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Cat Forum / Health and Behavior / April 2007I'M So Angry!! Ringo has been shot with a BB Gun
Words fail me.... Last night I went outside to call Ringo in & when there was no response, I knew in my gut that there was something Very Wrong Because Ringo is always here for dinner time.... I searched the front of the house, then out the back, but there was no Ringo. I decided to leave it half an hour but when the time was up, we set out on a search party to see where he was hanging out & why he had not simply come home when we called him. By this time I was in near frantic panic, because it is soooo out of character.... Our neighbors kids joined in the search,& by 7.15pm we had over 8 people looking for him - he is ever such a popular puss because he is so friendly & will allow anyone to give him tunny tickles.. We continued to search, & kept in contact by mobile (cell phone!) At around 8.10pm, my son Ross found him. He was lying on his side in the meadow under a hedge panting. Ross called me right away & when I reached him, I could see that Ringo was panting & he had blood all over his fur just under his left eye & just under his right fore leg. I didn't have to guess too long to see what had happened to him... He had been shot, but I wasn't sure what with. Paul joined me, & we lifted him up onto a board & covered him with a blanket. I called the vet from the meadow & asked if he would see Ringo, & he told us to handle whim with care & bring him straight down there. It was obvious that Ringo was in shock & shivering too. I had no idea how long he had lain there, but the last time I could remember seeing him, was around 5.30pm, so we don't know what time this had happened. You wouldn't believe how fast my trusty old Ford escort shot down the motorway, I would never have believed it could go that fast, seriously!! On arrival, we were met, & he was seen straight away. I went into the consultation room with him, & the vet had a quick look & told me that he had to get an xray done as fast as possible, & then onto theater if nessacery to get the pellets out, because he was conerned that the pellet might have penetrated some of his organs & the fear of him dying of shock was quite possible, so they wanted to get him seen to as fast as possible, so we left them to get on with it. It is such a terrible feeling You feel so helpless;o( The vet already had assisting staff to help him because they have a 24 hour facility, so they were able to proceed immediately... We were told to go home and that they would call us as soon as they had any news for us. Just over an hour and a half later, we got a call to say that Ringo had got through the surgery. They managed to get the pellet out of his foreleg & it was logged into his bone, & also that he had got the pellet out of his jaw, but he wasn't sure if Ringo lost his sight in his out of his left eye, because it was logged so near to the optic nerve that he did consider leaving it in case he caused more damage than was already done. He also told us that the one in his leg was shot at almost blank rang too As you can imagine, we shot down there to see him, but he was very sedated, & didn't manage much more than a hand lick & an ear tickle. I Can't describe the RAGE that we feel, knowing that someone who lives near us had thought it funny to shoot him ,quite possibly knowing that it was our cat too.. Whilst waiting for Ringo to come out of surgery, we called the police to alert them to the fact that we have a loose canon in the neighborhood, & we also called the RSPCA to alert them too, only to find out that Ringo was only one of four cats who had been shot yesterday on our nearest estate. I feel sick to the pit of my stomach knowing that someone could possibly do that to a poor defenseless cat, who has done them no harm at all. How could anyone shoot a cat at blank range? It wouldn't surprise me if it turns out to be a child who's parents have bought it for them as a gift..... THEY SHOULD BE MADE ILLEGAL...!!!!! Sorry, but I feel so ANGRY Ringo is still in special care room, but doing much better today. He remains sedated & is responding well. He still has his hydration drip in his other fore leg, but he did try to lap some water earlier today. He looks like a mini mummy with all of the bandages round his head and his leg where they splinted him & strapped him under his fore leg.. My kids are keeping their ears open to see if they can find out who has a new BB pellet gun recently, Or who was in the meadow last night around the same time last night. No doubt even if we do find out how it was, the worst that will happen is that they *MIGHT* get a rap on the knuckles & a public caution. In fact the best thing we could hope for, is for the police to remeove the gun to stop it happening again..If we are lucky, that is Whats to stop them going straight out to buy another one tomorrow..? I hope that I don't find out who did it, because right now, I am too angry to deal with it The boys used to wonder why I wouldn't allow them to have a BB gun, & yesterday the learnt exactly why..not one of them wants one now. I think that they are as outraged as we are Sheelagh on Fri, 23 Mar 2007 16:21:57 GMT, "sheelagh" > I feel sick to the pit of my stomach knowing that someone could > possibly do that to a poor defenseless cat, who has done them no harm > at all. Oh, Sheelagh... Oh my god. Poor Ringo. <seriously bawling my eyes out here> I'm so devastated for you all, and so angry about what happened that words fail me. Please keep us informed on Ringo's progress. I have a special place in my heart for that boy. I'm just sick about this. I can't imagine the mix of emotions you must be feeling. I'm sure they are overwhelming. Try to stay strong, I know you've been through so much lately. You are all in my thoughts.  SignatureLynne > on Fri, 23 Mar 2007 16:21:57 GMT, "sheelagh" > [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > Try to stay strong, I know you've been through so much lately. You are all > in my thoughts. I will, & thank you very much for your words of comfort Lynne. I was in shock for hours last night. It took a good 3hours for it to sink in, & then Rage took over...I wanted to go bang, especially when we found out that we were only one of 3 families affected by the same loose canon. I have the name of one family, so I intend to go and see them later this evening, because I know them. If there is anything that we can do to stop it happening again, I will do it, short of violence. Of course I will keep you up dated on how he is coming along. It is simply bad luck that we have been affected yet again, but I do believe that things that come, round, will go around... It will come back to haunt them one day!! S;o) I know I would be using a large burlap bag, a phonebook and a lead pipe no evidence no trace no bruises that person would be praying to what ever god they believed in by the time I was done. Let them feel what you felt that would be one heck of a lesson Matthew You have no idea how tempting it was Matthew. I was soooo ANGRY;o( It still is to be perfectly honest..But I know that it would end up with me getting locked up for violence rather than them which is ludicrous. I am sure that God's eyes were open when it happend, & it always comes back to you when you wrong someone. In this case it was a cat....What happens when it is a child's eye..? I can't believe how blase they were...(Police) S. > on Fri, 23 Mar 2007 16:21:57 GMT, "sheelagh" > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Oh, Sheelagh... Oh my god. Poor Ringo. <seriously bawling my eyes out > here> Me too. > I'm so devastated for you all, and so angry about what happened that > words fail me. Please keep us informed on Ringo's progress. I have a [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > all > in my thoughts. Me too. I don't have anything to add to this. I'm crying and want to kill someone and feel like throwing up all at the same time. It's the same emotion I feel about our Bullwinkle who is the gentlest, sweetest cat in the whole world. He was a rescue who had been abused and abandoned. Everytime I think of someone hurting this cat....I just don't have the words. Best regards, ---Cindy S. I am so sorry Sheelagh. The feeling I call it like a person be raped the feeling of helplessness, the feeling of deception, the feeling of violation. I know I would be using a large burlap bag, a phonebook and a lead pipe no evidence no trace no bruises that person would be praying to what ever god they believed in by the time I was done. Let them feel what you felt that would be one heck of a lesson > Words fail me.... > Last night I went outside to call Ringo in & when there was no [quoted text clipped - 93 lines] > > Sheelagh > I am so sorry Sheelagh. The feeling I call it like a person be raped the > feeling of helplessness, the feeling of deception, the feeling of > violation. You're actually comparing someone's rape experience to that of a pet getting popped a few times with a BB gun?? You're f.cking sick, dude. You're ALL sick in the f.cking head. To actually place a here-today, gone-tomorrow animal right up there with a f.cking person... Wow. You must not think too highly of yourselves. That's what I think the matter is with each and every sympathetic poster that I've read here today. There must be a psychiatric definition that covers people like you (terminal poor self-esteem, perhaps?). 