Accidental animal crueltyI once invented a brilliant game - I'd sit at the top of the stairs and throw cat biscuits to the bottom. My cat would eat them, then I'd shake the box, and he would run up the stairs for more biscuits. Then - of course - I'd throw a biscuit back down to the bottom. I kept this going for about half an hour, amused at my little game, and all was fine until the cat vomited. I felt absolutely dreadful.
Have you accidentally been cruel to an animal?
This question has been revived from way, way, way back on the b3ta messageboard when it was all fields round here.
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rob, Thu 6 Dec 2007, 11:13)
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Nearly killed with kindness....A few years back, JuniorWitch #1 had a wee hamster. Cute ball of fur to look at, but vicious! Bit every finger in the house at least once and cleaning the cage required trapping it in the plastic tubes to avoid another trail of blood to the kitchen sink.
Anyhoo, summer holiday time rolls around again and our kind neighbour offers to feed and water the wee rat-ling while we're off boosting Spain's economy.
Two happy weeks in the sun and the Witch family return, landing back home at stupid o'clock in the morning and falling into bed for a few hours. Several hours later, we roll out of bed and start on the unpacking, finding the duty-free etc.
JuniorWitch #1 notices that the hamster is moving around and goes over to have a look.
"Mum, the hamster's not well!"
Sure enough, it was barely managing to drag itself around the bottom of the cage, looking very thin, woebegone and about twice its age.
Closer examination of the cage showed that the water bottle had been filled to the very brim. Now anyone who's ever had a pet knows that upside-down water bottles need some air space at the top or the water doesn't come out. No idea why, but I'm sure lots of you clever people know! I just know not to fill the bottle right up.
Hammy was revived by the placing of a small bowl of water right under its nose (the only time in its life it didn't try to bite me!!) and the pouring out of some of the water from the bottle. I honestly don't think it would have survived if we'd been home even twelve hours later.
Did I ever tell my kind neighbour she'd nearly topped the hamster? Did I buggery! Although when we went away the next summer, I removed the bottle and put a water bowl in the cage just to be on the safe side. Told her the fitting for the bottle kept coming loose and we didn't want the wee fur-ball escaping on her watch!
Hamster eventually expired at the grand old (for a hamster) age of nearly 4. We didn't get another one. Now we can't get another one as our cat (black of course, as a familiar should be!) would regard it as lunch on the hoof.
(, Sat 8 Dec 2007, 18:27, Reply)
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