If it hadn't been Trudy by dreamtrove

Gee, you guys are all heart.

A vet said to me " he's not going to have the same quality of life as another rabbit." yes, sure, that may be so, but he isn't another rabbit. I'm sure there are times when he wished he was some other rabbit, like the sort that hadn't been hit by a car.

A paralyzed bunny can have a normal life expectancy, just a less hoppy one. In large part, that depends ln the rabbits will to live, but to some extent it depends on the help of others.

The rabbit pictured was paralyzed for nine years, the second longest of the rabbits I found this morning.

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Saturday, June 19, 2010 9:03 AM

GEEZER

Keep the Shiny side up

Quote:
Originally posted by dreamtrove:
Gee, you guys are all heart.

And you left out a good bit of information - like you'd taken the rabbit to a vet and that it could survive. It's apparently not totally paralyzed, or it couldn't do stuff like eat. If it's like the bunny in the photo you attached, it's maybe paraplegic, not paralized.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

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Saturday, June 19, 2010 9:38 AM

WHOZIT

Eat the Rabbit

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Saturday, June 19, 2010 9:45 AM

Geez,

The rabbit hasn't gone anywhere, its paralyzed from the waist down. The attitude of kill the disabled is bothersome, but thanks for coming around. I don't know if it's a survivor yet, but well see. Euthenasia is of course inconstent with right to life, so I suspect you coulda guessed my reaction. Anyway, now I have the rabbit, and reading it might be like a bunny that might be here for a while

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Saturday, June 19, 2010 11:26 AM

ANTHONYT

Freedom is Important because People are Important

Hello,

You said it was hit by a car, eaten by a bird, and that it was paralyzed. If a suggestion to kill it seems like a lack of compassion, I'm sorry. I submit that compassion can mean a lot of things to a lot of people, and it's wrong of you to suggest you know what's in people's hearts when they make the suggestion.

Now I see from your more detailed information that the rabbit is not completely paralyzed after all. Which is NOT the image you painted.

If you're prepared to make the life investment and resource investment that will allow this rabbit to be a rabbit, I suppose you ought not to kill it.

Otherwise, kill it.

And whether or not you think so, that's a compassionate answer. If you could ask the rabbit, I'd tell you to. But you asked me.

--Anthony

Due to the use of Naomi 3.3.2 Beta web filtering, the following people may need to private-message me if they wish to contact me: Auraptor, Kaneman, Piratenews, Wulfenstar. I apologize for the inconvenience.

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Saturday, June 19, 2010 12:33 PM

MINCINGBEAST

If you can afford it, I encourage you to visit the vet and get the bunny the care it needs. Assuming that it isn't fully paralyzed, it can still have a good life if you're willing to provide it. Who else will? You have the power to make a tremendous difference in the bunny's life, and accquire a life long cuddle slave.

Granted, I am biased, in that I have multiple rescue bunnies, and consider the mighty bunny to be the pinnacle of evolution.

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Saturday, June 19, 2010 2:42 PM

I rescued the rabbit from being eaten alive. Paralyzed is something a rabbit frequently is after being hit by a car. So, having rescued it, now I have the rabbit.

Quote:
it's wrong of you

Clearly my comment was flippant, and intended to be so. "kill it" is a common human reaction to an injured animal, disturbing as that is for what it says about humans.

Of course, this is not what I was looking for. I wanted rabbit care suggestions. And not these ones:

Quote:
hit it with something heavy.
You just did. 2000 pounds of Volvo

How we treat rabbits is not a comment on rabbits.

Anyway, anyone familiar with rabbits have any suggestions? I'm thinking a whole bunch of stuff like should it not be moved, is it better inside or in the yard. How does it drink water, from a dish like a cat or dogma, or from a bottle like a gerbil. Will it's front legs take over, should it have a little scooter?

Its not a very large rabbit, its probably a couple months old.

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Saturday, June 19, 2010 2:59 PM

MINCINGBEAST

I'm not a vet, or expert on bunny bio-mechanics, obviously, but if the bunny's hind legs are messed up, he probably isn't getting around on his front legs. Ever. I've seen wheel contraptions similar to those in the picture you posted, for cats, not bunnies.