20 years ago, they would have locked you all away. But today, the loons run the asylum. There's more of you than there is normal folks. Consequently, things like obsessive flirtations into the cult of 'animal rights activism', or the sub-human evils of things like homosexuality and gay 'marriage' reflect your own brand of personal madness. And right behind that, we have the media who looks upon you as normal. But you're not. A woman being RAPED has nothing to compare it to. And I'll bet that there are women right in here that can back me up. But they won't because they're ashamed. What you said only goes to prove that you've never had to live thru that kind of experience. But what the hell good would it do if you had? You'd probably just like it. YOU are a nut-job. An obsessive compulsive kook. Get help. But try to find a shrink who votes republican. If there is such an animal. If you indeed do find one, I'm SURE that he will become here-today, gone- tomorrow real quick. IBen Getiner > I am so sorry Sheelagh. The feeling I call it like a person be raped the > feeling of helplessness, the feeling of deception, the feeling of [quoted text clipped - 104 lines] > > - Show quoted text - You're actually comparing someone's rape experience to that of a pet getting popped a few times with a BB gun?? You're f.cking sick, dude. You're ALL sick in the f.cking head. To actually place a here-today, gone-tomorrow animal right up there with a f.cking person... Wow. You must not think too highly of yourselves. That's what I think the matter is with each and every sympathetic poster that I've read here today. There must be a psychiatric definition that covers people like you (terminal poor self-esteem, perhaps?). 20 years ago, they would have locked you all away. But today, the loons run the asylum. There's more of you than there is normal folks. Consequently, things like obsessive flirtations into the cult of 'animal rights activism', or the sub-human evils of things like homosexuality and gay 'marriage' reflect your own brand of personal madness. And right behind that, we have the media who looks upon you as normal. But you're not. A woman being RAPED has nothing to compare it to. And I'll bet that there are women right in here that can back me up. But they won't because they're ashamed. What you said only goes to prove that you've never had to live thru that kind of experience. But what the hell good would it do if you had? You'd probably just like it. YOU are a nut-job. An obsessive compulsive kook. Get help. But try to find a shrink who votes republican. If there is such an animal. If you indeed do find one, I'm SURE that he will become the here-today, gone- tomorrow kind real quick. IBen Getiner >YOU are a nut-job. An obsessive compulsive kook. -------- No, you are a nut job, and an obsessive compulsive kook, and a racist idiot who is posting to a newsgroup where he's not wanted. It's people like you who make the world an ugly place. People who feel no sympathy for animals generally feel even less sympathy for human beings. The feline newsgroup is a group for people who love cats and want to talk about cat health and behavior in peace. If you find this offensive, then stick to reading and posting to your usual hate-mongering newsgroups. It is because of people like you that moderated newsgroups are created. You are a worthless, heartless excuse for human being who is desperately in need of psychiatric care. I suggest you get some. Best regards, ---Cindy S. Cindy don't even bother with him. He has been doing this for years. Just kill file him move one. He is an attention junkie and he gets it every time someone responds to him. > >YOU are a nut-job. An obsessive compulsive kook. > -------- [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > Best regards, > ---Cindy S. > Cindy don't even bother with him. He has been doing this for years. > Just kill file him move one. > He is an attention junkie and he gets it every time someone responds to > him. ------- Yes. I know he's a troll. He does this on a variety of newsgroups. Best regards, ---Cindy S. >> >YOU are a nut-job. An obsessive compulsive kook. >> -------- [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] >> Best regards, >> ---Cindy S. > >YOU are a nut-job. An obsessive compulsive kook. > -------- > No, you are a nut job, and an obsessive compulsive kook, and a racist idiot Oh really...? How so, Cindy Z.? > who is posting to a newsgroup where he's not wanted. LOL...!! Like, do you think for one f.cking second that I give a rat'z azz about what people like YOU think of me...?! LOL....!! I'm here. I like it. And there's absolutely, positively, unequivocally NOTHING WHATSOEVER that you can do about it. Killfiling me included. I know the drill, shrew. And I NEVER give op. Or in.. > It's people like you > who make the world an ugly place. Only for dreamers like you, Cindy Z. Only for dreamers like you.... > People who feel no sympathy for animals > generally feel even less sympathy for human beings. Who said that the people who shot Ringo here don't have sympathy for animals? The just got plenty tired of being sh.t on. That's all. And I'll just bet that they probably thought they'd send shee-whoever a little message. See... that's the problem with liberal nut-cases like you... You don't understand that there is a LIMIT to what you can get away when dealing with others. That's because your poor drunk old mommy and your weak, inept 98lb step-daddy never taught you right from wrong. They taught you that the f.cking world is your oyster and you can have at it all you please, with no regards to anyone else. They taught you that the rest of the human race is here on the planet with YOU, instead of you being on it with US. Selfish twat. There is a limit on your f.cking 'freedoms'. Deal with it, because the rest of the world don't like you very much. Your own f.cking kind would rather live next door to someone like me that to be saddled with having to deal with inconsiderate azzholes like you day-in and day-out. > The feline newsgroup is > a group for people who love cats and want to talk about cat health and > behavior in peace. Me too. What behavior is offensive to you? I merely post my opinions. If you choose to challenge my feelings, please don't count on me to roll over and play dead. Because it ain't gonna happen. Dig...? > If you find this offensive, then stick to reading and > posting to your usual hate-mongering newsgroups. If you find the posting style and content of others here to be offensive, the please don't read OR respond to the ones you don't like. But everyone has a right to their opinion on any one of the subjects posted here. Almost all of my postings center around cats in one way or the other. So if you DON'T LIKE IT, then you know what you can do...! > It is because of people > like you that moderated newsgroups are created. Yes... And they're not very popular either. ....'Let us control content and censor the minds and words of others'! Real f.cking healthy! Like who the hell are YOU to stifle my opinion? Nobody, that's who. That's why you're pissing in the f.cking wind. > You are a worthless, > heartless excuse for human being who is desperately in need of psychiatric > care. I suggest you get some. > Best regards, > ---Cindy S. I have a cat. He is a healthy boy. He is a happy boy. He loves me. I love him. If I allowed him to roam at-will, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if he didn't come to his little food bowl that nite. Why not bring a tom inside if he tends to wander and cause trouble? Because you and people like you DON'T GIVE A sh.t about the feelings and rights of others. Just like you don't care about my rights when it comes to even participating in this group. I know my ideas are sound and good. Because I have been quite successful with them in the real world. Therefore, I feel that I have a fairly good handle on reality. I doubt I can say the same for you. Sociopathic lunatic... that's all you and the rest who think like you are. You might want to write this in reverse on your f.cking forehead so you will be reminded when you stand in front of the mirror each morning... just so you won't forget... Get the f.ck outta my way 'cause IBen Getiner's coming thru... IBen Getiner > That's good looking out Matthew, if only people felt more like you do. > > IBen Getiner Well that's a nice change of heart Iben >> That's good looking out Matthew, if only people felt more like you do. >> >> IBen Getiner > > Well that's a nice change of heart Iben Thankfully though I have him blocked I scares the hell out of me that he agrees with me. Time to call my shrink > >> That's good looking out Matthew, if only people felt more like you do. > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Thankfully though I have him blocked I scares the hell out of me that he > agrees with me. Time to call my shrink LOL, Too True Matthew... I refuse to give him what he is looking for either. Once upon a few weeks ago, I would have felt insenced & outraged, but more recently, I see him for what he is- just like my boys were when they were 2year olds, screaming @ the top of their lungs, trying to get their own way. We used to have a speacial name for it too. It was called the DYING FLY, simply because they looked like one...lying their on their backs with all four legs scrambling & a constant buzzz coming from their lungs till the end. Meet you @ the shrinks... S;o) >> >> That's good looking out Matthew, if only people felt more like you do. >> [quoted text clipped - 19 lines] > Meet you @ the shrinks... > S;o) I bring the doughnuts Krispy Kreme of course you bring the coffee :-) > >> "Barry" <brrypr...@yahoo.com> wrote in message > [quoted text clipped - 27 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Goes without saying, of course! S;o) > > "Barry" <brrypr...@yahoo.com> wrote in message > [quoted text clipped - 23 lines] > Meet you @ the shrinks... > S;o) LOL...!! And spoken with such passion and conviction, too... IBen Getiner > THEY SHOULD BE MADE ILLEGAL...!!!!! > Sorry, but I feel so ANGRY All you have to do is keep him in. > > THEY SHOULD BE MADE ILLEGAL...!!!!! > > Sorry, but I feel so ANGRY > > All you have to do is keep him in. I know that you are right Cyber... I do normally keep him in, but he had been crying to go out, & I gave in to him. (have no excuses to hand out, because you are right) Normally, he only sits in the back garden under the tree, but for some reason yesterday he decided to wonder into the meadow... I can't help likening it to a child being shot though. Both defenseless & never asked for it to be done to them. However, it is only an instance... I am aware that it is my own fault, & I don't feel very pleased or proud of myself either :( S. on Fri, 23 Mar 2007 17:12:10 GMT, "sheelagh" > I do normally keep him in, but he had been crying to go out, & I gave > in to him. > (have no excuses to hand out, because you are right) Sheelagh, don't blame yourself. Things are different in England and it's customary for cats to be indoor/outdoor. However, in light of what has happened to Ringo, I think you should start keeping them all in. Perhaps you can build a large outdoor cat run for them. At any rate, don't feel guilty. There's absolutely nothing to be accomplished with that. With all the emotional turmoil you've endured recently, staying centered is going to be tough. Take care of Ringo, but don't forget to take care of yourself, too! SignatureLynne >> > THEY SHOULD BE MADE ILLEGAL...!!!!! >> > Sorry, but I feel so ANGRY [quoted text clipped - 15 lines] > of myself either :( > S. Purrs for a complete recovery. I hope the police are able to confiscate the gun so it won't happen to other animals. Best wishes. MLB > I hope the police are able to confiscate > the gun so it won't happen to other animals. I wish they would also realize that youth who torture animals often grow up to be psychopaths. They should toss the little brats into a mental ward, for everyone's sake. SignatureLynne > > I hope the police are able to confiscate > > the gun so it won't happen to other animals. