What to do... (kitten content)

[bertzie]

you're doing it wrong.

the cat is the one encountering a hardship and i ain't seeing it committing suicide.

same principle here.

Then allow me to rephrase the question.

When you encounter hardship would you prefer someone kill you?

 

[bobarino]

Then allow me to rephrase the question.

When you encounter hardship would you prefer someone kill you?

i most certainly wouldn't.

 

[SixAngryStrings]

Meh...

Shoot it with kindness.

 

[Angus]

i would ask the vet to put him to sleep.

nature has a strange method of selection.

I really mean no offence, but to hell with nature's selection. Nature has been happily trying to end life on this planet with extinction level events for as long as life has existed - and actually, that approach seems to justify the absence of compassion.

"Lost his job? Legs smashed up in a car accident? - Hey, that's nature."

Having said that, what about the kitten? As has been said, its a personal decision, no real right or wrong in my view. You've been compassionate and intervened, but maybe it would be best to have the kitten put down. That would be a kind way to end his suffering, especially as it sounds you are neither looking for a dependent pet, or have a home situation suitable for one.

I've recently been in a similar situation with my aging cat, was it time to send him on his way or should I keep him until he just dies. I got him destroyed - I can't tell you I was right (or wrong) but this compassion stuff comes with a price tag, paid for in soul searching. All the best with it.

And good for you for giving a damn.

 

[bertzie]

i most certainly wouldn't.

Then why choose that path for the kitten? In the natural world, yes, this kitten would die. But it is now beyond the world of nature and into the world of man, where the laws of nature no longer hold sway and it might yet live a full life. Does it not deserve that chance?

Through chance of fate that kitten has been cast from the cruel hands of certain death into the comforting possibility of life. It would be a cruel act to throw it back to its end.

 

[bobarino]

i have had many cats (currently i have 14).
every time one of them is sick/ill, i feel so bad i can't describe
because i know that, unlike humans, cats can't understand
why they're aching/suffering. it takes a 100% healthy cat
to make a 100% happy cat. most times, taking antibiotics
for a couple of weeks, or having a faulty kidney removed,
or whatever, allows them to be ok again.
other times there's no hope of a full recovery,
and sometimes the only thing to expect is that it's gonna get worse and worse.
you could fill the mississipi with the tears i've shed each time
i had to put a cat to sleep.
but in hindsight i know i did the right thing.
i made room for a new adopted healthy cat
every time it happened.

 

[bertzie]

But would you not at least try to help them before jumping to execution? I've seen cats with missing limbs live long, happy lives without incident. Putting them down should only be considered when there is little to no chance of recovery. Disability alone should not be enough.

 

[bobarino]

Putting them down should only be considered when there is little to no chance of recovery.

sometimes the recovery process is assured to provide good results
and yet it implies many months of "hell" till the results appear.
i wouldn't be able to see one of my cats go through something like that.

in this particular case, if the vet concludes the cat has retained
control of his bladder and intestines, and will be able to use all
his limbs without having to undergo a painful and long recovery,
then my view on the subject will change.

 

[bertzie]

sometimes the recovery process is assured to provide good results
and yet it implies many months of "hell" till the results appear.
i wouldn't be able to see one of my cats go through something like that.

in this particular case, if the vet concludes the cat has retained
control of his bladder and intestines, and will be able to use all
his limbs without having to undergo a painful and long recovery,
then my view on the subject will change.

You can't stand seeing them suffer but you're willing to see them die? That is a very odd point to view.

I've never put down a pet if I could help it. An ounce of heaven is worth a pound of hell. And if there's a chance they'll come through to the other side I'll do anything in my power to get them to the promise land.

 

[bobarino]

You can't stand seeing them suffer but you're willing to see them die?

in the sense that the suffering will end with the eternal sleep, yes.
i'm not talking about grabbing a gun and start shooting cats left and right for the fun of it.

put simply, this is how i like my cats, in order of preference:

1- alive and not suffering
2- dead and not suffering
3- alive and suffering

 

[bertzie]

in the sense that the suffering will end with the eternal sleep, yes.
i'm not talking about grabbing a gun and start shooting cats left and right for the fun of it.

put simply, this is how i like my cats, in order of preference:

1- alive and not suffering
2- dead and not suffering
3- alive and suffering

But you wouldn't choose that path for your self? Dying instead of suffering a recovery?

 

[bobarino]

But you wouldn't choose that path for your self? Dying instead of suffering a recovery?

if i had the understanding of the "why" of said suffering,
and the comprehension of what was the path to recovery,
how long it would take, the expected results, etcetera
(which i would 'cause i'm a human and not a cat)
then, no, i wouldn't choose that path.
unless the picture was so dark that euthanasia would be preferable.

 

[bertzie]

if i had the understanding of the "why" of said suffering,
and the comprehension of what was the path to recovery,
how long it would take, the expected results, etcetera
(which i would 'cause i'm a human and not a cat)
then, no, i wouldn't choose that path.
unless the picture was so dark that euthanasia would be preferable.

Would you euthanize your child because they didn't understand the recovery? Or would you have them endure the suffering because YOU understand that, though they will suffer, they'll come out on the other side?

 

[bobarino]

Would you euthanize your child because they didn't understand the recovery? Or would you have them endure the suffering because YOU understand that, though they will suffer, they'll come out on the other side?

i would not kill another human being unless that human being was trying to kill me.

 

[bertzie]

i would not kill another human being unless that human being was trying to kill me.

Does species really matter?

 

[bobarino]

Does species really matter?

to me it does.
i have no problem killing a fly for no reason but i wouldn't kill a sparrow for no reason.

 

[bertzie]

to me it does.
i have no problem killing a fly for no reason but i wouldn't kill a sparrow for no reason.

You would kill a cat to spare it the suffering of recovery but wouldn't do the same for a human. Do you prefer to watch humans suffer?

 

[Angus]

to me it does.

Species (non-human) makes a difference to me too.

I love my cats but I'm not going to the ends of the Earth for a pet.

I don't judge people who would, but you could ask the question where's the morality in taking out a new mortgage for a pet when children are dying in poverty around the world?

 

[bertzie]

Species (non-human) makes a difference to me too.

I love my cats but I'm not going to the ends of the Earth for a pet.

I don't judge people who would, but you could ask the question where's the morality in taking out a new mortgage for a pet when children are dying in poverty around the world?

I love my cats more than I love some kids I don't even know. They've done nothing special in life except have the opportunity to be born the same species as me.

 

[bobarino]

You would kill a cat to spare it the suffering of recovery but wouldn't do the same for a human. Do you prefer to watch humans suffer?

it's not like that, bertzie.
in these matters, i don't follow some rigid logical mathematical equation.
i just try to find the best choice, according to my conscience,
having in attention the specific scenario and the specific subjects involved.
i can't put my own son/daughter in the same bag as a total stranger,
or a cat in the same bag as a mosquito.

now, you may certainly say that many of my choices are wrong,
you may even say that everyone one makes wrong choices,
but i may also assure you i wouldn't make the wrong choice on purpose.