How is his appetite? So long as he wants to eat, he wants to live. Go for a basic alfalfa based pellet diet, and supplement it with plenty of fresh vegetables (my bunnies are suckers for broccoli, chard, cale and cilantro) and timothy hay.

He'll prefer his water from a bottle, and plenty of destructible toys to keep his teeth in shape(phone books are great for shredding). Also, bunnies are prey animals, and know it, and love hiding spaces. Something as simple as a paper bag to burrow in could work.

Good luck with the poor little guy.

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Saturday, June 19, 2010 4:36 PM

KIRKULES

I think humans do a great disservice to animals by trying to humanise every furry species we run into. When I accidentally hit a squirrel (after doing my best to avoid hitting it without killing any humans), I don't rush it to the veterinarian, I back over it with my car and make sure its humanely killed. I've made the mistake with every dog I've ever had of spending thousands of dollars near the end of their life to try and get them to survive longer and in reality probably have only extended the length of their suffering for my own benefit. The amount of emotional trauma you might feel when having an animal put down is minute compared to the pain and suffering you can cause them by extending their life for your own benefit.

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Saturday, June 19, 2010 4:38 PM

Mince, thanks for the tips. His back legs are non functional, though I read that rabbits do sometimes get injuries where they either can't or won't move their back legs for up to six weeks without having a broken back, but for now I can assume the worst. He's fairly small, and is currently pulling himself around by the front legs without wheels, he just lies on his side, and then stands his front up straight. If the back legs stay light, this could work. I had a friend in college who was paraplegic, and could get around by his arms, with no leg function without a prosthetic because he only weighed 98 pounds. Of course my sister does the same thing, but she has prosthetics which she uses until they annoy the he'll out of her, which I can see them doing to the rabbit also. For nowni suspect he's content to be a two legged rabbit.

Eating, I don't know yet. The yard I put him in has a wide variety of plants, I stuck a bowl of water in there last night, it was empty in the morning and the banana had changed position, but the pellet bowl was tipped over, I couldn't tell if he had actually eaten any of it. It's about a three foot square pen, he traversed the whole thing, and made some half hearted escape attempts, but of course the pen isn't there to keep him in, its to keep him from becoming the latest menu item. I figured outside for now would be better, since it's his natural environment.

I'll try to get a water bottle, let me know if you have any recommendations specifically on what I should get him. I read some online forums of paralyzed rabbit owners, and there was some concern about obstacles that would get in the way of a partially immobilized bunny. Maybe a blanket would be a could burrowing toy.

Kirk

The RTL crowd have a pretty radically different outlook on life I'm not sure that it's an issue on which the left and right can really communicate. That said, I have no use for a rabbit, but at the moment, a rabbit might have use for me. I assume that it can make it's own life decisions.

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Saturday, June 19, 2010 5:02 PM

GEEZER

Keep the Shiny side up

Quote:
Originally posted by dreamtrove:
Of course, this is not what I was looking for. I wanted rabbit care suggestions.

Then maybe you should have asked for rabbit care sugestions in a clear manner. We're not mind readers out here.

If you want to commit to providing daily care for a crippled rabbit for up to 10 years, That's certainly your choice to make.

Here's some sites with info.

http://www.mybunny.org/info/paralyzed.htm

http://members.petfinder.org/~PA256/guidelines.pdf

These are for domesticated rabbits, not wild ones, so you may have more problems with one that's not acclimated to people.

Also consider that, depending on jurisdiction, it may be illegal to keep a wild rabbit as a pet.

"Keep the Shiny side up"

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Sunday, June 20, 2010 5:17 AM

AURAPTOR

America loves a winner!

Quote:
Originally posted by whozit:
Eat the Rabbit

Well, first you have to....you know.

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Sunday, June 20, 2010 5:59 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

I'd missed this one up until now. DT, you just went waaaaaay up in my estimation. I mean way up! If I'd seen it earlier, I'd have said to look around and see if you had a wildlife rehab unit in town, they are trained in dealing with local wildlife. But they would have put him down, as they don't adopt wildlife out and haven't the facilities to care for a non-rehabbable animal. I'm so glad you took him to a vet instead, and triple glad you've decided to keep him as a friend. You're good people.