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > -- > Lynne i agree, although a little bit of corporal punishment, a god beating or something, should be dished out first before they get incarcerated for life. any news on how ringo is doing sheelagh? have you been hanging out in the meadow to catch the little sods? after i read you first post i just squeezed my 2 furballs so tightly (much disgruntled moaning from them for that, very undignified you see), i couldn't bear it if anything happened to them. bookie Sheelagh, I'm so sorry. It's just horrible--how someone can do that to a friendly, defenseless animal is beyond me. You are probably right about the slap on the wrist, even if the person is caught. This just makes me so furious. I hope there's a special place in hell for these people. I really hope Ringo comes through this okay. I'm glad you have a 24 hour vet hospital close by. You've just been through too much with your cats lately. I was thinking about you last night and wondering how Tiggy and the rest of your kitties are doing and then to hear about Ringo. Sending healing thoughts and purrs your way, Bonnie > Words fail me.... > Last night I went outside to call Ringo in & when there was no [quoted text clipped - 93 lines] > > Sheelagh > Sheelagh, > > I'm so sorry. It's just horrible--how someone can do that to a friendly, > defenseless animal is beyond me. You are probably right about the slap on > the wrist, even if the person is caught. This just makes me so furious. I > hope there's a special place in hell for these people. Thanks Bonnie. Cyber is right <sigh> I do blame myself for it happening to him, but I am still outraged that anyone would do this to the sweetest friendliest cat on the block. I also hope that there is a special place in hell for them as well. It seems really wrong that they get away with it. You hardly ever hear of anyone getting as far as court when things like this happen.. > I really hope Ringo comes through this okay. I'm glad you have a 24 hour > vet hospital close by. You've just been through too much with your cats > lately. I was thinking about you last night and wondering how Tiggy and the > rest of your kitties are doing and then to hear about Ringo. > > Sending healing thoughts and purrs your way, Thanks for the soothing purrs, I will pass them on to him shortly So are we. Just a few short weeks ago, we would have taken him to the previous vet, who had no 24 hour care. Thank goodness that we did move them over! Your right, I seem to have spent a hell of a lot of time @ the vets recently, but then again I wouldn't have it any other way. At least I feel that I can trust this surgery & I do have full confidence in them too. Tiggy came home yesterday afternoon with a horrible bill, that they have kindly allowed me to pay in three instalments ... ( you have no idea how embarrassing it was having to ask if that was possible) <blush!!> Tiggy is soo much better now;o) We have given over the extension to her so that she has her own personal space away from all of the other cats, with her own bowl, feeding trough & litter too... She still looks a little delicate, but that should pass soon hopefully. We were given pain meds for the 1st time ever too. I was shocked when I saw everyone posting re: pain meds, because we have NEVER been offered any for the other cats before Tiggy's op. I was shocked!! Tigs is eating normally, drinking fine & she is ever so easy to give meds to, so we have no problems there either. she looks ever so odd where they have shaved her though.. A bit like Sylvester out of tweety pie and Sylvester, lol... Got to go and do mum's taxi service for the kids for couple of hours, then pop over to see hi to himagain for a while before picking them up again. Seems pointless coming home, only to turn round and go back again S. - on Fri, 23 Mar 2007 17:36:21 GMT, "sheelagh" > It > seems really wrong that they get away with it. You hardly ever hear of > anyone getting as far as court when things like this happen.. We are seeing a turn to that tide here in the US. I hear more and more of stiff punishments for people who abuse animals. I hope England will come along on that front, too. Poor Ringo... this is so heartbreaking. SignatureLynne > on Fri, 23 Mar 2007 17:36:21 GMT, "sheelagh" > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > -- > Lynne Wow, I never realised that so many people would respond. I would love to answer each post individually, but that would take me the rest of the day at the rate that I type. so, what I will do is tell the you the latest news that we have & take a snatch of postings out of here & there of particular postings that stood out too. Ringo had a fair night, but his blood count is looking a bit miserable, & they are fairly worride about a post op infection, sited around his left eye. They tried to explain what they meant, but it is all too much to take in at the moment. They gave me a slip of paper that has some names and figure on it, but I can't make head nor tail of it. All I wanted to know, was the bottom line, & apparently that means that they suspect that he has a post op infection around the site of his left eye, which might or might not mean that he has to go back to theater to have his left eye removed. It makes me sick to even think about it;o( They tried to explain that his white count level has risen since yesterday & that they are now treating him with a second antibiotic that is more specific to the bug that he has. His level rose from 5600 pre op, to 9000 today They mentioned names like RBC, Hb, Hcv & PVC, WBC,Granlocytes, Neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils, nongranulocytes, limphocytes, & monocytes. Also, Htc MPV, & thrombocytes. I don't have a clue what they are, but they tell me that it won't take very long to find out what will happen, because he is receiving the drug intravenously (& hydration fluids too), so they will know whether or not they are working quite shortly. If not, then he goes back to theater, as I have already signed the consent forms in case they do need to it tonight. I honestly feel physically ill even considering it... We have just had a visit from both the police and the RSPCA. The police arrived first to take a statement from Ross (because he is just under 16, we have to be with him whilst he gives a statement to them) The police told us that they were also going to see another family who's house back onto the meadow, because they believe that they saw the lads involved & heard the pellet gun being fired too. We are hoping that they will be able to help the police to catch these sick individuals. And the police think they have a fair idea of who it might be too. ( I hope so!!) The police had already been to the surgery to pick up the pellets from them, so that if they can catch them, they will be able to match the pellets to the gun..It sounds like a murder case..I had no idea that they could match pellets to the gun that shot them, but they can, so I hope they do!! In total there were 5 separate cats shot in our village yesterday. I was hoping to find it on the police site to show you all, but they haven't put it on line yet, but when they do, I will post the link to our incident. This is one other incident that happened yesterday, which goes to show that it is not an isolated incident, but one of many done by base born animals. Our cats have more brain power than they do... We have spoken to a couple of the families affected in the same way as we were, & one of them has lost their beloved cat, because one of the *FIVE* pellets penetrated her heart & she was found dead. I really do feel for them. She was an only cat too, which must have made it all the harder to bare. the other family got away fairly lightly with only one pellet penetrating his hind right leg... I can't help but wonder how many of the strays were shot http://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/news/1761.html > i am so angry too, whoever it was who did needs to have the living > crap beaten out of them and fast. It may have been kids 'playing' in [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > parents have obviously not bothered to teach them that kind of > behaviour is utterly wrong. Bookie I have a feeling that is exactly what will happen if the lads find out who it was. Our boys are incensed by what has happened to Ringo. (they are nearly 13, nearly 16 & nearly 18) They might give off the notion that they couldn't care less about the cats, but we all know that Ringo is Ross's buddy... they eat together, sleep together, & they purr together too. He shares tummy tickles with Ross & he is devoted to his slave. It is a very mutual relationship they have. Last night, Ross was baying for blood. I have never seen him so angry as I did then. If I had allowed him out, I know that he would have gone searching & not been content until he found the right person to wrap his baseball bat around their head, which doesn't help,. because he would end up in more trouble than the moron who precipitated the incidents but then i would not wait about for them to do > anything, I would just start hanging out in the meadow myself with a > large cricket bat and a few big mates and dish out some