I'm sorry to hear of your two recent losses. If it's any comfort, you gave them far more of a chance than they'd have had in the wild in their condition.
I once found a cat by the side of the road, wandering across the road as if it was oblivious to the traffic. I had to throw a sweatshirt over it to capture it because it put up a helluva fight. Then I realized it was blind in both eyes from an infection. The vet I took him to had to put him to sleep due to irreversible massive conjunctivitis and sepsis. I was very upset until the vet reminded me that if the cat had been left there, it would likely have starved to death if it wasn't struck first. I figure I saved it two weeks of agony at least...
Thanks. Yes, both my pussers are indoor kitties. One is even declawed by a previous "owner." I take them out once a day in the backyard for supervised visitation, but they're content to be indoors most of the time. With all the dogs running lose, and the moron low-riders along my street, it would be asking for trouble to let them roam free.
I agree. Max the second, our Maine Coon Cat, came declawed, and it's part of the reason I adopted him: he was considered hard to place because he couldn't be let out unsupervised. I, on the other paw, *wanted* a kitty who didn't jones to go out and would be content to stay mostly indoors, having lost Max the first to coyotes. The Humane Society in San Diego County (and many other counties) will not allow cats to be adopted if the potential "parents" express an interest in having the cat declawed. Many vets now refuse to do it, and I believe it's totally illegal in England. Sammy, our little Siamese/Bengal cross has claws like scythes, but other than trimming them, I leave them alone. He came as a kitten, and with Max II to occupy and socialize him, he has learned to be content with once-a-day supervised outside visits.
I've seen videos of these tenacious creatures; they seem to be an Australian version of the American Wolverine, only smaller. Have you ever had to care for one?
No, they're only found in Tasmania. And even if they were on the mainland I wouldn't care for them because they're a specialist animal, even for scavengers. They're bad-temered, smelly, and have a bone-crucshing bite. Their zoo keepers love them, of course.
Heh. I guess that's why they call them "devils." I was impressed with how bad-tempered the one in the video was. The handler had chain mail shark gloves on his hands. I'd also heard that they were very smelly. I didn't know, though, that they were only found in Tasmania. I guess they're obnoxious enough that nobody would think of bringing one to Australia as a pet, with the possibility of it escaping. Now if people had only thought of that before they brought walking catfish, African Snails, pirhana, and other nasties to the U.S. ...
One thing you know, yet many don't, is that "Mother Nature" can be a cold, cruel bitch---by necessity.
Often a parent bird will toss a fledgling out of the next if said parent finds the little one is defective. Cold and cruel? Certainly. But necessary for the sound genetic continuation of the species. Defectives don't reach breeding age, and the parents' limited resources are able to be directed towards raising healthy little critters.
True, sometimes a "found" chick will be the victim of high wind or simple "bad luck", but when a "foundling" dies despite our best (skilled!) efforts, it's often due to a hidden problem.
Don't beat yourself up over losing the chicks, Den. You gave them a chance; that's more than they had before you came along.
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Blargh :(
Mako
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hugs
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Scott
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Peewee's
I once found a cat by the side of the road, wandering across the road as if it was oblivious to the traffic. I had to throw a sweatshirt over it to capture it because it put up a helluva fight. Then I realized it was blind in both eyes from an infection. The vet I took him to had to put him to sleep due to irreversible massive conjunctivitis and sepsis. I was very upset until the vet reminded me that if the cat had been left there, it would likely have starved to death if it wasn't struck first. I figure I saved it two weeks of agony at least...
*Hugs*
Don't give up. You'll have some successes, too.
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I wish folks would leave their cats living indoors. :/ If folks in Australia did that, Den would have a lot less work to do.
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Tasmanian "devils"
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Often a parent bird will toss a fledgling out of the next if said parent finds the little one is defective. Cold and cruel? Certainly. But necessary for the sound genetic continuation of the species. Defectives don't reach breeding age, and the parents' limited resources are able to be directed towards raising healthy little critters.
True, sometimes a "found" chick will be the victim of high wind or simple "bad luck", but when a "foundling" dies despite our best (skilled!) efforts, it's often due to a hidden problem.
Don't beat yourself up over losing the chicks, Den. You gave them a chance; that's more than they had before you came along.
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