Okay, I’ll offer what I can; I’m sure Mincing can give you much more. I’ve had six dwarf rabbits for ten years or so. Three of them are gone, but I still have the other three.

You want him IN THE HOUSE! In the back yard, guaranteed a local cat or ‘coon will get him in no time, obviously he can’t get away, but even outdoor bunnies need a hutch to be safe at night. But if he’s put outdoors, a cat will probably get him even in the daytime.

He’ll get around just fine on his front legs; rabbits are resourceful, all wild animals are, and the will to live in any critter I strong. Water bottle is probably the best, set real low in the cage so he can get to it easy, like no more than three inches off the ground.

You will need a cage, obviously. Mine have double cages, one atop the other, so they have two levels; obviously you don’t need this, but as big a cage as you’re willing to afford will help. You can get bottom-weighted feeding dishes, which would be best, at least until he can figure out how to get around and eat without tipping it over. Fill the bottom of the cage with TIMOTHY HAY, and keep it filled; he’ll eat that. He should also get pellets—again, Tim Hay. Most pellets are alfalfa hay; that’s NOT GOOD, unless you feel like vet bills down the line. It screws up their teeth and can do their intestines. Most people don’t pay attention to that, but it’s important.

Some bunnies can be house trained, but obviously he won’t be able to. So you’ll have to watch his ass and probably clean it periodically. He won’t be able to move away from his own piss—feces should be no problem as long as you clean the cage often enough. There is some wonderful stuff...I forget the name but can get it for you...it’s like that fake fur you see, only it’s a special material, not expensive, which absorbs urine and can be tossed n the washer. It’s also a soft, furry material you can cut into any size or shape; if you put that on one side of the cage, he may like laying there.

I’m assuming it’s a wild bunny? Domesticated rabbits get out, so I don’t know, you didn’t say Tell us what it looks like, color, describe the ears, and maybe I can tell you about him. Obviously if he’s wild he’ll bite, but you’ll find in a very short space of time he’ll come to trust you—rabbits can become tame very easily. Talk softly to him; once he trusts you, stroke him with your open hand from nose to back of head...they LOVE to hide their heads in your hand, makes ‘em feel good—safe—and you’ll know when you have a friend for life when he moves his mouth, kind of like he’s chewing, just for a second. We call it “tooth grinding”—it’s the bunny equivalent of purring.

You’ll have to watch his weight, obviously, and he doesn’t need ANYTHING but what I’ve described to live a happy life. I cheat something fierce with mine, and their very favorite food in the world (despite what you see and hear) IS bananas. But if he’s a wild bunny, he’s not familiar with them...once he tries it, he’ll want it anytime. TEEEENY bits, remembering how tiny their stomachs are. Also apples, they love those If he’s a wild bunny, dandelions are a treat they’re familiar with, flower being the treat, and you can grab those from anyone’s yard. I let mine sip my ice tea—a real no-no, but they love it. I don’t recommend it. ;o) Sugar isn’t good for them, so if you are like me and get excited about such things, pet store offer TONS of sweets and treats and stuff, but obviously it’s not good for them. I read the back of treat boxes to make sure there’s no alfalfa or sugar in them—they can be found, but he never needs them.

Greens are a great thing to give him, and don’t add weight. Easy ones to get from the grocery store are swiss chard (red and green), mustard greens, cilantro and parsley. I feed mine some every night...I’m a total woos, so we tear them up in little pieces (plus I HAVE to for one bunny, who’s a rescue and was a “pet” for a yuppie family—which I won’t go into or I’ll start sounding like Raptor—because they fed him nothing but alfalfa and gave him alfalfa hay, so he had to have tooth surgery and has no front teeth. But your guy, all you have to do is toss a leaf in and he’ll gobble it down.

