terribly sad story i would like to share with you

[blondie58]

[link:http://www.angelswithpaws.net|

This is a small (and struggling) no kill cat shelter that I find myself spending a lot of time at. We try to help as many people as we can, but the Department of Agriculture is always watching us, so we can not take cats in unlesss we have space.

Wednesday I was just leaving after spending my 3 hours playing with and feeding turkey to the cats. I love to spoil them and a woman and her two children came up to the door, carrying something wrapped in a towel.
When I asked her if she had a cat, she replied yes. I stopped her from going in the front door as we don't like our cats inside exposed to any new germs. We send them to the back door.
So I went inside to get our intake manager. While they were waiting, they laid the cat in the ground on the towel. Poor little thing was listless and still, obviously sick.
The woman explained that her husband has found this cat at about four weeks of age. When they got it, it had an upper respiratory infection. The cat was now over ONE year and was sicker yet. She said they took it to the vet a couple of times, but did not have the money for the medicine.
We didn't have the room, but we arranged to take the cat in as it looked literally like it was dying. It was a precious Siamese Flame point with blue eyes. The cat was so skinny, had snit all over its face and eyes. Cats do not eat when they can't smell.m
We rushed it to our vet. After examination, she dx the upper respiratory, pneumonia and because the cat had not been spayed, pyrometea, an infection of the uterus, that required surgery.
This poor little girl, the size of a 3 month old kitten would not survive the anesthesia, so the vet put her down.
The sad thing is, if they would have treated her or brought her in to us even a week earlier, she might have been saved.
I an crying over this. Crying for the family, stupid as they were. I don't think they knew much and certainly didn't realize the severity of the situarion.
I am crying for the shelter. We don't have the extra money in our budget. I put a link up top if anyone has any extra money.

But most of all, I am crying for Bella. Her entire life was filled with unnecessary pain and suffering. She could have been given medicine at the first, yes they do give antibiotics for kitty colds! I dont think it is that expensive. But instead she was left untreated and her situation peogressed.

Bella go play at Rainbow Bridge. You're free now, baby. Go play with all of your new friends. Love and peace.


I apologize for this lengthy piece. I know that people have problems buying pet food, but help is available sometimes. Do we need universal health care for animals, too? Yeah, can't even get it for humans, I know I am dreaming.
Thanks to anyone who made it this far. Peace.

[sinkingfeeling]

1. I'm so sorry. I cry at those HSUS TV ads. I can't allow myself to think about

the thousands of poor cats and dogs, kittens and puppies, that suffer and never know the love of a human. I can't go to the shelter because I cry and the last time I brought home 3 dogs.

[blondie58]

3. thank you, sinking feeling

Shelters can be a sad place. I just try to help these little souls in the small way that I can.

[hamsterjill]

2. I've seen this same scenario play out countless times.

And I cry every time.

Thank you for your kindness to this little critter.

[blondie58]

4. Thanks, hamsterjill!

The things I see just sadden my heart. People who being their 12 year old cat because they're moving. People who leave their cat in a cage outside. The ones who left a DOG at our cat only shelter in a cage. People who abuse the animals and then stuff them in a bag and throw them away. I could go on and in.

I just feel so bad for this little girl. She could have been saved.

So many lives, so little time and money.

[Stinky The Clown]

5. Bella is now playing with our Tigger.

Its always sunny by The Bridge

[blondie58]

6. hi Stinky the clown!

I have a Tigger up there, too, along with Tia, Oreo and Grayby.
Tigger was my first foster. 17 years old with a thyroid condition. I knew it was like hospice care, but I just wanted him to have a home after his owner passed away. He left us a year later, on his own terms.

[Curmudgeoness]

7. Bless you for being so caring and loving,

to animals and people. It upsets me to no end when an animal suffers. I give you credit for believing that the family didn't realize the severity of the situation. When I rehabbed wild animals, I did not have that much compassion for the people---they would take in an animal, have no idea what to do, keep it like it would be so wonderful to have a pet crow or raccoon, and bring it to me when it was dying....I always said it was to save themselves from watching. So I always felt like the bad guy, like a failure, even though I knew I didn't have a chance. You are too kind to the people.

[blondie58]

9. thank you curnudgeoness ( cool name, btw!)

You're probably right. It was a Hispanic lady with two. Little boys. I don't know where the dad who found this young kitten was- maybe in the car.

But really, if you can't afford even an antibiotic for your cat, why would you not seek help sooner? Or try to bring it to someone else before an entire year went by?

This little girl was literally on death's door. Due to their negligence.

We have their info from them releasing the cat to us, so we could try to prosec
ute them for animal cruelty, but I don't think the law does it very often. It would also cause a lot of stress on a struggling family.
I applaud you for your work with the truly wild animals. Why do people always have to interfere? I

Keep up the good work with those precious little wild souls.

