals. We catch and fix many more of those and generally get them adopted out - either directly or through various groups that we volunteer with. Indeed, I have a little of 4 kittens fostering in my garage right now (+2 adults) that I'm desperately looking to get homes for as of now.

So, in general, we do what you ask - if a cat is re-home'able, we get them placed. But real ferals aren't, so we don't. In some cases, sadly, when the animals are injured or just unsustainable, we do have them put down. Additionally, I'll add that plenty of pregnant cats get litters aborted in the process of spaying, which is a shame but - in the end - means less cats on the streets. I think that's what we're both hoping for.

So not only are you releasing these animals onto the streets, but you're feeding them as well. If I lived near one of your "colonies," I'd sue you for creating a nuisance.

Originally Posted by Ataturk

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So not only are you releasing these animals onto the streets, but you're feeding them as well. If I lived near one of your "colonies," I'd sue you for creating a nuisance.
You may be misunderstanding me - or not - but we aren't "releasing them onto the streets" in-so-far as being the originator of the problem. We are catching them, where they live, limiting the problem by ensuring that they don't have any more kittens and any that have disease are put down on the spot, and we release them where we got them from if they aren't adoptable. In most situations, we work with the locals to ensure that the cats are cared for. Where not, we work to transplant. In the end, people tend to have 1 of 3 options: 1. the situation as-is, and the colony will grow exponentially. 2. we limit (hopefully stop) the growth and at least ensure that those that are there are healthy and cared for (meaning less intrusion on others property/garbage) 3. call animal services who will round up and destroy them. We don't prevent #3, and sometimes it's the only option. Indeed, we've even assisted it. But #2 is where we think we can do the most good for all involved and we work hard - as volunteers, on our own time and dime - to reduce or prevent #1. If you're preferred solution is #3, then by all means, get on it. I have no qualms, we just believe that #2 is more humane. More importantly, at the end of the day I believe our contributions - while not your ideal - are a net positive, and that's what we're trying to do.