Chew sticks are good. If there are any fruit trees, especially apple trees, local, he’d ADORE a branch now again, and will decimate it in no time. The hay should be enough to keep his teeth worn down, but they love to strip branches and it’s good for them. You’ve probably gotten all of this from the websites, and there are books and forums and stuff.

If you have the time and inclination, getting him out would be wonderful. Just exploring your house would be fun for him (once he’s tamed, you don’t want to chase him around, even if he can’t move much, it stresses them—we will always be predators to us, no matter how much they like us). Once he’s really tame, it would be wonderful if you could let him outside now and again, just for a little while and keeping an eye on him to avoid cats. They WILL kill him; so will many raptors, which he’s also unable to avoid. I don’t know where you live or what your wildlife is like, but if you have raptors, don’t let him outside unless you’re right there with him.

You have some fun ahead of you. Bunnies can be so loving and sweet, and fun to have around. I won’t vouch for their intelligence, but they’re smarter than most people think, and he may well tame enough to sit on your lap. The don’t like being held that much, most of them, and are happiest on the ground, tho’ some love to be carried.

If you can find a rabbit vet close by, it would be great to put him under their care. Most vets don’t treat a lot of rabbits so are not really knowledgeable about them. I have a great one, and she even makes house calls, but it’s a choice you have to make for yourself.

You’ll need to keep his claws trimmed. Out in the wild, they wear them down naturally, but in a caged environment, and obviously given his situation, he won’t be able to. Regular cat clippers work fine, and you should learn how to do it so you don’t cut the quick. Everyone does, of course, so having some of that stuff guys use for shaving...styptic I think it’s called? Not the pens, a powder you can stick the nail in to stop the bleeding. But you will have to clip them, or they’ll get too long, just like a dog’s.

He’ll shed monstrously twice a year. I plucked mine, just gently pulling out the dead fur, which is easy to see because it sticks out in clumps...they look like shit when they blow coat! But there is a kind of comb that works great too, and less chance of you plucking him too much (which I did to Gozer a couple of weeks ago, little bald spot, but it grows back). The best is a cat comb, but it has a bit of rubber-like substance woven between the teeth of the comb which grabs onto the fur.

That’s all I can think of off the top of my head. If you have any questions, please do ask or e-mail me, it’s a subject I (obviously) love and can go on forever about. You’ve done a truly wonderful and compassionate thing, and he’ll reward you for it, depending on how much time and effort you want to put into him. Bless you.

Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
signing off

To our President: “Mr. President, you're a god damn, mother fucking liar. Fuck you, you cock sucking community activist piece of shit.... oh, go fuck yourself, Mr. President” ...Raptor

To Anthony, unquestionably the most civil person on this forum: “Go fuck yourself. On this matter, make no mistake. I want you to go fuck yourself long and hard, as well as anyone who agrees with you. I got no use for you. ...Raptor

To Frem: “You miserable piece of shit.” ...Raptor

To Niki: “My guess is it won't just be your ugly face you dislike.....Well, it's true......if you had a soul.” ...Raptor

To Kwicko:" You're the putrid slime which oozes between troll's toes, you're so low.” ...Raptor

...Remember, remember, the ugliest member...

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Sunday, June 20, 2010 7:38 AM

Niki,

I was reading online and the general sense seems to be you are correct about wildlife rehab. They say "he's better off with us" only they mean "we'll put him in a better place"

I don't speak rabbit, I just respect rabbit space at the moment. I read online that tooth grinding was a sign of pain, but either way, this is a quiet bunny.

Anyway, thanks for the suggestion, I'll check back on this thread when the time comes. Right now he's just getting used to it.

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Sunday, June 20, 2010 9:38 AM

Tough room. No Bill Forsyth fans?

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Sunday, June 20, 2010 11:34 AM

All else aside, it's your decision what to do, really.

As far as Lepus go, just about all of our former generation got eaten, save for Fivver, who's taken to following me around a bit on the rounds and hanging out near my place - which doesn't bug me none since he has no preference for chewing up peoples gardens, so it's fine by me.

