Worldwide Beekeeping
General Discussion => Any and Every Thing => Topic started by: Perry on April 29, 2014, 03:12:59 pm
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Sometimes being a softie hurts, and costs you money.
We have had an abandoned/feral cat eating the bread scraps we throw out for the birds in the back yard. This skinny thing was voracious, wolfing down as much bread as it could. This is not uncommon in a University town I'm told, with departing students just dumping their "pets" when they leave. I also snagged a couple of abandoned rabbits last year.
Anyways, a couple hours ago my wife and I pulled out of the driveway to go for lunch when we spotted said cat eating grass of all things. We stopped and got out, my wife walked back to the house to get some food and a cage. The cat actually ended up eating out of my hand like a wolverine it was so hungry. I managed to pick it up (realizing immediately that it was pregnant), but when I tried to put it in the cage, a battle that can only be described as epic ensued. End result is cat in cage, me in washroom flushing out deep bites.
A quick trip to the shelter where we were charged $69 for the drop off fee, receiveing strict advice to immediately go to the walk in clinic, as apparently cat bites are the worst.
Flush and bandage of the wound, Tetenous shot, and a $17 prescription for heavy antibiotic later, with a fore finger the size of a hammer handle (and no lunch), we're home.
I have been warned that 80% of the time cat bites result in infection and I may end up having to go to Halifax to get my antibiotic administered intravenously.
The cat will be tested and treated for fleas/worms/spayed and eventaully put up for adoption. If we didn't already have two cats (and a rabbit) we would keep her.
I realize there are those that would probably have found a less expensive solution, but that's for another thread.
Would I do it again?
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In a heartbeat! ;)
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Co-worker here moved to Idaho and gave me a couple of live traps. I was wondering what he was doing with the traps and he said that all the city people drive out of the sub division and dump their cats. He was taking them in daily.
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Growing up I used to catch cats in my coon sets a LOT... try releasing a feral cat from a foothold and your guranteed to get bit... I don't ever recall any of the bites getting infected, but it only happened about four times before I decided on a different solution..
It is no secret I am not a fan of cats, though we have an indoor cat my daughter tried to keep secret in the garage about six years ago that still lives in our house.. despite my adamant promises I would kill it if it came in the house.... >:(
Outdoor cats and I get along fine. we have a young tom living in our shed that showed up here as a kitten last fall.. I have been seen scratching him on occasion.. I even named him... Tom.....
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LOL Scott! Don't neglect taking Tom in to get him fixed, don't delay
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I can scratch him about the ears and head, and pat him some. Any more than that and he is all claws trying to get away.. I could probably catch him in the live trap, but not sure how happy the vet would be with me bringing in an angry little tom in a live trap.. handing him the cage....
Good LUCK! I'll be back in an Hour!
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The vet's drag the cat out with big thick gloves on, knock them out 'right now' and then proceed. I don't know if all vet's will fix ferel's so ya might need to check around. We also have a program in our town where volunteer vets come up from the city and spend a weekend fixing up to 300 ferels a weekend. Might want to ask your vet if he/she knows of a program like that for you ;) 8)
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Definitely keep an eye on those bites, Perry. Cat bites are deep piercing and there's a lot of bacteria involved....been there, done that... :-X
I'm no fan of cats, but female cats that have had a litter (and are afterwards "fixed") make great mousers!!!
Best wishes, take your antibiotics, don't pick up strange cats with your hands,
Ed
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Kudos to you Perry. But, I am with Scott when it comes to cats. No way Jose!