justice of my > own, my anger would not allow me to stay away. That is exactly what they have done. Between about 5 lads, they have been swapping shifts to see if anyone remotely similar or suspicious turns up.. but this is a small village, & word gets round fairly fast, & I would imagine the sick idiot has covered up his BB gun for another day. I am hoping that the family who back up on the meadow might have something to add to the pot in this instance. I am more than certain that if they do find out who it is, they will be waiting for him down a nice dark alleyway, however long it takes. Time means nothing to them. If they have to wait, they will- I can't say that I condone it, but I will do nothing to stop them either! Sheelagh, don't blame yourself. Things are different in England and it's customary for cats to be indoor/outdoor. However, in light of what has happened to Ringo, I think you should start keeping them all in. Perhaps you can build a large outdoor cat run for them. Lynne. I think you are right there. It is my fault that I let him out, but, as there is nothing I can gain out of guilt, I will do something practical about it instead. We are thinking of getting a company that we have considered before, to put some anti cat escaping mesh around the garden. It is put on the top of your existing fence @ a 45degree angle so that non e of the cats can get out of the garden. That way they get the chance to be as free as I can allow them to be without getting hurt by anything like this ever again.. I went through this last July with HRFL Tiger and Miss Lily Whiskers. In the space of about 2 days approximately 14 cats were shot with a BB gun in the area I live. The RSPCA fortunately nailed the b*stard who did it with the police because someone had seen him do it, and all he got was community service and a slap on the wrist. Then my brother caught up with the perp. Miss Lily Whiskers is his cat. Helen I am so glad that you puss cat was fine after recovery I have every confidence that even if the perpetrators are not caught by law or the RSPCA, that they will certainly get caught by the lads instead. People like these idiots tend to boast about the things they get away with, but in this instance, they will never suspect what is coming...They have never done anything like this before, but having said that, they will never forget this & allow anyone to get away with it either.. We want to thank all of you for the soothing purrs & words of sympathy too. We have conveyed them to "O fat one", as he is affectionately called from time to time, & I will post more news as we get it. It is good to know that he is in the best hands possible, & that we can call night or day & get an update on how everything is going. They call us too if there is any news that we should know as well, which is wonderful after some of our recent experiences. We are optimistic regarding Ringo, but feel terrible that he might loose the sight in one eye. I will find this one very hard to forgive indeed More news as we get it.... S;o) Oh I do hope Ringo is okay--maybe the second antibiotic will do the trick. It's good he's where he can be monitored closely. The WBC's are white blood cells and they increase with bacterial infections. Neutrophils are a type of WBC's and typically are the type of WBC that is elevated with a bacterial infection. Eosinophils, lymphocytes,, monocytes and basophils are other types of WBC's. The RBC's are red blood cells, HCT is the hematocrit--it's the volume of red blood cells in blood (also called packed cell volume or PCV). HGB is hemoglobin, If these values are low among other things it could indicate anemia. Thrombocytes are platelets which aid in clotting. An infection can throw many of these values off. More than you cared to know, I'm sure! It sounds like the police are taking this fairly seriously if they are asking for pellets--I hope there are really serious consequences for these crimes. It is so sad that at least one of the cats died. If they catch the kid(s) involved I wonder if there is anyway to get compensation for your vet bills, either from the parents who should be legally liable for any damage their kids cause or make the kid work (what a concept) to pay you back. Not that it would make it better but at least you wouldn't be stuck with the considerable cost. My heart goes out to you and your family, especially Ross. The cat fencing sounds like a great idea--I've never tried it but I have heard other people who really liked it. Take care, Bonnie > Oh I do hope Ringo is okay--maybe the second antibiotic will do the trick. > It's good he's where he can be monitored closely. The WBC's are white blood [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > An infection can throw many of these values off. More than you cared to > know, I'm sure Thank you Bonnie, I do appreciate your explanation, & having you explained it on here allows me the time to write it all down, until it is fixed in my mind, or I can refer back to when they are trying to explain what they are doing with him. & the regular bloods and gas's too, which they seem to do quite regularly for him... Our latest report is that the infection is starting to respond with the heavy cocktail of antibiotics that they are giving him intravenously. His last count showed that his WBC has gone down this time to 7500. It isn't a huge jump, but it is certainly in the right direction. And, having some faith in your Vet makes a huge difference too. He takes the time to explain anything that you want to know, or you don't understand. He did offer to try and explain what the letters meant, but to be perfectly honest, I just couldn't @t swallow it all @ the time, so I just asked him to give me a print out, so that I could look @ it later.. so not his fault, more mine when you look at it. It was gobbledy goop @ the time, & all I wanted to know was what the bottom line was. It is the vets opinion that Ringo has probably lost the sight in the left eye already, so loosing the eye would simply be unsightly, rather than a great loss of vision. It still makes me sick to think that there is a maniac out there, trying to cover his tracks > It sounds like the police are taking this fairly seriously if they are > asking for pellets--I hope there are really serious consequences for these > crimes. I agree. I have always thought in the past that they don't seem to take this sort of offense seriously enough. But if they have already been to the surgery to collect the pellets, then they obviously mean business. Perhaps if it had only been just Ringo, then they would have let it go...However, with 5 separate incidences, I don't think they can ignore it, or call it a domestic as they used to a few years back.... It is so sad that at least one of the cats died. If they catch the > kid(s) involved I wonder if there is anyway to get compensation for your vet > bills, either from the parents who should be legally liable for any damage > their kids cause or make the kid work (what a concept) to pay you back. Not > that it would make it better but at least you wouldn't be stuck with the > considerable cost. My heart goes out to you and your family, especially > Ross. Same here. re:Ross.. he is livid, tearful(most unusual!!) devastated & has accompanied me on every single visit we have made to go & see him so far too. He is gutted too. He told me that he simply couldn't sleep last night, because his furry hot water bottle wasn't there to share his pillow with... Tilly, the youngest one is also broken hearted too... And I feel even more for the family that lost their cat altogether. It must feel so terribly empty for them.... Poor family!! We have been down to see him this evening, & he was slightly more alert than yesterday ,or even this morning.. mind you he was sedated, to try & keep him still & allow the stitches to heal. I was told that they were going to fit him with of one of those lampshade collars tomorrow, so that he can't nibble away on those stitches when he gets out of the Big Boy's room..( a very possitive remark there ;o) I very much hope that they will make the parents pay for @ least a portion of the vets bill. If they are under 16, I might as well forget it, unless we happen to get a remorse filled parent (highly improbable though.) "Life sucks, then you die", someone once told me..I am beginning to think they saw my future there..? I am a bit worride about the money, but then again, I don't begrudge a penny of it I asked earlier today for them to give me a rough estimate of what the bill will be, & the answer I got is, "how long is a a bit of sting"!! - but as a rough guide, they think around the £500 mark ($1000)... (OUCH!). I do have a bit of help from the PDSA, which is a charity that helps out people such as myself,& also a bit of a hand from the RSPCA too..Any help is better than no help at all... > The cat fencing sounds like a great idea--I've never tried it but I have > heard other people who really liked it. > > Take care, > > Bonnie I think that as long as I can find some testimonials to make sure that it does indeed work, then it is worth investing in. I do have cat pens, but it is not the same as being able to open the patio doors, so that we get some fresh air in the summer, & allow the cats out there, to roam the garden if they would like to.. (What am I talking about..? I already know that they would LOVE TO!!) It also gives me peace of mind & cuts out the trips to the meadow too. I always believed that to be one of the safest place to allow them off their harnesses & let them roam for a while under supervision.. I will never trust the place again though.. I can't help thinking that the idiot must live quite nearby because most of the cats that have been shot, were off the same estate; all of them Barr one!! We have been throufh a really rough time with the cats, but I guess the more that you have, the greater the chance that something will go wrong. I just never epected it all kick off @ the same time, or even one after another.... It has to be safer to keep him in the garden & home too~ Cyber was right, I should never allowed him out at all... He hates the pens, so we have to find another answer quite fast... I also don't even like to think what would have happened to him if