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weirdmom Posted Fri 07 Dec, 2007 10:07 PM |
Our neighbors got two kittens about a month ago. After a few days I started seeing them outside. One of the daughters(our kids play outside together all the time) told me it's because their dad said they're too "dirty." (tangent: i am always amused when people say this about an animal that spends 2-3 hours a day grooming)
They keep them in the garage except when they're outside, then the kittens are outside playing. But more and more lately I just see the kittens by themselves. It made me mad because I knew how this would end.
So I wasn't surprised, but I was very sad, to see one of them dead in the road this morning on the street next to ours. I was taking the kids to school and I called my neighbor because I wasn't sure if she knew. She did but my son heard me talking (I was trying to be vague but he knew something was up) and wanted to know. I told him and he was sad and wanted to express sympathy to the girls. I said I wasn't sure if they knew so don't say anything about it because it's their parents place to tell them. He said he wouldn't. I crossed my fingers as he got out of the car that he would remember that.
The mom calls me awhile ago asking if Aidan knew. I said yes and apologized saying I wasn't thinking when I called her in front of them but I had told him not to say anything. She said this afternoon they were going to tell them that someone stole him because he's so cute.
I think that is extremely stupid because I don't believe in lying to your children (yes I fess up to an occasional fib but never about something substantial) and also what a way to warp them about the world! And also to make them insecure. Are they going to think someone is going to steal the other kitten?
I told her that Aidan knows that he was hit by a car. I hope this forces them to tell the truth since if the kids talk about it they are going to be really confused if he says the cat was hit. Of course they could just lie and say I saw a cat and thought it was theirs but it wasn't. I think she knows I am not going to lie to Aidan about it to make the stories match but I'm scared the dad will somehow be mad at me. He's sort of weird.
What nonsense! |
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ElspethOllie Posted Fri 07 Dec, 2007 11:03 PM |
Wow, that's quite shocking.
Why didn't they take better care of the pets? And WHY did they leave the kitten out in the street for everyone else to see? Ugh, people really need to take responsibility for their actions. |
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carlottarocks Posted Fri 07 Dec, 2007 11:35 PM |
| Why on Earth people get pets and not take care of them properly is beyond me. Before having Peyton I worked in animal shelters and vet offices for years and have heard way too many stories such as this and it drives me nuts. Hopefully the lady will be truthful with her kids, maybe it was a good thing you spoke the truth to yours and kinda got the ball rolling in the right direction. Friggin idiots! |
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Posts: 1431 |
heyjude Posted Sat 08 Dec, 2007 12:01 AM |
sorry to hear about this, anne. such as shame how the neighbors took in the kitties when they shouldn't have in the first place, made things complicated for themselves and their kids, and for the people around them.
very sad for the kitties that could've gone to a good home :-(
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Nikki Posted Sat 08 Dec, 2007 12:28 AM |
That's so sad, Anne! You did the right thing by telling Aidan the truth. I don't understand the point of lying to your kids about things like that. They're going to have to learn about death at some point.
It's similar to a situation with our next door neighbors. They have gone through a LOT of cats over the last 10 years and don't really care for them all that much, leaving them hungry and out all night during the coldest winter nights. I really fell in love with their little orange kitten JC. He came around all the time and I felt so bad that I started secretly feeding him and taking care of him, letting him stay in our house at night when it was cold. My brother and I even renamed him Koose. Eventually, the neighbors found out and they didn't even really care that much because they had so many cats. So he's pretty much officially ours now.
This is him now:
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heyjude Posted Sat 08 Dec, 2007 12:44 AM |
bless you and your family's hearts, nikki! koose looks very happy and content. rescue stories make me melt.
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AbsolutPurple Posted Sat 08 Dec, 2007 1:19 AM |
in the building adjacent to mine, there a dog that can spend days and night barking and howling. It mostly happens when the family goes on vacation and leaves the poor dog alone.
Last august, as the barking/howling went on days without stopping, it reached such a concern for a couple of neighbours and myself that we started investigating who the dog owners were also cheking if the doc was propely feed......etc...turns out the owner is a vet.
The vet had the nerve to inform us that he didn't have a dog and that all the noise came from a security alarm. |
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ricv64 Posted Sat 08 Dec, 2007 1:20 AM |
| way to bum me out in supreme fashion |
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weirdmom Posted Sat 08 Dec, 2007 1:50 AM |
ricv64 wrote: way to bum me out in supreme fashion
Sorry Ric. I know you're a cat lover like me. I cried most of the way to work. I half wish they were being more blatantly mistreated so I could feel justified reporting them or somehow getting the remaining one away from them. It's a tough spot for us to be in.
Haven't seen them since we got home. I hope they told the truth. And perhaps they'll be more careful with the second one. He's so sweet.
Our girl kitty was taken from someone who just sort of stopped feeding her and didn't get her fixed so she had two litters of kittens and she was only 2. She is the sweetest least snooty cat I've ever known. The idiot had named her Prada (GAG). Aidan renamed her Hailey after the girl he wants to marry (you know we're never going to let him forget that).
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heyjude Posted Sat 08 Dec, 2007 2:00 AM |
what a sweet face that hailey. now, where's buster? i mean, the real one ;-)
have a good weekend, everyone! |
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weirdmom Posted Sat 08 Dec, 2007 2:22 AM |
Buster (who does have unfortunate litter box habits- in that he doesn't use it)
EDIT: This is him strolling in after laying in a muddy garden bed. He was completely unconcerned about the mud. He wanted to just sit on one of our chairs. Instead, he got a bath.
And just in case he reads this and feels left out there is also Oliver. He is softest cat in da world. For reals.
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Posts: 10115 |
ricv64 Posted Sat 08 Dec, 2007 2:32 AM |
| Ollie is a coon cat ? |
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Posts: 7598 |
weirdmom Posted Sat 08 Dec, 2007 2:39 AM |
ricv64 wrote: Ollie is a coon cat ?
I think he has some coon in him but he's not particularly big (about 10 pounds) and isn't as poofy as my friend's coon.
He just showed up at my vet's when he was about 6 months old. It took awhile for them to catch him. He is friendly but skittish at the same time. We think he was somebody's for awhile but then they dumped him so he was a stray for a bit, hence the mix of sweet but scared of movement, noise, and invisble things on the wall. |
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Posts: 10115 |
ricv64 Posted Sat 08 Dec, 2007 2:41 AM |
| mine is a coon cat , he adopted me |
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Posts: 7598 |
weirdmom Posted Sat 08 Dec, 2007 2:44 AM |
ricv64 wrote: mine is a coon cat , he adopted me
They tend to do that. How is he doing by the way? |
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