What is a bit odd is that Fivver now has two next generation bunnies following his example, to the point where one of em was doin it even in the pouring rain - and despite that they're skittish, wild bunnies, I can get within arms length of any of em, and within about two feet of Fivver before he hops off out of range - I'd be tempted to give him a pet, but that'd leave a scent mark that would compromise his safety, and besides, when I am on the clock I got biz and a professional standard to keep to.

Our local wildlife has a more symbiotic relationship with the other employees to, some of em, the squirrels have some form of alliance with the main maintenence guy and follow him around even in broad daylight and the presence of other people - only he dunno they have an after-hours alliance with Bummer and the Raccoons, or he'd be pretty pissed about it, he dun mind the squirrels, but the Raccoons, especially Bummer, make for a maintainence hassle at times.

Poor Bummer just can't get a break, not only did he run afoul of miss skunk last spring, which cost him leadership of his old pack (although they were fools for this, since he survived the winter and they did not) but his several attempts to build a new one have fallen due to the stupidity of his youthful accomplices, several of whom wound up roadkill, and one really stupid one got hisself trapped in the dumpster and carted off in the truck - although if he survived to the landfill he's prolly in Raccoon heaven.

-F

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Sunday, June 20, 2010 12:01 PM

Yeah, I was fishing for rabbit care advice, not moral advice, but there used to be a local rabbit would would follow me around, we called him click, because he clicked with every hop. He was around here for many many years. Rabbits do much better here I would guess, they are not common roadkill or dogwood, though the latter does happen. I only know of one case of a cat killing a rabbit, but it was smaller than this, the squirrels are in far more eager around here for some reason.

Anwyay, I was headed out early, because that's when you see 'em, around four ro five am, normally you don't see them at all, but early on they're all over the place, but hen we don't have a lot of traffic then, so that's probably as to why they don't get hit more often. Possums of course are in the most danger of anything, percentage wise.

I didn't know rabbits had pack leaders. I haven't run into any rabbit packs outside of the extended family kind, in which the leader I assumed to be the parent or grandparents.

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Monday, June 21, 2010 6:35 AM

WULFENSTAR

http://youtu.be/VUnGTXRxGHg

Hossenfeffer

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Monday, June 21, 2010 6:58 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Thanx for the photo. Yeah, he's a wild one. It's more frequent than people realize that domesticated rabbits get out, and of course they don't survive as easily as wild ones, so you rarely see them.

He actually looks almost exactly like my Mouse, who is a mini-rex and both they and rexes look most like wild rabbits.

Poor little guy, he's awfully lucky to have "found" you! Rehab places aren't quite like you think, the usually give the animal a serious medical exam and it's only the ones they are CERTAIN can't survive that they euthanize. Even some who can't be released are given a home permanently, and some are "farmed out" to people willing to care for them the rest of their lives. We had a raven for 14 years; she was perfectly healthy but had been raised as a pet so would approach humans and be killed. It was an amazing experience, to say the least

But when they can't either rehab to release or they have too many "permanents", yes they do put them down. In his case, being unable to get around, they wouldn't even keep him as a permanent so unless someone was willing to care for him, he'd be dead by now. But believe me, they do bust ass...I've known quite a few animals which were released back into the wild who had no chance until they were brought to rehab. Animals can get by with quite a few disabilities--obviously not as serious as his, tho'.

I do hope you get him a cage and bring him in, or at least an outdoor hutch you can put him in at night; otherwise he's not going to last long. He's sure a beautiful little thing.

Where do you live? I'd love to find out what kind he is. The shorter ears are a dead giveaway he's not a jack, but beyond that I only know our locals. Out here on the Coast we have regular jacks and "coastal bunnies", the latter so tiny they'd fit in the palm of their hand, and yes, one sees them mostly at dusk and dawn. My husband runs and bikes trails just after it's light and he sees TONS of them, plus deer, foxes, coyotes, wild turkeys, etc....back in the day when I ran, I did too. I miss running more than I can say, since we both ran trails and you see a lot of native wildlife that way.

Yes, they tooth grind from pain as well...so do cats purr, and dogs will wag their tail when angry as well as when happy. I find that interesting, that they do some of the same behaviors for NEGATIVE reasons as well as positive ones. But a tooth grind when being petted is always "ooo, I like that, do it more!"