[Curmudgeoness]

11. I would never consider prosecution,

even if it would be a case for it. I hope you took the opportunity to try to educate them about options if they even are in this situation again. That is the best you can do.

BTW, I don't do rehabbing anymore. When I moved, the state that I moved to was not as welcoming of permits for rehabbers and knowing all the work and money involved, I chose to step away from it. I have found one woman who does it here, and I help the best I can financially, but she is too far away for me to do hands-on work. Like your work, it is so satisfying at times, and also so frustrating. You are doing a good thing. I love all my kitties, present and past.

[blondie58]

12. good points. i am truly not a veangeful person.

And these people were just unfortunately ignorant. Now we got this cat in a couple of months ago from another smaller shelter, a kill shelter, who if we can help will. mosely, this beautiful brown tabby had someons try to cut his tail off.

And then there was the story of tulip and her children. Someone had taken this familly if beautiful felines and tortured them. The threw the little bengal mix xena and she had to have a limb surgecially re-attached. Then they put barbed wire against the kids necks, put them in a plastic bag and put them in a dumpster. Luckily, our main vet techs husband is a firefighter who was able to secure this group of precious lives, tulip and her son were easy to readjust to domestic life with humans, but xena took several months of rehab after her surgery.

[blondie58]

13. good points. i am truly not a veangeful person.

And these people were just unfortunately ignorant. Now we got this cat in a couple of months ago from another smaller shelter, a kill shelter, who if whe can help will. mosely, this beautiful brown tabby had someons try to cut his tail off. Those kids should, at the very least, should have had a stern talk by the sheriff at the very least.

And then there was the story of tulip and her children. Someone had taken this familly if beautiful felines and tortured them. The threw the little bengal mix xena and she had to have a limb surgecially re-attached. Then they put barbed wire against the kids necks, put them in a plastic bag and put them in a dumpster. Luckily, our main vet techs husband is a firefighter who was able to secure this group of precious lives, tulip and her son were easy to readjust to domestic life with humans, but xena took several months of rehab after her surgery

We did mention some things to them. As to whether they got anything out of it is unknown. I had no doubt that they loved her, is a different matter. They did seem to be reliieved.

[Curmudgeoness]

14. After so long, I got to the point

where I would not sugar-coat anything for people. I would tell them that because of what they did or didn't do, the animal was suffering and I would have to put it down....sometimes even if I would not have to. I started to really dislike people----good thing that I quit when I did.

As to the tortures and other inhumane treatments, I have nothing but loathing for those people who do it---whether they are kids or adults. I am tormented by some things that I have seen----the dumpster I had to crawl into to get a box of sick kittens out, the sweetest little kitten who some kids beat and threw against a wall and I found out about when it was finally, mercifully, deat. My sweetest cat, Ginger, who I did not want to adopt but the woman who had him said that her kid was torturing it all the time and she couldn't stop it because her husband thought that it was funny so was encouraging it (WTF). Ginger was 6 months old, and every time I sat down, he came up and suckled on my shirt sleeve for the longest time. I was just glad that he was now safe and did not have any hatred for all humans.

OK, I think I am back to hating people! Better stop now.

[Texasgal]

8. Oh how awful.

I am so sorry... atleast Bella had a loving and caring Human Being in the end. Thank you for loving these animals and helping them they way you do. You are an amazing person for doing so.

I am just so sorry.

[blondie58]

10. thank you so much for the kind words, Texasgal

She was so pretty, a little Lynx point Siamese, only about the size if a 3 month old kitten.

Cats don't eat if they can't smell, so I get the feeling she had never had enough to eat, as she always had the cold. Chances are, she was blind, too. Those upper respiratory infections attack the eyes. It is the #1 reason that kittens have to have their eyes removed.

[TorchTheWitch]

15. this makes me both angry and sad at the same time

Why oh why don't people seek some kind of help when they notice something wrong even if it's just a phone call to the vet in case there is something over the counter that would help or at least bring it to the shelter before the eleventh hour???

[blondie58]

16. i know, TorchTheWitch

It is obvious they knew it was bad. But why did they have to wait so long?
She could have been saved. Earlier. But not at the eleventh hour, as you so aptly put it.

The more I see these kind of things, the more I strongly dislike people and want to give more love and energy to the animals.

I am so sorry for you little Bella. Sorry that we didn't meet earlier. Sorry that the people that you encountered first were ignorant idiots. Sorry that you
Were in such unnecessary pain four most of your short life. I cry all of the animals who are hurt by us supposedly superior beings. RIP sweet girl.

But I know that there are a lot of good people around, including probably most of the people at DU. Thank you for your thoughtful response.