he hadn't knocked on the door at Xmas.. no one wouold have missed him & these sh*t He*ds would have got another way cat.. It makes me sick to think about it.. More as we hear it BTW, S;o) Our latest report is that the infection is starting to respond with the heavy cocktail of antibiotics that they are giving him intravenously. His last count showed that his WBC has gone down this time to 7500. It isn't a huge jump, but it is certainly in the right direction. And, having some faith in your Vet makes a huge difference too. He takes the time to explain anything that you want to know, or you don't understand. He did offer to try and explain what the letters meant, but to be perfectly honest, I just couldn't @t swallow it all @ the time, so I just asked him to give me a print out, so that I could look @ it later.. so not his fault, more mine when you look at it. It was gobbledy goop @ the time, & all I wanted to know was what the bottom line was. It is the vets opinion that Ringo has probably lost the sight in the left eye already, so loosing the eye would simply be unsightly, rather than a great loss of vision. It still makes me sick to think that there is a maniac out there, trying to cover his tracks ---------- Sheelagh, I couldn't sleep all night. I am grateful that Ringo is going to survive, and I feel enraged that he will have lost sight in his left eye because of these animals. Who gave these animals the right to go out and harm a poor helpless creature, especially one as sweet and loving and trusting as Ringo? I have been crying on and off all day. I told my husband that if I had a BB gun and the animals who did this were standing in front of me, I wouldn't hesitate to shoot them, right in the leg and the face as they did to poor Ringo. I hope your sons find the guys who did it and beat the cr*p out of them. I am glad to hear that Ringo is responding to the antibiotics, and I'm sending along purrs and good wishes for his continued recovery. Best regards, ---Cindy S. > Sheelagh, I couldn't sleep all night. I am grateful that Ringo is going to > survive, and I feel enraged that he will have lost sight in his left eye [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > Best regards, > ---Cindy S .My son Ross, & I have just returned from seeing Ringo again & we have even more good news to share. Ringo is responding very well to treatment, & his white count has gone down to 6000. He has been removed from the drip that was re hydrating him & he found time to have some breakfast this morning too;o) Ross is delighted!! He is now on oral antibiotics and he has tolerated them for the last 12 hours, so they have removed him from the care room, & now he is in the Big Boy's room. I can't tell you how delighted we are & how privileged & lucky we feel too. It could have gone the wrong way as we feared & had to go back to surgery, but he has responded to treatment so well that we are now looking at a go home date , rather than a further surgery day, which is fantastic. Eating drinking and fairly stable, what more could we ask for... (apart from the names of the imbeciles that did it to him of course!!) In my heart I can't help feeling a little guilty though, for the family who lost their cat, Wizard. I know that there is nothing that I could have done to change it for the family, but feeling on such a high feels wrong when I think of them... They called to see us this morning to talk about their cat & where he was found dead, only about 800 yards away from Ringo, just out of the meadow. I don't like to mention it just yet, but after talking to the others, we were thinking of offering one of Tiggy's kittens when they are old enough, if they would like one of course. Another issue is money. We need a certain amount to be able to cover the vet bills, because even though we are new to the paractise, they have never refused treatment to any of our cats when we needed it. The kittens will just about cover the bills, with one kitten to spare, so I will ask them nearer the time, if they would like to look at them (BTW, they are doing fine;o) The other piece of good news (we hope...), is that the village Bobby turned up this morning as well (our local village police officer), to let us know that they have a couple of names that have been put forward. We were rather hoping that he might divulge them with us, but he can't of course. However, he did say that "when" *they* were charged with this crime, that he would pull the whole weight of the law to bear down on them. His exact words were, "this is one of the worst cases of blatant abuse of an under age in charge of an offensive weapon".. so it does sound like it was children out with a BB gun as we first suspected. I was wondering if Bookie can guide me with the law on this one? She is ever so good with things like Bi laws & suchlike.... All of the kids are back to school tomorrow, so I have counciled Ross that even if he does find out exactly who did it, he is to take no action at all against them, however angry he feels. We live in a fairly small community, so the truth always gets out in the end. If Ross really wants to see justice done, then he must allow the law to take it's course & pray for justice to be seen. If he doesn't get the answer he is looking for, then he look for an alternative way to find it. Ross has decided that he is going to be the one that take this case to court. Because of new laws in the UK, he can do so, & Ringo is his cat. I have agreed to support him all the way too. This incident has broken his heart, & he isn't really a child to normally show his emotions.. but he couldn't take in why this happened to Ringo &he has cried till he is empty inside. The news of Ringo today has definately helped him, as well as the cuddles & nose buts & neck tickles too. Ringo is one hell of a cat to come through this & we feel proud to say that he owns us... S;o) PS: Thank you all for your support too Happy dances all over the house!! Hopefully you'll have your entire herd back at home very soon! Is Ringo still on pain meds? Several years ago we were taking care of a semi-feral kitty with a previously damaged eye. When the vets spayed her they removed her eye as well (because she was squinting all the time and they felt she was in pain). She was sent home with us with pain meds for several days--I think it (the pain meds) sped up her healing. Is Tiggy home yet? I hope you didn't have two of them hospitalized at the same time. Wishing all of you a speedy recovery, physical and emotional as well! Bonnie > .My son Ross, & I have just returned from seeing Ringo again & we have > even more good news to share. Ringo is responding very well to [quoted text clipped - 68 lines] > S;o) > PS: Thank you all for your support too on Sun, 25 Mar 2007 17:11:01 GMT, "sheelagh" > Ringo is one hell of a cat to come through this & we feel proud to say > that he owns us... Sheelagh, I am SO relieved that Ringo is improving--relieved for him and for all of your family. Thank you so much for taking the time to let us know how he and all of you are faring. I hope the police find the little bastards who did this and make their parents pay some hefty fines (at a minimum). I'm glad you have discouraged your son from retaliating. It would be a horrible tragedy if his future is negatively effected by all of this, and beating the snot out of someone (well, getting caught...) could certainly be a problem for him. As satisfying as it would be to wrap a bat around someone's face for this, it's not worth the repurcussions. And in the end, it wouldn't help you or Ross even if he did get away with it. Take the high road, and be better than these cretins. I'm continuing to send healing thoughts Ringo's way and look forward to hearing about his complete recovery. I think you will be surprised at how fast he will adapt to the loss of vision in one eye, once he's clear of the infection, out of pain and back at his home-sweet-home. SignatureLynne > on Sun, 25 Mar 2007 17:11:01 GMT, "sheelagh" > > > Ringo is one hell of a cat to come through this & we feel proud to say > > that he owns us... > Sheelagh, I am SO relieved that Ringo is improving--relieved for him and > for all of your family. Thank you so much for taking the time to let us > know how he and all of you are faring. We are fine now that we know that he is going to make it through this one. Our ultimate nightmare was that he might not make it after speaking to the family that lost their cat. And no problems posting, it is nice to have someone to share it with when you are awake @ 4am because you can't sleep for worry about him,.. So thanks to all of you too. You have all been a wonderful support to us... > I hope the police find the little bastards who did this and make their > parents pay some hefty fines (at a minimum). I'm glad you have [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > help you or Ross even if he did get away with it. Take the high road, > and be better than these cretins. That was my thought too regarding it affecting Ross's future. He has managed to keep a clean record until now, so it would be a shame to tarnish it now, however much anger he feels about it all. When you bare in mind that he has a job to go straight into the day he leaves school if he wants it, then it would be a shame to throw that chance away just because he has a criminal record! He tells that it is not fair, but my answer to that one is life is not fair!! I have no doubt at all in my mind that what comes around will also go around.. their comeuppance will come to them I have every intention of taking the little cretins for every single penny that it has cost us, in money as well as emotional stress too > I'm continuing to send healing thoughts Ringo's way and look forward to > hearing about his complete recovery. I think you will be surprised at > how fast he will adapt to the loss of vision in one eye, once he's clear > of the infection, out of pain and back at his home-sweet-home. We saw his face for the first time today, because we arrived whilst they were changing his dressing. Initially, they left the wound open but stitched. However, when it started to weep, they had to cover it with a special dressing that works one way; the seepage turns into gel, & the wound remains dry & allows the air to circulate under it too... I have to admit that we were quite shocked, because he is not only shaved there, but it is still swollen as well. I thought it looked big, but assumed it was the bandaging...It never occurred to me that it was the swelling! The wound has nearly stopped weeping now & with any luck bandages might come off tomorrow altogether. I am sure that he will manage fine without the eye. He won't be allowed near any more possible dangers ever again. It has been an expensive lesson, but a well learnt one too. He is still taking oral antibiotics, Is not even remotely impressed with the collar that stops him nibbling under his leg that is still splinted.. Today he was allowed out of his pen & we were allowed to give him proper tummy tickles & loves. it was wonderful & made me smile like the Cheshire cat out of Alice in wonderland... > -- > Lynne On 25 Mar, 19:06, "22brix" <spamdav...