Sure, she's looking all cute, sleeping with her little tongue sticking out. But behind that adorable face lies the soul of a killer. The tongue, btw, doesn't always stick out...only after she stretches or cleans herself.
She's been bringing home baby rabbits every morning and presenting them for inspection on the front step. How thoughtful, you might be thinking, showing off her hunting prowess and presenting her housemates with the fruits of her labor.
But, more times than not, they aren't dead — just disabled. She only has one front upper fang which makes it difficult for her to actually kill the things she catches. The fang was removed at the pound because she had been abused and it was broken in half presumably by a kick in the face.
Well, a semi-alive baby rabbit puts yours truly directly on the horns of a moral dilemma and I don't mean in a good way. Do I: A) Take it to the vet to be mended or put to sleep (as my mom suggested)? B) Hit it over the head with a shovel to put it out of its misery? C) Don't do anything and convince myself that it's nature and I shouldn't get involved.
Given that option C allows me to avoid the situation entirely by sticking my head in the sand, that is what I do. I don't feel good about it but I wouldn't feel any better about options A or B, either. Option A would probably cost $1,000 and the thing would still die, or with option B I'd probably hit it over the head and only injure it more seriously rather than kill it.
Yes, she's a devil. But I still love her.
*
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Angel Or Devil?
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11 comments:
At least she leaves them on the door step- mine used to like to jump up in the bed to present them. blech!
I can identify with your dilemma. I struggled with the same options when our pet guinea pig was dying from old age and would not eat. I opted the what would happen in nature route. We attempted to feed him. I remember that cold January morning when I found him dead in his little igloo. I cried like a baby. I wrapped him in this linen and placed him in a box and we buried him under a tree in the yard. :-( I'm even tearing up now.
I put myself in the victim's place and choose option B, though not necessarily with a shovel. A and C mean more misery, and since the outcome is always the same--nobody gets out of here alive--I'm all for ending suffering sooner rather than later.
--Alex
Put the bunny in a Hefty Bag give it a bit of car exhaust, tie the bag shut. It's a bit more humane than going all Kathy Bates on the poor little thing. Either that or plan to invest in a hawk or a small eagle.
I can remember a particular week when my cat decided to be a hunter; every day she brought me a slightly smaller mouse, until presumably she'd wiped out the whole family. I say she brought them to me, when I mean to say she left them in my shoes. There's nothing like rushing because you're late for work, feeling something in your shoe halfway there, and tipping out a dead mouse on the bus.
One of the cats we had when I was a kid was a serious hunter. Just be glad she's only bringing baby bunnies. He once dragged home an adult rabbit (They're fucking huge) and proceeded to dispatch it in front of my mother, who had mild hysterics.
It wasn't pretty.
One of my cats apparently noticed that I didn't DO anything with her mousy "gifts." First she left whole mice, then tailless mice, then front-half-mice, until the last offerings were just chewed-up mouse heads. It's the thought that counts!
--Alex
I have a SOLUTION to your problem. This may sound schemish, but what you could do is go to the pet store and get one of those cardboard carriers..the ones that have the holes in it for when you bring a new pet home, put the bunny in it either the night before or the morning before a vet opens and leave it by their front door. Someone will find it when they open & have THEM make the decision. Little sneaky but it still may give the animal a chance ya know?
Unless of course the vet has cameras & will know you left it.
It may be time to stop letting her out... at least until the bunnies mature a bit.
I would have to choose C too, but it would upset me greatly.
Aw the conundrum. You have just reminded me exactly WHY it is a cat does not live with us. I would hate being in your position when kitty brings master a "toy"........... Whew!. Oh Gavin. That's tough stuff.
Ok, how can I say this respectfully and not sound like a personal attack? Had it occurred to you to keep her in? duh?
Even if I was able and willing to put up with the cat's non-stop crying and howling at the door for an hour to go out, my mother with dementia can't, which more than doubles the trouble. By letting her out, I shut the two of them up at the same time.
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