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Saturday, July 11, 2009

Indulgence for Sunday Scribblings

Sunday Scribblings offers the prompt, indulgence.

Indulgence.

How long does it take a cat to die?

Today a stranger's cat awaited its end on my patio concrete which the sun was heating to a sizzle. He was unable to move more than an inch at a time on a day with a forecast temp of 90. I was torn between wanting to snuff him and to save him.

Where did he come from? Indulgent owners?

Those indulgent do-gooders who profess to love cats by decorating their city houses and neighboring yards with them? Those town dwellers who profess a love for cats but decline to care for them? Those indulgent apartment people who acquire a kitten for a few minutes of silly pleasure before they turn it loose to fend for itself?

Free-range cats work on farms where rodents and mice roam but to have a free-range cat in town smacks of the worst kind of irresponsible indulgence.

This might be the first of my seven-hundred posts which will be image naked for obvious reasons. Tomorrow, images will resume.

~~~♠~~~♠~~~

33 comments:

Jack Webb said...

I hear you loud and clear. We are required to keep our dog on a leash and bag it's business while neighborhood cats roam free to pooh in our sandboxes and gardens. Cat lovers hear this! When tabby is not on your property, it is no better then a raccoon or a skunk...A Pest.

Marja said...

We just have a new catty Our nabour saw a car dropping out a few cats. He took one and we took one in Horrible isn't it that people do that

Dee Martin said...

so sad when people want pets and no responsibility. In the country they show up as city dwellers tire of them and bring them out far enough to keep them from finding their way home. makes me mad.

blushing rose said...

Irresponsibility with a pet is just unforgivable. TTFN ~ Marydon

paisley said...

while i understand the plight of the abandoned cat in general,, what happened with this one?? my goodness i would be in a panic if something like that happened and an animal came to my patio to die.. what did you do???

poefusion said...

I can relate to this story so well. One morning a kitten was on our back deck infested with fleas and skinny as a rail. Famished is more like it. I took him inside and tried to clean him up and feed him. I was going to keep him but when I took him to the vet he told me the kitten was to malnourished. The next day he died. I was devastated. I got attached in under a day to this tiny creature and couldn't do anything to save him. Maybe you could take this cat to the vet and let them take care of it properly. I think the vet is supposed to dispose of the body afterwords too. Otherwise I hope your weekend is going well.

George S Batty said...

I do not considered bad animal owners as indulgent. I believe them to despicable torturers. especially the ones who do not neuter their cats. they are left to roam free and create alley cats that are destined to end up in someone's driveway or back door dieing.
Indulgence is to soft a word for these people

Lucy said...

Snuff it??? WHY SuE!! that doesn't sound like YOU!! what happened to him? poor little hot sweet little cute poor cat!!
hope u let us know!!
xox

Sherri B. said...

This is heartbreaking...I hope the poor cat doesn't suffer long. I don't think I could bear watching that. :~(

Stan Ski said...

Mo picture required - the word imagery is loud and clear

Anonymous said...

i love cats.......

2cats said...

I live in the country. Twenty two miles from town. We have a colony of feral that we take care of. They started because people dropped off their unwanted pet or because as you mentioned "they work in the country". No, they do not work in the country. Most barn cats become ill with diseases that are transmitted feline to feline. They become in bred. Just because the animal is a cat does not make it a natural born hunter and mouse killer. The most responsible thing people can do is have their animal spade or neutered. And after deciding they don't want the animal take it to a shelter of some kind.

Whitesnake said...

As always, a pleasure to come here and visit. Truth be known I do not come here enough to gain knowledge and improve my writing skills......

However when I do I am treat to a feast of wonderment!
Thank you.......

Rinkly Rimes said...

I think owning a cat is a great responsibility. The owner has to pay with extra attention for the privilege of having that purring thingy on ones lap!

gautami tripathy said...

In India, cattle, dogs and cats roam free. No one seems to care...

that thin line

anthonynorth said...

Well said. I've met so many irresponsible pet owners that I must ask whether they really love pets or themselves.

Anonymous said...

a thoughtful post !

Anonymous said...

a thoughtful post !

Anonymous said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
a mouthy irish woman? ridiculous! said...

great post, sorry about the subject matter but i agree with you completely.

Jeeves said...

Irresponsible indulgence....Cant agree more. Seven hundred posts! wow

Granny Smith said...

In our regional park the rangers are greatly concerned with the increasing number of feral cats that are decimating the native population of birds and small mammals which the park is dedicated to preserving. Where do they come from? Those indulgent owners you speak of, of course.

Excellent post!

auntie q said...

Wow, that was refreshingly honest!

missalister said...

How traumatic! I can’t bear to see an animal suffer. I would have called my vet and worked from there until I did all I could do to help. Oh lord, now I really will need some of that rotgut!

sgreerpitt said...

I'm with 2Cats. I too live in the "country" (of timber and coal mines and precious few farms). The days of self-sufficient barn cats are long gone. There are few places, if any, left in the United States where that kind of thinking about animals works. Yet people still have this attitude. Consequently, over the past 20 years of living in this rural region (where there are no shelters), I have given succor to nearly 30 cats. Some I have helped die with dignity, others I have cared for briefly before they disappeared again into the night (often at the mercy of a car/truck, wild animal, stray dog, or human with a shot gun). Over the years at least twenty cats, have lived in my home, fed and secure until old age or disease took them from me. Current population is 8, and I have promised my husband not to take on any more, as the financial burden of caring for other's cast offs has taken its toll on our family.

John E. Tran said...

Very sad... we always should be reminded that indulgences can be bad.

Gilson said...

See, now if I were I cat I’d know where to head. Shocking this may but here in Brazil at least some cats are bound to end up on some underprivileged family’s dinner table.

Giggles said...

How horrific for you and the cat!!! Some people are so reckless with animals and children.... very sad!

linda may said...

This post would have fit as the antithesis of last weeks Human prompt. I hate that about people. In this country we have a huge problem with feral cats decimating our wildlife, and because our wildlife- their prey is so defenseless the cats become huge super predators who kill and breed up to terrible levels. They can be found all through out the country, even in its most remote areas. in Victoria there is a man who has a cat proof sanctuary where he releases endangered native animals back into their natural habitat. Cats have been named as a major cause of the extinction of some species of native animals. He skins the cats and wears the furs to shock people, hopefully out of their self indulgence to care for, spay and destroy unwanted cats.
Sorry about the long reply but you bought up an issue that is important to protecting our environment here.

Nara Malone said...

sad they would indulge their need to have a creature love them and not return the love.

Tanya Gwen Minnick said...

this was a good post, honest, sad and a good post for the prompt.
nicely done. I couldn't imagine doing that to a cat, my cat is so wonderful and he indulges me in cuddles :)
peace

Beth Camp said...

A respect for all life resonates here. Caring for pets properly is not an indulgence. I know what you write of is true. When I've had cats, they're house kitties, not outside kitties (and they're spayed). This seems to work. Cruelty to animals in any form is just wrong! Thank you for writing of this. The intense range of comments is also instructive and useful.

b said...

I love cats and this is so sad...and makes me mad too. I have never had a cat run away, ever. But they do want to hide when they are ready to die. It just breaks my heart.

b