@pacific.net> wrote: > Happy dances all over the house!! Hopefully you'll have your entire herd > back at home very soon! Yes, we hope so too Is Ringo still on pain meds? ?Yes he is, & I understand that he will come home on them too.. Several years ago we > were taking care of a semi-feral kitty with a previously damaged eye. When > the vets spayed her they removed her eye as well (because she was squinting > all the time and they felt she was in pain). She was sent home with us with > pain meds for several days--I think it (the pain meds) sped up her healing. Yes, we hope so too, & It will be nice not having to visit to two separate places every day as well. We have the kittens a few miles away & Ringo in the nearest market town around 10 miles away. > Is Tiggy home yet? I hope you didn't have two of them hospitalized at the > same time. Thankfully no. Tiggy came home the day after Pyometra op on pain meds too. She has the entire new extension on the side of the house to herself, including food, her own bathroom facilities & &our bed to sleep on too. She uses the bedside table to jump on, then from there, she gets to the bed. All we are waiting for now, are the kittens. I don't think it would be a good idea to bring them home just yet, if at all. I worry that something might happen to them after that terrible Fcv outbreak we had..I miss them, but I have to what is best for the kittens, rather than what I would like to do... I do get to see them quite often, but it is not the same as having them at home. we are starting to see what colours we have now. I am off to see them in an hour or so She seems fine now, but looks like she needs a few extra calories on her waistline. I am giving her kitten food dry & chunks too, some occasional fresh minced beef & cimmi cat milk kitty formula, to try and pack some weight back on her > Wishing all of you a speedy recovery, physical and emotional as well! Thank you very much indeed;o) > Bonnie Thanks from us all too S;o) on Mon, 26 Mar 2007 15:43:05 GMT, "sheelagh" > Today he was allowed out of his pen & we were allowed to give him > proper tummy tickles & loves. it was wonderful & made me smile like > the Cheshire cat out of Alice in wonderland... This is such wonderful news, Sheelagh!! Please give Ringo some tickles from across the pond. <3 SignatureLynne Sheelagh, I haven't been posting so often now, but I have been checking the newsgroup several times a day looking for updates. I am so glad to hear that Ringo is coming along so well, and I was thinking about Tiggy as well today. You must have been reading my mind. Hopefully, everything will be smooth sailing from now on (and those creeps who shot Ringo will be made to pay). Please keep updating us as often as you can. Best regards, ---Cindy S. >> on Sun, 25 Mar 2007 17:11:01 GMT, "sheelagh" >> [quoted text clipped - 123 lines] > Thanks from us all too > S;o) > Sheelagh, I haven't been posting so often now, but I have been checking the > newsgroup several times a day looking for updates. I am so glad to hear that [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > Best regards, > ---Cindy S. Hi Cindy , I'm certain that you will be as pleased as we were to hear that we have a coming home date for Ringo. As long as everything goes according to plan, he will be coming home the day after tomorrow. I can hardly contain my excitement which is rather silly, but true all the same... Ross is delighted, & will be coming with me to collect him. He has been out cleaning cars to make money to buy the staff a treat when we collect him. They really have been good to us & I, think he just wants to demonstrate how grateful he is to them. Unfortunately, no word on catching the cretins, but there is plenty of time yet to catch them.. We will keep you abrest on that on of course! Here is a link to some photos of Tiggy's kittens too by the way. Unfortunately they are not brilliant ones, but they do give you some idea of what they look like though S;o) http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/sheelaghmadden/TiggySKittensAt2WeeksOld/photo#5046 588556134609202 >> Sheelagh, I haven't been posting so often now, but I have been checking >> the [quoted text clipped - 13 lines] > can hardly contain my excitement which is rather silly, but true all > the same... Hurray! Hurray! > Ross is delighted, & will be coming with me to collect him. He has > been out cleaning cars to make money to buy the staff a treat when we > collect him. They really have been good to us & I, think he just wants > to demonstrate how grateful he is to them. That is really nice. > Unfortunately, no word on catching the cretins, but there is plenty of > time yet to catch them.. Yup. Has anyone considered offering a reward? > We will keep you abrest on that on of course! > Here is a link to some photos of Tiggy's kittens too by the way. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/sheelaghmadden/TiggySKittensAt2WeeksOld/photo#5046 588556134609202 They are so adorable I can't stand it. I want one!!!!! Best regards, ----Cindy S. > Hi Cindy , I'm certain that you will be as pleased as we were to hear > that we have a coming home date for Ringo. As long as everything goes > according to plan, he will be coming home the day after tomorrow. I > can hardly contain my excitement which is rather silly, but true all > the same... YIPEE!! > Ross is delighted, & will be coming with me to collect him. He has > been out cleaning cars to make money to buy the staff a treat when we > collect him. They really have been good to us & I, think he just wants > to demonstrate how grateful he is to them. Your son sounds like a really good person. You must be very proud of him. > Unfortunately, no word on catching the cretins, but there is plenty of > time yet to catch them.. That's VERY frustrating. > We will keep you abrest on that on of course! > Here is a link to some photos of Tiggy's kittens too by the way. [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > > http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/sheelaghmadden/TiggySKittensAt2WeeksOld... They are precious!! > > Hi Cindy , I'm certain that you will be as pleased as we were to hear > > that we have a coming home date for Ringo. As long as everything goes [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > YIPEE!! We are delighted:o) I have already popped down to see him today, so that they could show me how to change his dressing & also explain when he has to take his meds. He looks a hell of a lot perkier today. More so than we have seen him since before the incident I believe. His face is still quite swollen, but that will go down in the next few days. I was talking to the vet about the whole incident today & he told me that on average they get at least cases like his every month!! I found that astounding... He was told me that in 60% of the cases, that the police do find out who does this to cats, & in 25% of cases, they are repeat offenders..& they are not all kids either. Some of them are middle aged men who simply get angry with cats crossing their gardens, so they shoot them to stop them interfering with their plants?!! I find that even more shocking!! The main way of catching them is by the pellets that were fired by the gun- they can match them up, which is why the vets preserve them so that the police can use them as evidence to nail them with. It all sounds like something out of a crime book, but he assures me that it is true! You would think that a hose pipe would be enough to get rid of unwanted cats.. Why resort to shooting them..? I know that with my cats, even the sight of the demister is enough to make them scoot.. I find that quite shocking... > > Ross is delighted, & will be coming with me to collect him. He has > > been out cleaning cars to make money to buy the staff a treat when we [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > Your son sounds like a really good person. You must be very proud of > him. I am;o) When I think back to the rage he felt and the tears he cried, I am quite surprised that he didn't go out head panning everybody he met until he did get the right one. He was horrified when he found him, utterly devastated. If this incident has had only one benefit, it is that all of the kids now have a healthy fear of BB guns and know what damage they can do 7 will never ask for one or allow their children to have one either.. Meet Ross below... ROSS & HIS CATS BELOW http://picasaweb.google.co.uk/sheelaghmadden/RossBiffy/photo#5046979516609228786 > > Unfortunately, no word on catching the cretins, but there is plenty of > > time yet to catch them.. > > That's VERY frustrating. I know;( I have no intention of allowing it to slip through the net. As you will see below, Cindy came up with a very good suggestion, so I am going to try the method she suggests, because I have a feeling that this one might work..... > > We will keep you abrest on that on of course! > > Here is a link to some photos of Tiggy's kittens too by the way. [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > They are precious!! > On 27 Mar, 02:32, "cindys" <cste...