He's quiet because he's still in "bunny shock" as it were, no doubt. It's traumatic not to be able to run away from predators and it takes a while to accept being helpless. No doubt he'll come around more once he accepts his situation, especially if you're around to talk to him quietly and help him understand you're safe, not dangerous.

Good luck; and let us know how it goes, I'm really interested to see how he adapts and what you learn about him and how you two get along! But please, DO get him some kind of safety, especially if you're not bringing him in at night.

Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
signing off

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Monday, June 21, 2010 12:02 PM

Niki

Trudy is from Duchess County, NY. Today I built a little yard with a fence. I want to have a little rabbit house. Also, I set up a blanket tunnel.

At the moment, Trudy is eating, drinking and moving around by the front legs, back legs twitched a little bit, I couldn't tell if those were leg muscles or some neighboring back muscles being pulled.

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Monday, June 21, 2010 12:07 PM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Blanket tunnel is better than nothing, unless it gets too hot. Is she using it? Meanwhile, even a big board braced against a fence or something will give her protection from predators if you bring her in at night. I hope her ability to walk DOES come back, that would be great.

The Mouse is snuggled up right behind my monitor at the moment...eyes half closed, having a bunny nap. She looks like shit (she's blowing coat), think I'll go brush her. She'll always make me think of Trudy from now on... Sending all good wishes.

Hippie Operative Nikovich Nikita Nicovna Talibani,
signing off

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010 2:35 AM

Double post

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010 2:35 AM

R.I.P. Trudy the rabbit.

Trudy appears to have died instantly this morning. Might have been a secondary break in the spine which was not irritated until she turned over in the other direction from usual.

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010 2:48 AM

KANEMAN

Quote:
Originally posted by Kirkules:
I think humans do a great disservice to animals by trying to humanise every furry species we run into. When I accidentally hit a squirrel (after doing my best to avoid hitting it without killing any humans), I don't rush it to the veterinarian, I back over it with my car and make sure its humanely killed. I've made the mistake with every dog I've ever had of spending thousands of dollars near the end of their life to try and get them to survive longer and in reality probably have only extended the length of their suffering for my own benefit. The amount of emotional trauma you might feel when having an animal put down is minute compared to the pain and suffering you can cause them by extending their life for your own benefit.

I don't spend money. When my dogs aged I took them out to the woods and left 'em there. Should have seen their "sad puppy eyes". I had to throw rocks at 'em just to give me room to get in my car. That was the hard part...Throwing rocks at em. However, I saved a buck.....Well, it's NOT true....

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010 2:50 AM

KANEMAN

Quote:
Originally posted by dreamtrove:
Ahead of me in the road was a rabbit that had been hit by a car. A crow was trying to eat it. The hitch was, it wasn't dead. The end result is that I have a paralyzed rabbit. Any ideas?

I'd say eat it, but Rabbit tastes nasty.....

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010 3:21 AM

JONGSSTRAW

That's horrific! You don't eat something with a name, and if it had a second name, Harry for example, it would then be even more horrific to eat it. I need tens Roddy!

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010 4:36 AM

Ah, at last, someone who knows who Bill Forsyth is.

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010 4:56 AM

JONGSSTRAW

That's one of my all-time favorite movies. I must have seen it 50 times over the years, and it never gets old to me. I hope one day to visit that incredible coastline, and find that village with all those wonderful people.

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010 5:19 AM

Agreed, great movie. My shrink is from there, he says it's really like that.

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010 5:45 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Oh, DT, I'm so sorry. That had to hurt, even if just a little. At least you know you gave her a peaceful, safe place to wait out her time, rather than being eaten alive by birds or other predators. I'm glad it was sudden, too, from what you said. At least now you don't have to deal with caring for her, which might have balanced out against the pleasure she gave you, but would have been a responsibility. Basically: You did a good thing.

Kaneman, you're a sick mutherfucker and I don't believe you anyway.