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i am like perry, and for me it doesn't matter what critter they are or where they come from, an irresponsible, abusive, neglectful owner, and there are plenty of those and many who can't bother to take their animals to a vet. we have cared for all types of critters, owls, deer and fawns, all sorts of birds (including hummers), coons, squirrels, chipmunks, possoms, skunks someone else's dog, someone else's cat, etc. there probably isn't an animal i haven't cared for. one year i waded across the river in flood water rising to my chest in rain, wet and cold to fetch a young fawn crying and caught on an island who had been separated from his mother. we retrieved him; he would have never made it in the rising flood waters and cold, and carried him back across the river to his waiting mother.
on the rush river we are a dumping grounds for animals, especially dogs. we take them in, get them to the vet, care for them and make sure they get a good home. we have several sizes of kennels, and we don't own a dog ourselves because of all the travel we do, it is not fair to them and i won't kennel them. cats can take care of themselves. other wild animals/birds are doctored up and set free, or if need be euthanized.
i have been bitten, and bitten deeply more times by dogs than any cat, and the bites from any dog or cat of unknown origin will be treated with antibiotics and a tetanus shot if you are not up to date on the tetanus.
when i read this thread, my eyes welled up a little. as perry said, many do not care for cats, but any critter that brings joy to your life is and becomes a 'family member'.
my heart is heavy. there are no paws on the floor of our house, it is empty and silent now. on thursday of last week we set her spirit free, a good friend and companion of 17 years. that joy is gone, and so is the companionship. selfishly, i wish i could have her back.
like perry i would do the same, and i would do the same for any animal.
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my heart is heavy. there are no paws on the floor of our house, it is empty and silent now. on thursday of last week we set her spirit free, a good friend and companion of 17 years. that joy is gone, and so is the companionship. selfishly, i wish i could have her back.
I am sorry to hear that Mrs. River.. Good friends and companions are hard to let go of. We have let go of many over the years. All worthy of the tears that were shed at their passing, and the memories we carry. I selfishly wish for all of them back
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You've got a big heart, Perry. :goodjob:
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My wife has a very soft heart for animals. She's a lot like Ellie Mae Clampet. No matter what kind of critter shows up here, it gets fed. And then named. Then it never leaves. If a buzzard lands in the yard, she'd throw it meat from the freezer. In a week she'd have it riding on her shoulder and eating Cheerios out of her hand.
She's soft hearted to a fault. Except to me, that is. Meanest woman I ever met.
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My wife has a very soft heart for animals. She's a lot like Ellie Mae Clampet. No matter what kind of critter shows up here, it gets fed. And then named. Then it never leaves. If a buzzard lands in the yard, she'd throw it meat from the freezer. In a week she'd have it riding on her shoulder and eating Cheerios out of her hand.
She's soft hearted to a fault. Except to me, that is. Meanest woman I ever met.
Thanks for turnin that frown upside down! ;) ;D
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You have a good heart, Perry. I wouldn't want to see anything starve to death. Who knows, that cat may become as good a friend to someone as riverbee's was. You may have enriched someone's life and the whole time you were just picking up a stray cat.
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You should not of paid to turn in a feral cat. If they refused to take it you should have told them you would take it back out side and release it then. Back out side there door.
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and then what apis?
homeless animal, dog or cat.....it's not the animals fault.....it's the owner who abandoned it and didn't take care of it in the first place and left it for someone else to deal with or die.....and it happens. like perry, i am the same. RESPONSIBLE and CARING.....
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Ouch...
so... if I see one, why does it become my responsibility? I try to do the right thing and they want ME to PAY for someone elses idiocy?
Oh wait... I'm talking about the govt now.... :laugh:
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No Gov't involved in this one, though I know where you're comin from. ;) :D
It's just choices we make is all. I have less of a hard time helping something that can't fend for itself versus someone who won't!
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A .22 caliber round is much cheaper than 69.00 and guarantees no return.
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Despite what I might do, I am over ridden by what She who will not be named will do, so I really have no room to argue. :-[
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There are countless ways of being loving and compassionate in this world. One person may choose to feed the lost animals, another may volunteer to go to the cancer clinic and offer an ear. How about those who provide shelter for domestic abuse victims. Those that visit the preemie ward and just rock new born babies. And then there are those who go to the homes of the elderly to help them with a shower and a nice rub down so they don't ache so much.
So for some.. it may be helping animals, for others it may be something that we don't even know about...
We all have a heart path, the tragedy is when we don't follow it...
Peace Love Hope ;) 8)
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"So for some.. it may be helping animals, for others it may be something that we don't even know about...
We all have a heart path, the tragedy is when we don't follow it...
Peace Love Hope ;) 8)"
thanks jen, very true.