@rochester.rr.com> wrote: > > Yup. Has anyone considered offering a reward? No, actually, they haven't... Good thinking, I think you might have just suggested the answer to our problem here. We have just been talking about it. I think we can come up with a £200 pound reward, so as soon as I have posted this, we are going to see if the other families affected would like to chip in & make the reward even more alluring, thus get someone who knows about it to snitch on the perpetrators. I honestly can't think of a better way to get the lice to climb out of the woodwork, can you? Thanks very much for the suggestion Cindy, we appreciate it. Now...time to look for a photo of Ringo's best profile, then find one of him the day we found him in the field too. If that isn't enough to pull on the heart strings, nothing will..!! S;o) PS: There is a photo on the other posting of what we think Pinky might look like when she gets a little older. we have 2 little girls & one little boy kittens from Tiggy, & we think that Pinky might be a croos Ragdoll Birman cross kitten (OOPS!) Pinky, Poppy & Paddy are thei8r pet names. their foster Grandmother has named them..I think they are nice names. Now all we have to do is choose the right slaves for them <Gosh it has turned out to be a nice sunny day here> > > > Hi Cindy , I'm certain that you will be as pleased as we were to hear > > > that we have a coming home date for Ringo. As long as everything goes [quoted text clipped - 104 lines] > choose the right slaves for them > <Gosh it has turned out to be a nice sunny day here> Sheelagh, I'm so pleased to see that Ringo is doing well and is going to recover, AND that the new kittens are doing well! I've been distracted for the past few days with my new dog (quite a shock to my two cats, as you might guess!), but I finally came up for air and wanted to see how you and Ringo were doing. I hope the police catch the little rotters that did this, and soon. Lis > > > > Hi Cindy , I'm certain that you will be as pleased as we were to hear > > > > that we have a coming home date for Ringo. As long as everything goes [quoted text clipped - 117 lines] > > - Show quoted text - Hi Lis, How are things going with your feline family now that they have a dog to care for too? I can imagine exactly what it has been like, lol, because we have been through this one. In our case, we were caring for a Rottweiler for my other half's daughter whilst she was in between moving from one house to another one... We had "Tara" for just over 2months, and it took the cats about a week to get over the shock of it all, & to realise that this might be a permanent thing, so they might as well come out and see what they had to deal with @ the time... They were absolute rotters(excuse the pun!), to her. They teased her unmercifully & taunted her no end, by pulling faces at her from the inside of the cat flap, in the thought that they were safe & could get away with it..until the day she got so angry with the pair of them, that she came "Right Through the Back Door" with the cat flap still around her neck & ate the rest of the cat chow that was down @ time...!!!!!! She who must be Obeyed, wasn't even slightly amused.... But, to be fair, it wasn't just the Cat that teased the poor dog, the kids had a hand in it too. One day, I caught Ross,(then only a year old or so), feeding Tara with frozen raw burgers straight out the freezer. Tara didn't mind at all of course, but I wasn't quite so impressed as you can imagine ;o) All part of being a kid and animal slave as they say... ****************************************** Yes, super news regarding Ringo's release. We pick him up just before lunch time tomorrow & Foffy (Ross, he will kill me if he reads this post, lol) & I are going to pick him up together, then Ross will look after him whilst I go and visit the kittens. I am so pleased that life is getting back to relatively normal again. <his nick-name> We have to isolate Ringo for a little while after her gets home, but that is no problem. I think that if Ross had his own way, he would move Ringo to his bedroom & allow him to hang out there, but She who must be obeyed, doesn't like the idea of a cat litter in his bedroom.. so he is getting indoor care @ night in Ross's room , & outdoors during the day as long as the good weather continues.. in the small run. (we have the ok on that one..) Ringo was a stray when we met him, so he loves being out there. In fact he gets quite strop when I won't let him out. I think the only thing that I have decided, is that he will never be allowed outside the confines of the garden again. It is a shame, but I can't allow for that to happen after recent events..it simply isn't worth it. I do blame myself, but having said that I guess some lessons are learnt the hard way. It was just a pity that it was @ Ringo's expense sadly. Cindy came up with a brilliant idea, of offering a reward for information leading to the arrest of the person or people that did this to him. I have had a chat with a couple of the families who were also affected by this spree of BB gun shots on their cats, and they are willing to chip into bumping up the reward, so now all we have to do is run off the reward posters & place them all over the village... Mummy of the kittens, Tiggy, is doing quite well & her foster mummy is doing a magnificent job of looking after them. we owe foster mum Big Time because she really has done all of the work for us. I consider us as very lucky to find such a gentle cat to take care of the kittens for us, & so willingly too... Things really are pulling together @ last Be good to hear your recent news too? Great to hear you around again... S;o) <snip> > > Sheelagh, > [quoted text clipped - 20 lines] > permanent thing, so they might as well come out and see what they had > to deal with @ the time... It's been a shock for them, but already, after only three days, Addy (the dog, a Chinese Crested Powderpuff) is trying to play with the cats, and the cats, while not willing to play, are starting to conclude that Addy's presence is no obstacle to getting petted, cuddled, or, in the case of Aquavit, my Maine Coon, groomed. They're adjusting much faster than I had hoped for, really. > They were absolute rotters(excuse the pun!), to her. They teased her > unmercifully & taunted her no end, by pulling faces at her from the [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > around her neck & ate the rest of the cat chow that was down @ > time...!!!!!! Cats can be little rotters when their turf and privileges are being violated, can't they?:) Fortunately, my two seem to be taking into account the fact that Addy has to go Outside with me--a thing that horrifies them!--so they don't feel she's being let off scot-free for her intrusion. > She who must be Obeyed, wasn't even slightly amused.... > But, to be fair, it wasn't just the Cat that teased the poor dog, the [quoted text clipped - 11 lines] > is getting back to relatively normal again. > <his nick-name> Oh, that's good news. > We have to isolate Ringo for a little while after her gets home, but > that is no problem. I think that if Ross had his own way, he would [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > learnt the hard way. It was just a pity that it was @ Ringo's expense > sadly. In the US, we're much more likely to keep our cats inside--but that's in large part because we have so many more danger. In rural areas, fishers and bobcats can easily take a housecat, and bears and coyotes in some suburban areas--the coyotes can come even into cities. We just have a lot more predators for whom a housecat is anything from a good meal to a tasty snack. You've mostly only got motor vehicles and human sickos to worry about, and who actually THINKS about someone being sick enough to do something like this? Until it happens, I mean? But most cats, with an interesting enough indoor environment, adjust quite well to staying in, even if they've been outdoor cats before, and Ringo's unfortunate experience may curb some of his desire to roam and explore, especially if he has access to a protected outdoor run. > Cindy came up with a brilliant idea, of offering a reward for > information leading to the arrest of the person or people that did [quoted text clipped - 9 lines] > for us. I consider us as very lucky to find such a gentle cat to take > care of the kittens for us, & so willingly too... All good news! > Things really are pulling together @ last > Be good to hear your recent news too? > Great to hear you around again... A couple of months ago I decided I'd been without a dog long enough-- the cats are great, but they won't go for walks with me!:) I started going to dog shows, talking to people with small dogs (small house, no yard, therefore no big dog possible). My choices quickly narrowed down to a miniature poodle or a Chinese Crested (Powderpuff; no hairless dog would be a good walking companion in New England in the winter), and the Chinese Cresteds are just impossible cute and sweet. So I talked to some breeders, and got referred to other people, until I talked to a woman in Rhode Island, who said she didn't have what I was looking for (female, puff, preferably not a young puppy because of my work schedule), but she'd ask other breeders--and then she called me back to tell me to call this breeder in Maine, who was looking to place an eleven-month-old Puff female. She'd been sold as a show dog, and was now 14" high at the shoulder! The horror, the horror! (the standard on Cresteds is 13".) So her original buyer wanted to return her and get a show-quality puppy... So now I have a sweet, affectionate, slightly traumatized little girl, who's nevertheless very eager to please, and wants to make friends with my cats. (Eight months in a home where she card for but not especially loved, shipped air cargo from the south to New England last Wednesday morning, got reaquainted with the home of her puppyhood, then on Sunday afternoon takes two-hour car ride to a new, new home...) She's settling in nicely, though she still has to learn her new schedule and that I can, indeed, be trusted to come home at the end of the work day. Lis > I very much hope that they will make the parents pay for @ least a > portion of the vets bill. If they are under 16, I might as well forget [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > I am a bit worride about the money, but then again, I don't begrudge a > penny of it so when you do find out who it is and 'if' you get no compensation sue the