Some people just suck SO bad....

[Jilly_in_VA]

that I have to rant. SOMEONE whose name is unknown because they were too cowardly to walk in and surrender her left a very nice tortoiseshell cat in her carrier on the Humane Society property, I think (but am not sure) right by the door where she would be found. Which is bad enough, but here's the rest. The cat is declawed and very overweight...she weighs 20 lbs, when a more proper weight for her would be something in the neighborhood of just under half that. I didn't look, but I suspect she may also have some dental problems. We are unsure of her age and have no idea of her medical history. She's really a very nice kitty, although I got into a shoving match with her today because she didn't want to remain in her kennel (well, who can blame her?) while I cleaned around her. I would have let her walk around, but I was afraid she might decide to go under the kennels where she is and get stuck, and fishing her out would be difficult!

What the hell is wrong with people, anyway? If they were tired of her, or couldn't keep her, all they had to do was walk in and fill out some relatively simple paperwork. Tell us a little bit about her. At least give us her NAME, FFS! And to let her get in that condition and then dump her...GRRR. The poor thing is no doubt shocked, bewildered, who knows what? I have words for people like that, but they might scorch the screen. They start with fucking coward and go on from there. It's time we had surveillance cameras for crap like that. My husband was so outraged that he even offered to donate one! I'd donate another.

Okay, rant mode off.

[madaboutharry]

1. Maybe they felt ashamed.

Yes, cowardice certainly fits. But it could also be that the person felt shame over having been such a horrible owner and didn’t want to have to face recrimination from others.

It’s good they didn’t leave her by the side of the road.

I would never make excuses for someone mistreating an animal, but no knows the backstory here.

I hope she finds a loving home.

[Croney]

2. The person surrendering the cat did the right thing, leaving it

right by the door where it would be found. Maybe they were not the one who neglected the cat, maybe an elderly relative died and left the cat in that condition. The person who dropped it off might have been grieving and afraid of being judged and lectured to.

Just trying to picture a scenario where a person fails to give their pet proper care. I'd never let it come to that, ever, but people can lose their ability to think clearly.

[Jilly_in_VA]

3. We don't lecture anyone

who brings an animal in and surrenders it, whatever their reason is. We thank them for bringing it in and take the paperwork and take the animal to Intake. Oh, we'll express opinions behind the scenes, you know that, but so would any vet hospital or anywhere else. If some elderly person dies and leaves an animal they've doted on for years, well, we're used to that. We baby that animal just like they did, provided the critter lets us (some don't, believe you me!), let them grieve because they do too, and generally try to get them in shape to meet their possible next person. One of our senior lady cats is currently in a foster home with a JMU student who fell in love with her cocked ear and her cracked meow and seems likely to keep her if her roommates allow it when they return.If not, Lucy will be up for adoption.

[debm55]

4. Excellent post Jilly. It wouldn't take to much to enter the shelter and surrender the animal.

[milestogo]

5. People do that to their relatives too.

When I was a nurses aide, an elderly patient came onto our hospital unit. She reeked of urine. But she was baby-powdered head to toe as if they were trying to hide the fact that this person had been lying in a urine soaked bed. She was confused.

The woman died a few days later, and I never saw such bedside drama. If they loved her so much, why weren't they caring for her?