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OK... so, the only time my kids show up is when they need money.. does giving it to them count??? :laugh:
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No! Kids don't count unless you give them a kidney!
You have to give a homeless bum a sandwich and a large cup of coffee, pat them down so you know they're not going to put booze in it!
Of course you could cut a deal with your kids and say this money needs to be paid off by the end of the year.. or a grandkid on the way! That would be exceptable ;) 8)
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Meh. If mine want $$, some sort of physical labor must be done to earn it. I am NOT a charity... maybe a charity-case, though. No, that's not right... head-case! That's what it is!
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I hear ya Cpn- hubby kept a log on the inside of the kitchen cupboard for moneys owed. It worked pretty well. Son painted and double coated the exterior of our house last year, to pay off the debt. It's the old fashioned way and I approve.
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nope, not the first national bank.....and i don't bail anyone out of jail either or pay attorneys fees......you managed to git yourself there, you git yourself out. straighten up and fly right.....
i worked hard all my life, managed to get myself through college and many other life events and never took a dime from my folks for anything, can't say that about my siblings or my son.
er, after a time or two, my son was told the above......
old fashioned ways work too..... ;)
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Ok, I'm no cat lover...really. Perry's recent encounter with one didn't help my feelings towards them, either, though my hat's off to Perry for his kind actions. So, today...I've acquired a bit more respect for cats, check this video out!!!!
http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/bestoftv/2014/05/14/legal-view-cat-fights-dog-saves-kid.cnn.html
Do be aware that this is rather graphic. Ed
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Great, we have 2 cats. Nobody better try and mess with my kid!
The dog knew when he was beat.
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Back to the original topic--Perry, consider yourself lucky that they didn't have to keep that cat under observation for rabies.
In our neck of the woods, in addition to the other shots, and meds, rabies is also a concern. Every year or two the newspapers carry a story of someone who got bit by a rabid animal (usually a dog, but other mammals too)
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Ditto. You don't recover from rabies. My daughter was trying to help an injured dog a few years ago when it bit her deeply on the arm. As it was, the dog was hurt badly so the owners put it down and "disposed" of the carcass by dumping it close to a river. >:( With a bit of yah-yahing the owner of the dog finally came up with rabies certificates that were a couple of years old (Alabama at that time only used 1-year vaccinations). The night after the dogbite we got torrential rains and the river flooded...bye-bye dog head. My daughter had to go through the rabie shots because we had no dog in quarantine to monitor and we didn't have the brain to send off for testing. The problem is that if you come down with rabies there is no cure. A big gamble to take. :sad:
Ed
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Bummer story Ed, truely sorry to hear that ~ watched the video, and even tho I'm a dog person I do know that cat's can do some amazing things.
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Used to have a beautiful Springer Spaniel I bred and raised in our kennel.. he became my sons dog, and the two were inseparable... A neighbor stopped by one day and grabbed my son, as if wrastling with him in fun, and the dog bit him.. not terribly, but enough to make him back off... My son was rather proud, but I was quite upset... about a month later, my daughter was babysitting a toddler in our house... she saw the dog come around the corner and put his hair up, so she reached over to pull the toddler back, yelling at the dog, and as she did so the dog lunged forward, and ended up biting my daughter pretty badly..
He had his shots etc, so no worries about rabies... but we went for a walk and he didnt come back.. I loved that dog as much as my son did, but kind of like owning mean bees, I will NOT own a dog that bites.. I hold no sympathy for anyone that would, nor any mercy if their dog bites someone in my family.
That cat in the vid impressed the heck out of me.. I have to say, that is the most astounding thing I have ever seen a cat do, and it is not something I would have EVER guessed a cat MIGHT do.
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Many have said it but cat bites are no joke! My wife spent two days in the hospital from a kitten bite. The Dr. said she has actually had amputations from cat bites that weren't attended to promptly enough!
And rabies isn't out of the picture either . A local family recently took in a stray cat. Turns out the cat had rabies. Now the whole family needed shots. The scary part about rabies is that once you have any of the symptoms it too late and it has a near 100% mortality rate.
Love them animals but care for yourself too.