c.nts, small claims court or something, you shoudl not have to foot the bill for their acts of violence. there is a victim compensation fund for things such as assault and suchlike, talk to the police about it, DO NOT THIS ONE SLIP, make sure someone else pays for this, why the hell shoudl you have to pay as you are hard up as it is, make these vicious c.nts pay for the vets bills little sh.ts >> I very much hope that they will make the parents pay for @ least a >> portion of the vets bill. If they are under 16, I might as well forget [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > little sh.ts Sheelagh, I totally agree with Bookie--you should NOT have to pay for this. Bonnie >> I very much hope that they will make the parents pay for @ least a >> portion of the vets bill. If they are under 16, I might as well forget [quoted text clipped - 14 lines] > > little sh.ts ----------- I agree. In the USA, a civil/damages suit is separate from criminal charges. Even after OJ Simpson was acquitted of murder, the families of the victims were able to sue him. So, even if there is no criminal case against the animals who shot Ringo and the other cats, you can go after them personally for money. It won't bring Ringo's left eye back but at least it will hurt them in their pocketbooks, real bad, especially if the families of all the victims do this together, and it should hopefully offset some of your medical bills. If the perpetrators are underage, their parents may have to cough up a couple thousand pounds. Best regards, ---Cindy S. on Sun, 25 Mar 2007 00:59:48 GMT, "sheelagh" > More as we hear it BTW, Sheelagh, thank you for keeping us updated on Ringo. Please know that he, you, and your children are all in my thoughts. I just wish like hell that there was something I could do to help. All I can manage is to shed tears every time I think about him--which is quite often. When I think of Ringo, I think of the bold, handsome boy who came knocking on your door one night--literally. I think of the confident, affectionate cat who charmed all the ladies and made himself right at home. To think of him being shot and laying in the hospital, scared out of his mind and blind in one eye...well it's simply overwhelming. I'm not even you, I don't even really know him, so when I try to think of how you and your family must be feeling, well, words escape me. Hang in there Sheelagh. Know that you have an awful lot of healing thoughts headed your way. SignatureLynne > on Sun, 25 Mar 2007 00:59:48 GMT, "sheelagh" > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > there was something I could do to help. All I can manage is to shed tears > every time I think about him--which is quite often. Me too. > When I think of Ringo, I think of the bold, handsome boy who came knocking > on your door one night--literally. I think of the confident, affectionate [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > really know him, so when I try to think of how you and your family must be > feeling, well, words escape me. My feelings exactly. > Hang in there Sheelagh. Know that you have an awful lot of healing > thoughts headed your way. From my house too. Best regards, ---Cindy S. > on Sun, 25 Mar 2007 00:59:48 GMT, "sheelagh" > [quoted text clipped - 4 lines] > there was something I could do to help. All I can manage is to shed tears > every time I think about him--which is quite often. I feel for everyone on this one. I know he is only a moggie, but as you say, he captured our hearts completely that day he knocked on the door & uttered the words, "Well hello you, I have come to stay with you, you lucky thing.. where is the food bowl by the way madame"??! there is nothing that you can do, but I do appreciate your sentiment & thank you all for it too. > When I think of Ringo, I think of the bold, handsome boy who came knocking > on your door one night--literally. I think of the confident, affectionate [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > really know him, so when I try to think of how you and your family must be > feeling, well, words escape me. LOL, You are quite right, he did do exactly that...!! He didn't care a fig what the other cats thought of him & utterly ignored them as they look @ him in utter shock.... You could almost see the cogs working n their little heads thinking, OMG, what have we got here? After wolfing down a huge bowl full left down to feed 4 cats, then looked around for the most comfy chair he could find, & kept looking until he found it.... He was & is such a confident cat. I hope that this doesn't ruin his confidence, because it is such a large part of his character. He exudes confidence & makes you feel @ ease by just being in his company. If I feel anything, it is anger of the inability of being everywhere @ once. I have hardly had time to see the kittens, much less their mummy, yet I feel that he needs the attention the most, right now. It is 05.43 in the UK, & I have just rung the surgery to find out what his latest bloods are & he has come down a further 200- little but significant. I dread the thought of him going back to theater, but the way things are going, he is looking good.... the nurse I just spoke to didn't mind me calling now at all. In fact she was quite chatty about him (he does have that touch with the ladies, doesn't he, lol;o) In fact, he has been chatting them up of course. He always has had the gift of the gab as we say over her (It just means that he has wonderful chat up lines, & even better way of getting his own way..He allowed them to tickle his ears & responded very well to a tiny bit of ice cream, licking it off her fingers.... That's our Ringo...!! It makes me all the more aware how lucky we are to have him if that Makes any sense..? I asked what his eye will look like *if* things continue the way they have, & the answer to that is, "the same, but he won't have sight in that eye". Strangely enough, I am blind in my left eye, so I can appreciate how he will feel, but I can't remember it any other way, because I lost the sight in it when I was 4 years old. You learn to compensate for it, Other senses become stronger, such as hearing & almost being aware that you need to look around further. > Hang in there Sheelagh. Know that you have an awful lot of healing > thoughts headed your way. > > -- > Lynne Thank you very much. It does help having someone to share him with presently too. I can't imagine how I would vent my feelings if I had no one around to share this with.. I totally agree with Bookie--you should NOT have to pay for this. Bonnie I will...It is more a question of having to right now :(. For the surgery's sake I will & must pay the bill as best I can), until they find out who did this to him. The moment I find out who did this to terrible thing to him, I intend to take it to the small claims court (they deal with any debit under £1000).. & I intend to go for the money it has cost me out of pocket too. The silly things such as petrol to visit him & phone bill for having to call them, not to mention any meds that he might have to come home on. It was a hateful thing to do, & I intend to name and shamed them where possible. it was a despicable act to do to a cat (Especially our Cheshire cat!!;o) S;o) More news as we get it of course > > on Sun, 25 Mar 2007 00:59:48 GMT, "sheelagh" > [quoted text clipped - 89 lines] > S;o) > More news as we get it of course yes please add up everything you have had to pay for, even the little things, keep all receipts, yes you will have to pay for these things now but you can claijm al this back later through the courts and when you sue the little c.nts who did this to him. having to open their pockets and havign to actually pay in cold hard cash for what they have done may be the only way these nasty little sods will be taught a lesson, you have to hit them where it hurts and that may well be in the wallet for these evil little sh.ts. don;t let this one go many purrs from my 2 ( purrs from jessie on my bed, and terri from behind the long curtains inthe dining room) again for ringo and the other poor cats who have been shot. poor ringo does not deserve this at all, the people who did this must be stopped (and beaten senseless) bookie > I do blame myself for it happening to him, but I am still outraged > that anyone would do this to the sweetest friendliest cat on the > block. Sheelagh, It's a horrible, totally unexpected thing to have happen. The UK has always seemed to be a safer place--not nearly as many predators and less guns as opposed to many places in the US. I wish I could let my cats outside but we live in a rural area (in the wild, wild west!) and there are too many predators around here. Just today the local paper had an article about a retriever/lab mix that was killed by a mountain lion in the back yard on the outskirts of a town about 45 minutes away from where we live. We also have coyotes, raccoons, rattlesnakes (although cats are usually pretty smart around snakes), hawks, to name a few. It's awful when you start having to worry about BB gun toting people as well. > It seems really wrong that they get away with it. You hardly ever hear of > anyone getting as far as court when things like this happen.. I know--although I have heard of stricter sentences being handed down, of actual jail time in more and more cases of animal abuse. It's not nearly enough and certainly not very consistent. > Your right, I seem to have spent a hell of a lot of time @ the vets > recently, but then again I wouldn't have it any other way. At least I > feel that I can trust this surgery & I do have full confidence in them > too. So good to hear--I absolutely love my vet. It helps so much to have confidence in your vet! She's great with the animals, is very good at listening to what I have to say and is very open to new ideas. She encourages me to research stuff on my own. She's refered me to specialists when it was warranted. In a crisis, it's really nice not to be second-guessing the vet! > Tiggy came home yesterday afternoon with a horrible bill, that they > have kindly allowed me to pay in three instalments ... > > ( you have no idea how embarrassing it was having to ask if that was > possible) > <blush!!> It's h |
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