We're FINALLY home and some ranting...

[CalliesMom]

My husband and I made it home today at 1:30 PM, though we were supposed to be home last night around 9 PM. We flew from LAX to Cleveland, where they were having problems with ice storms and our flight was cancelled after sitting two hours on the tarmack. We got the earliest flight out of there the next day so decided not to get a hotel--we would have had to pay $100 for five hours and it just wasn't worth it. Sleeping in an airport was quite an interesting experience

Christmas went pretty well but sure am glad to be home. Callie is being very needy (I love her so much), while Shadow seemed angry with me and just came to me for lovings five hours after I got home, which is unusual for her. Whispy doesn't really care who loves on him; only that he gets some attention.

Well here's my rant: are there any normal, decent pet lovers out there beside people on PetTalk? My brother-in-law is 14 and obviously not real bright when he proceeds to tell me about visiting one of his family members (not related to my husband) and shooting at their cats with bb guns (sp?). He said they have way too many cats (SPAY AND NEUTER DUH!!!) so for fun him and one of his cousins used the scope on their bb guns to shoot at these poor animals...and not to forget "HOW MUCH FUN IT WAS!!!" OMG! "I hate cats and they have too many-they deserve to die" ARGH ARGH ARGH! WTF? I just wanted to beat him or shoot him with a bb gun to see how it felt.

I don't know why people ever tell me these things--I'm a die hard cat lover and like my kitties more than most people; now I see why. He made a joke about coming to visit us in AL and shooting at my cats--HA HA I would physically hurt anyone who tried to do something horrible to my babies. I guess I'm not real surprised as every animal my mother-in-law has had has ended up at the pound. I feel bad for any animal that comes into the home, as once it is out of the cute puppy/kitten phase it's taken to the pound or ???? The last two cats they had might have been released outside because "they still had their claws." Jason won't tell me the truth and we always argue about it everytime it is brought up.

What do you do with people like that? I don't want to go off on them, though I did on his brother, because I have to live with these people for the rest of my lives. In general, they are pretty great to me but I just don't understand the blatant disregard that is put an animal's life. ARGH!

[catnapper]

Ugh. It sounds as if they live out in the middle of nowhere with nothing but country... am I right? It seems that country folk have a totally different look on life and animals. I had a similar experience this summer when someone we know lives on a farm and talked about the hundreds of farm cats down the road. They were so non-challant when they talked about how they were kiled by other animals or from the disease running through the colony.

[CalliesMom]

I'm not sure about where the family with all the cats live, probably out on the outskirts of town, but my mom and in-laws live in a fairly large suburb of Los Angeles. They actually make fun of us because we are currently living in Alabama and the stereotypical "redneck" thing...ugh.

[Grace]

No offense meant, but that kid needs some serious counselling.

First they go after animals; next it will be people. That's how it starts.

[christa]

You know how they say that the first sign of a serial killer is that they enjoyed killing animals as a child . . .



My future brother-in-law always tells stories about things he did to cats when he was young . . . makes me SICK!!! He still isn't really fond of cats, but he's also not a serial killer.

I can't believe that this boy's parents would let him behave like this though . . . if that were my kid . . . well . . .

[carole]

He would get more than a telling off in NZ, I am sure it is illegal to use a BB gun here, for any purpose, little brat, and that is putting it nicely, they can do some serious damage, so he thinks it is fun to hurt an innocent animal, and let it suffer in pain, geez I would have a few things to say to that young man, so yes I understand and sympathise with your rant, his parents should be ashamed of themselves for letting him continue this cruel bit of so called fun.GRRRR.......

[Glacier]

Hey! Just to defend country folk--I grew up in the middle of nowhere, surrounded by miles of farm land, Now I live in the middle of nowhere again surrounded by forest. In both places I was surrounded by animal lovers and people who took good care of both their livestock and their pets. This isn't a country person's attitude--it's just a *&^%&* attitude and callous disregard for life. Unfortunately that could and does happen anywhere!

[Lilith Cherry]

Catnapper, country people DO NOT treat their animals less well than those of you who who live in cities and towns!! In fact, we often end up having to rescue animals dumped by "townies" who think the unwanted pets can survive by themselves in the countryside! Please think before making such sweeping statements!

