Somebody Shot My Cat
On Sunday my cat returned home bleeding from just below the eye. My wife reached in and removed a small metal ball that thankfully hit the bone. Somebody had shot him with a BB gun.
I felt there were 2 different kinds of attitudes when we talked to people about this:
- “OK, so somebody shot your cat with a BB gun. Stop whining.”
- “Wow, who would do such a horrible thing?”
The main good news is that the cat is OK.
The other good news is that while the local police officer we dealt with was of the first type, and completely uninterested in doing his job on the issue, the second one we dealt with was of the second type. And apparently BB guns have to be registered, and they’re going to test the guns of the people in the area and since we have the bullet, they can match it to the gun. So they’ll probably get the person. Don’t know what happens after that.
I think many of us think that the only thing stopping us from certain illegal activities (like killing local cats) is our own conscious (or laziness). But often we’re wrong when we think we can do actions anonymously.
As for who would do such a thing … I don’t think it’s the kind of person who is kept awake at night by cats and finally says “I have to do something.” Those kinds of people either do nothing or they call somebody responsible for dealing with the problem. They don’t actually get a BB gun (or poison or whatever) and kill the cats.
I think the person who shoots cats is a person with a lot of anger and need to hurt. And that shooting cats with a BB gun is more likely to increase the need to hurt than to satisfy it.
Regarding pet lovers vs. non pet-lovers, I guess I intermarried. I come from a family that wonders whether people’s love of pets comes at the expense of a love of people. My wife and mother-in-law love pets. They even started a great pet reference site. My view has changed, and I would say that loving animals generally increases the love a person has for people, not the opposite.
What do you think?
September 4, 2009 @ 4:53 pm
I fully believe that how you treat an animal, who is usually at your mercy, is a direct reflection of how you feel about people as well. Many studies have shown that people that abuse spouses, children, and elderly are also involved in animal abuse. A study the FBI preformed involving serial killers showed that almost all of them had histories of torturing or killing animals. Violence and a desire to hurt things need to be taken seriously. Even if you are not an animal lover, seeing a person with these behaviors should be a concern to you. On the other hand, having pets can teach empathy and responsibility, in a relationship that they take a key role in building. It can show a child how by simply making sure their animal’s needs are taken care of and treating them kindly, the animal will come to trust and even love them in return. Taking care of an animal is a basic life lesson in creating positive bonds.
September 4, 2009 @ 9:53 am
I fully believe that how you treat an animal, who is usually at your mercy, is a direct reflection of how you feel about people as well. Many studies have shown that people that abuse spouses, children, and elderly are also involved in animal abuse. A study the FBI preformed involving serial killers showed that almost all of them had histories of torturing or killing animals. Violence and a desire to hurt things need to be taken seriously. Even if you are not an animal lover, seeing a person with these behaviors should be a concern to you. On the other hand, having pets can teach empathy and responsibility, in a relationship that they take a key role in building. It can show a child how by simply making sure their animal’s needs are taken care of and treating them kindly, the animal will come to trust and even love them in return. Taking care of an animal is a basic life lesson in creating positive bonds.
September 5, 2009 @ 1:52 pm
Thanks Myra, very well said.
September 5, 2009 @ 8:52 pm
Thanks Myra, very well said.
October 12, 2009 @ 3:52 pm
sir i think your stupid cat shouldnt have been out in the first place. if your cat is that important to you it should be inside. now then if it is in my yard and i dont see a collor frankly im going to shoot it. now then before you start calling me cruel i have a perfectly good 1.when cats have not been fixed they breed when they breed they have babys which make ferrel(aka wild cats) 2. those cats killed my dog(aka my best friend). so if you care about your cat get it fixed keep it in your house and get its shots. now dont get me wrong i love cats but only nice cats
October 12, 2009 @ 8:52 am
sir i think your stupid cat shouldnt have been out in the first place. if your cat is that important to you it should be inside. now then if it is in my yard and i dont see a collor frankly im going to shoot it. now then before you start calling me cruel i have a perfectly good 1.when cats have not been fixed they breed when they breed they have babys which make ferrel(aka wild cats) 2. those cats killed my dog(aka my best friend). so if you care about your cat get it fixed keep it in your house and get its shots. now dont get me wrong i love cats but only nice cats
October 12, 2009 @ 6:45 pm
Warren, I’m sorry to hear about your dog. My cat has a collar, it has its shots, and it was neutered. Yes, we let it go outside, I’m sorry that you think that gives you permission to shoot it. I’m glad to hear you love nice cats, and I hope that no cats that you consider nice ever run into somebody who thinks it’s OK to shoot them. I’m not sure why you think my cat is stupid. Perhaps you disagree with something he wrote on his blog (http://thepetwiki.com/blog/). I’m also a little surprised to find somebody abusive enough to go on somebody’s blog and tell them that you think their cat is stupid and would have shot them for being out of the house. In a way you’ve helped answer my question. I think that people who are abusive to pets are abusive to people too.
October 12, 2009 @ 11:45 am
Warren, I’m sorry to hear about your dog. My cat has a collar, it has its shots, and it was neutered. Yes, we let it go outside, I’m sorry that you think that gives you permission to shoot it. I’m glad to hear you love nice cats, and I hope that no cats that you consider nice ever run into somebody who thinks it’s OK to shoot them. I’m not sure why you think my cat is stupid. Perhaps you disagree with something he wrote on his blog (http://thepetwiki.com/blog/). I’m also a little surprised to find somebody abusive enough to go on somebody’s blog and tell them that you think their cat is stupid and would have shot them for being out of the house. In a way you’ve helped answer my question. I think that people who are abusive to pets are abusive to people too.
April 4, 2011 @ 6:08 am
ooops!! I agree on how you deal with other pets reflects your personality as a person 😀 i love my cats and they are free to go out my house oftentimes 🙂