I'm a roll lately--but another rant!

[Rare Feathers Farm]

Tonight my husband and I were leaving to go to dinner with some friends and he stops the truck and says, "predator eye shine!" I look and we can't figure out what we're looking at...it's two of something...way smaller than a coyote, too big to big a weasel, not built like a raccoon and smaller than a fox...so we go a little further in the truck and it's TWO CATS. Mind you, we live way out...and it's below freezing. Kitty #1 is an orange tabby...VERY skinny, friendly and appears to be very sick...weepy eye, rasping breathing. Kitty #2 is a juvenile, gorgeous calico, thin but not emaciated like the orange cat and also very raspy. They were very standoffish but not too bad...they did start meowing when I was talking to them. I was not able to catch either one though and we ended up being 15 minutes late to dinner and hubby was cussing me when I was trying to catch them. He pointed out that I didn't have anywhere to put them and they'd probably give some sort of disease to my cats....

These cats were obviously somewhat socialized, got sick and were dumped.

It just infuriates me to no end. It would be more humane to shoot them than to dump them off along a highway, miles from home in below freezing temperatures and sick...

My husband went back out with the rifle after we got home to put them down but we could not find them. Perhaps a coyote did...

 

[mgw]

we get dump animals all the time in our neck of the woods! It does make a person angry at those who think no more of an animal than to just dump it on the side of the road with no way to take care of itself!

 

[redhen]

 

[mylittlechickpea]

 

[fowler_chick]

the people across the street from our farm are like that, they think they rescue a animal and then just leave it to fend for it selfs....there cat eats with our barn cat, there 2 horses never have hay or grain at any given time.....i once got a email from her complaining about my pig getting out and eating her dog food, in it she claimed that she goes through 25 pounds of dog food for 2 working class (large) dogs a month.......hhhmmm ok i have 3 working class dogs and go through 4 50 pound bags of dog food a month some times 5. that e-mail went straight to the sheriff.

 

[The Chicken People]

My neighbor called and said she saw three yellow chickens half mile down our road..I counted..nope not mine! Went with scratch grains in tow to see if someone dumped them on our road! Met a neighbor who also owns chickens! Beautiful trio of BO hens! I told her of BYC! Someone dumped some dogs on us last year ( emaciated and bad had to call the pound) and a cat that now owns us!

 

[Buttercup Chillin]

Quote:
X2. On way to Dr appointment once. Saw someone had dumped a black lab pup in a box. At least it was by a stop sign on way out of housing tract. Went to Dr's came back 4 hours later. Box was turned upside down. DH figured someone just took the pup. I stopped anyway and called out. Here come pup. Brought it to DH in car and went to get the box cause the pup was wet (had rained night before and ditch was full) box was dry. Guess what I found in the box. A bitty kitten, that was drenching wet. At first I thought it was a dead rat.

Took them home on a Friday afternoon. Neighbor got a hold of a rescue friend and got us limked up. Kitten was about 4 days old, pup was about 4 weeks old. We ended up fostering them. Gave the pup basic training and sent them both off to their respective new families when they were old enough. Heard back from both. Pup has turned out to be their best dog ever. The other is just thrilled with the Cat.

Ya, I do not like people that jump into getting pets without knowing what they will entail. We are at the end of the complex with a creek just down the road, we get a lot of dumps here. Even a chicken, duck, dogs - big and small, cats, pig. Christmas is coming, time to clear out some areas to make room for the dogs that will start showing up any time now. Every year, its the same, sometimes more, sometimes less. Very frustrating.

 

[bakerjw]

I used to see a lot of dumped pets when I used to fish. Too busy for anything like that these days though.

I still say that if you rescue an animal that has been dumped that you will have a friend for life. My wife dreads the day that I find another dumped cat.

 

[mamawolf544]

Someone threw an Emu out at my house once.

I had the actual Meals on Wheels van drop off 2 Akita puppies right in front of my house one year in broad daylight and we saw them. It took forever to place those dogs. But we have taken numerous dogs and cats over the 11 years we have lived out here. Some we keep and some we try to find good homes for. At one time we had 11 dogs outside and 35 cats. Talk about a feed bill.

All rescues. But most of the time we have them atleast a year before I will give them up. I make sure they are good with kid's, animals, birds. You know. But it ticks me off. My furbabies are fixed, and I am not rich. My motto is if you cant afford to feed, vet and love that baby animal dont buy it!!!

 

[Sonoran Silkies]

Quote:
FWIW, some brands of food provide a great deal more nutrition per lb than others. Generally recommend amount to feed of these premium foods tends to be considerably less than less expensive brands. My neighbor feeds her dog (and former dogs) considerably less than we do, and I have to say her dogs have been healthier (except for age related concerns than ours. We do feed a premium food, but our dog is very allergic, and also very picky.