Kirk, I agree to an extent. A young dog who has a medical problem that can be FIXED is worth it to me. But over the years we, too, have prolonged our dogs' and cats' lives at pretty hefty expense, and in future I won't be doing so as much. Never if the animal suffered; that was always my first question to the vet; if we do such-and-such, will the result be the animal suffers? So it's not just selfish to keep them going if there are ways to avoid them suffering; all things have the will to live and will fight to do so. But yes, at the same time I know it's my own desire not to let go.

Just once did I spend the time and money to let a cat go "naturally". Our vet is big on that. It was an amazing experience and taught me that they truly DO know when it's their time, and until then will fight with every ounce of strength to go on living, AND are able to enjoy positive things until that time. The the simpler brain may be the "smarter" one in that way, I dunno.

On the other hand, think about what you wrote. You wrote it from the perspective that the minute feelings of putting an animal down are much better than the discomfort of trying to keep it alive...uh, who exactly does that benefit? I don't blame you, and I understand, but if you're talking about a disservice to the ANIMAL, it sounds to me more like it's minimizing the HUMAN's suffering. Just made me smile to read it, is all.

I do agree with you when it comes to anthropomorphization, however; it sickens me to see people with tiny dogs who dress them up and/or act as if they're human. It blows my mind to see how some people relate to their dogs--after watching "It's me or the dog" and "Dog Whisperer", I couldn't believe some of what I saw...like a woman who made special, home-cooked meals for her two dogs, then fed her FAMILY TV dinners! There are some things I'd rather not know about...

I recognize some of the feelings I have for my animals is because I don't have children--that maternal urge has to go somewhere. But I respect that they're DOGS, not humans...actually, my husband does so less, which surprises me. He will literally sit on the far edge of his bed to make room for the dogs (who are huskies, and BIG), rather than push the dogs off, and anthropomorphizes to an extent I don't.

But I accept nature's way in the wild--doesn't mean I want to watch it on TV, but I fully accept it. I admire animals and love to watch Big Cat Diary, for example, but I change channels when they kill something. Doesn't mean I'm making the prey something furry and cute, just means I don't care to watch.

Obviously Trudy wasn't suffering a lot of pain, or she wouldn't have been eating and drinking. The moving around could have been an attempt to flee, but no animal eats and drinks when it's badly hurt.

I'm glad you did what you did, DT, and I honor you for it.

Who is Bill Forsyth and to what is the reference?

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010 8:56 AM

Well, imma cop to it - my cats are more spoiled than most peoples children, it's one of the few places outside of the clearance pastry rack where my internal monologue starts goin "Yo, wait, you don't *need* that, put that back!" - usually when I have selected another ridiculous bit of kitty furniture or toy, cause they have plenty of both and no compunctions about using MY furniture at whim, or me AS furniture, sooo...

Far as it goes, I *can* communicate with em almost as effectively as humans, so if it ever comes to it (sadly, very few of my cats have ever died of natural causes) they get to make the call.

Some cats, when their time comes close, they'll take a header and not come back - various theories abound from needing a certain place to "gate" into a better life, or wanting to leave a beloved owner some hope, but in the end only the cat knows.

Far as anthropomorphicism goes, humans ain't the only ones who do it, cause I've had cats do much the same right back, one interpreting a drunken floor crawl as a stalking slink and invitation to play, and besides one of em is a little species-dsyphoric anyway, that cat is named "Puppy" for a reason (she acts a lot like a dog, in some ways).

-Frem

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010 9:08 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Ahhh, but Frem; big difference between spoiling an animal and anthropmorphizing it...from all your posts, it's obvious you recognize cats as cats and rabbits as rabbits and so forth, whereas what I'm talking about is people SEEING animals as human and relating to them that way.

Not the same as spoiling a pet at all. To see something you think the pet might get a kick out of (and lord knows I've been bad enough at THAT, even with the two fish tanks I recently got, after never having fish in my life) or YOU'D enjoy the pet enjoying is one thing. I'm talking about people who actually BELIEVE their pets are equivalent to humans, who can't see them as animals...literally! That one blows me away. I love my dogs dearly, talk to them like they're human, but I know they don't understand (except commands and things like "dinner!" that are important to them), I know it's tone of voice, which I can only be sincere with by using words.