[CalliesMom]

I'm not so sure about the serial killer thing with him, but there has got to be something horribly wrong when it is "okay" to torture another living being. I at first was amazed that he even told me, but the more I think about it I guess I'm not surprised. This is the same family with the four year old little girl who used to toss their cats over the patio and into the backyard (these cats were terrified of my husband's little sister) and nothing was really done except chicken wire was put on the patio. The kids are hardly ever disciplined and excuses are made as to why they act certain ways. Jason literally was beaten growing up if he did something wrong, but his two youngest siblings never get punished...and I know that the 14 yr old has done several questionable things and nothing was done/taken away because "his television and other personal belongings" didn't do it. ????

[catmandu]

Itsa shame,that tyou cant shoot him,with a BB Gun,and let hom feel,the pain,that those poor ats,suffer.Once a Bully,feels pain,they become cowards!

[carole]

They sound like a very dysfunctional family to me, but it does not excuse cruelty of any kind, Gary put it so well, he is infact a Bully, who needs to be shown a thing or two.

kim it is not that country folks have a different view of animals and how they treat them, you have to live on a farm to know, some parts of farming are not always nice, for instance a weak animal may not have the chance to survive, because there just is not the time to give it the undivided attention it needs, and unfortunately money does come into it,it is not something I liked about country life, and still donot to these days,why I would never go farming, its kinda of hard to explain really to a city person., maybe this is why you feel as you do, that I can understand.

I have lived in the city since I was 12 years old, and it is here that I see all the misery, wild toms scrounging the neighbourhood and many cats dumped, as I live in the university area, alot of students get pets and then just leave them here when they leave, we also have a lot of Asian students who get pets when they are cute and cuddly and then when they go back to Asia they either dump them or leave them at the SPCA, of course this is not something only students do, but my area is worse because of this, it is heart-breaking.

[mina'smomma]

Ok sorry dear I hope I don't offend you, but someone need to take that BIL of your and use him as a target for BB Gun practice. Shooting animals to be cruel is not fun. Its cruel. I just can't believe their parents would let them do this.

[Catsnclay]

BB guns are just as dangerous as real guns. Years ago when I worked for an eye surgeon we had this 13 year old come in, claims after rough-housing with his friend that all of a sudden he couldn't see. We did the exam and found a BB stuck in his cornea your eyes immediatly form a protection around them in the form of a cataract when damaged like that. My doctor was a very wise man, he told the parent to leave the room and told the kid I can see in your eye, do you want to tell me the truth on what really happened? At first he denied it again, and then when the doctor said, well then how did a BB get lodged in your eye? He realized he was busted. Turns out he and his friend were shooting BB's at his friend's cats, somehow he "got in the way" and his friend shot him. Luckily for this kid surgery was able to remove the BB and his eyesite was returned, but if that BB would have went a hair one way or another he could have had both permanant eye AND brain damage. Stupid kids......


I have also heard before that any child that hurts animals for "fun" can possibly turn to humans next.

[carole]

That is exactly why it is illegal in my country to use them, is it not in the USA?

[CalliesMom]

I hope no one thinks I am making any excuses for him. It makes me sick, and I can't believe he would ever do something like that. I am not offended either by any negative comments made towards him as he deserves a whole lot worse than that. My only comment about his not being punished about anything was meant to display the type of home environment he has and the things he gets away with. There is absolutely no excuse to be made and no way to explain this behavior.

Part of me is hoping that he lied and was trying to make me angry...as it scares me to be married into this type of family. The worst part is is that he is coming to visit in May for my hubby's graduation and now I'm terrified to leave him alone with my cats. I have no lock on my bedroom door and the locks on my bathrooms are quite easy to get in to. If he did harm my kitties, so help me...I don't know what I would do but it will be bad.

The other problem is is that he is generally a pretty decent kid. We joke with one another and get along quite well actually. He told me this story on our last night there and I just couldn't believe it. They always say that serial killers/murderers are the "normal" looking people. Ugh.