I dunno. I just find our species weird in some ways....

As to other species anthropmorphizing, I don't think that's it. I think it's more instinct; when you get down on the ground in play position, it equates to "play" for them, whatever it means to you. That's genetic instinct. As to animals like "puppy", personalities are personalities, and I think it's actually anthropmorphizing on OUR part to see them as being "more like a dog" or something. JMHO

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010 9:21 AM

WULFENSTAR

http://youtu.be/VUnGTXRxGHg

Im annoyed.

All this rah rah bs for cats, dogs and now rabbits...

But no mention of ferrets.

Ferrets are awesome. End of story.

(For the record, I have several ferrets AND a cat... my poor dog had to be put down years ago. Ferrets and cats are ideal for apartment/condo living..)

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010 10:47 AM

GAH, could ya re-scale the pic, dude ?

And Ferrets + Cats = Bad Idea.

Ferrets are great little critters, although they do take more care than cats.

Cats are of course, awesome.

But when you get a Cat *AND* a Ferret in the same room, they will wind up convincing each other to pull shit neither one woulda EVER thought up on their own, and worse, the Ferret damn near has opposable thumbs!

You have NO IDEA just how much trouble that particular combination can be, especially if both of em are fairly smart to begin with.

-F

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010 10:50 AM

WULFENSTAR

http://youtu.be/VUnGTXRxGHg

Ok, yeah... didnt resize the pic... Need to figure out how to do that...

As to cats and ferts... shit. My ferrets literally, and I do mean LITERALLY, ride around on top of my cat like he is their fraking horse.

The little bastards have figured out every lock on their cage, and its at the point I need to use good string to tie their cage closed.

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Tuesday, June 22, 2010 11:03 AM

Most alive just before she died, probably got up to moving something which should have been left, otoh, if it wasn't going to heal, there was no way out. It looks like she just madebone unexpected twist and it was all over. She did get to meet some squirrels, and they were around the cage a lot, this morning they were wondering where she was.

Oh well, sad twist for the strange life of little animals.

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Wednesday, June 23, 2010 8:44 AM

Gettin' old, but still a hippie at heart...

Did it for you.

Because ferrets ARE awesome! (You could delete yours and copy mine to bring the post size back down--just a suggestion)

We had to which couldn't be turned loose (like my 'Bo) at Wildcare; one of the jobs of volunteers was to let them out in the office every day and play with them. Tough job!

Even better was the mt. lion cub who was confiscated (ferrets and mt. lions are illegal to own in CA)..."had" to interact with him every day, too.

But yes, keeping a ferret OR a river otter in their cages is a major challenge. It's those leeetle tiny fingers and their talent with them!

Sorry again about Trudy, DT, but again: You did a good thing and you should get good karma out of it!

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Thursday, June 24, 2010 1:45 AM

KANEMAN

Quote:
Originally posted by Fremdfirma:
Well, imma cop to it - my cats are more spoiled than most peoples children, it's one of the few places outside of the clearance pastry rack where my internal monologue starts goin "Yo, wait, you don't *need* that, put that back!" - usually when I have selected another ridiculous bit of kitty furniture or toy, cause they have plenty of both and no compunctions about using MY furniture at whim, or me AS furniture, sooo...

Far as it goes, I *can* communicate with em almost as effectively as humans, so if it ever comes to it (sadly, very few of my cats have ever died of natural causes) they get to make the call.

Some cats, when their time comes close, they'll take a header and not come back - various theories abound from needing a certain place to "gate" into a better life, or wanting to leave a beloved owner some hope, but in the end only the cat knows.

Far as anthropomorphicism goes, humans ain't the only ones who do it, cause I've had cats do much the same right back, one interpreting a drunken floor crawl as a stalking slink and invitation to play, and besides one of em is a little species-dsyphoric anyway, that cat is named "Puppy" for a reason (she acts a lot like a dog, in some ways).

-Frem

Somehow I knew you were a cat lady

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Thursday, June 24, 2010 8:13 AM