Something I never want to do again...

Published on November 23, 2004 By dharmagrl In Misc

There was an accident in the warehouse at work today.

We have a resident cat who had delivered her kittens in a corner about 6 weeks ago.

Today two of them had wandered off and were curled up inside a wooden pallette...it got picked up by a fork lift, and the kitties fell out. The fork lift driver didn't see then, and started stacking palletes on top of them.

By the time I got there, they had the pallettes off of them. One tortoiseshell one had lost a leg and was esviscereted. It was making the most god awful mewling sounds...I had never heard, nor do I ever want to hear anything like that again. The other, a little orange one, had split her back paw in two, but apart from that seemed to be okay. We picked them up and put them in a box, then one of the guys from the meat department took them over to the vet.

I called later this afternoon...there wasn't much hope for the disembowelled one, but the orange one was okay, considering. I blurted out that if it survived and they needed a home for it that I'd take it....D's not gonna like that. Oh well. I just felt so bad for the poor little thing...

...I'm sitting here almost in tears remembering the sight and sound of that little tortoiseshell kitty.

It was horrible. Truly awful.

Comments (Page 1)

alison watkins

on Nov 23, 2004

Aww! I have a soft spot for animals...this article made me tear up...

dharmagrl

on Nov 23, 2004

I have a soft spot for animals...

Me too. It was heartbreaking.

I don't think I could ever work for a vet. I'd be useless.

Texas Wahine

on Nov 23, 2004

Oh, dharma. That's awful. You are such a kind, giving soul. I'm sorry you had to see that.

dharmagrl

on Nov 23, 2004

I'm sorry you had to see that

Me too....but I couldn't just walk away and not do anything.....

Danny Bassette

on Nov 23, 2004

*sniffles* The poor little kittens

JillUser

on Nov 23, 2004

That is so awful! I couldn't work for a vet either. I have been haunted by things that others probably think are silly like seeing a baby bird that had fallen out of its nest onto the sidewalk in Hawaii or when I hit a big raccoon when I was first starting to drive. I actually got out and apologized to Mr Raccoon and cried even though I knew I couldn't have done anything since he jumped out of a bush right into the road in front of me. I still mourn the childhood dog I grew up with who died when I was in high school.

I can't go to pet stores because I can't bare to see those animals caged up that way. I can't "just look" at puppies. I cried when our lizard died and was deeply saddened when a little water frog of ours died. I even get sad when fish die.

I'm so sorry you had such a horrible experience

Texas Wahine

on Nov 23, 2004

I know exactly what you mean, Jill. I have cried over things I've run over, things I've accidentally squished, and pets ranging from fish to geckos to kitties to dogs. I can't look at mangled animals. I couldn't even look at our Betta fish when they suddenly died (thank God Adrian was on leave when that happened).

dharmagrl

on Nov 23, 2004

I have been haunted by things that others probably think are silly like seeing a baby bird that had fallen out of its nest onto the sidewalk in Hawaii or when I hit a big raccoon when I was first starting to drive

I don't think it's silly. I got out of the car and apologised to a squirrel I ran over in North Carolina...it was my first road kill. I hit a skunk in a patrol vehicle last year and cried the rest of the night.

I can't go to the pound because it makes me sad. I can't go to pet stores where they sell puppies and kittens and stuff because it makes me sad. If I could, I'd have a veritable zoo of lost and abandoned animals. My step-MIL has cats that hang out at her house because they know that she'll feed them...there's 'one-eyed Wilma', 'Spot-with-a-broken-tail' and 3 others that don't have names that show up there to get some eats and some affection.

I don't care what D says, if that kitten survives and no-one wants it, it's coming home with me. And I'll name it 'lucky'.

dharmagrl

on Nov 23, 2004

I can't look at mangled animals

I had to feed our snake live rats when D was gone......I used to apologise to the rat beforehand, tip it into the tank and leave the house for an hour. I'd come back when it was over.

I'm such a wuss.

Angloesque

on Nov 23, 2004

Oh, Dharma, I know the feeling. When I was 9, I was down in our dark basement where our cat had her kittens and I was reaching up to get a jar (so I must've been lifting one leg because, somehow, that makes you reach higher...?) and when I got it, my foot came down on one of our kittens' heads. I have never, ever cried so hard in my life. He didn't die right away, which made it even worse. Ugh. Even my dad cried and he *hates* cats.

So sorry about your kittens.

-A.

dharmagrl

on Nov 23, 2004

and when I got it, my foot came down on one of our kittens' heads.

Oh!! I'm so sorry!!!!! That must have been awful for you!!!

I'm getting better about it now. I just hate to see anything or anyone in pain, especially innocent, helpless creatures and humans.

MarcieMoo

on Nov 23, 2004

We were going out for my birthday in July and there was a bird that had hit the side of Ryan's apartment building. It was flopping around and it had been since that morning...I hadn't noticed when I came in to the building to wait for him. But I couldn't stand to see it suffering...so I took my shoe off and hit it on the head. I felt horrible...but....I figured it was better than letting it suffer. I'm okay with mercy killings. My cousin hit a deer with his little Ford Aspire one time...and it was still alive (no wonder with that roller skate of a car), and luckily he had an ax in his car and hit that poor deer on the head to put it out of its misery too.

My first time deer hunting I was up in the stand with my dad and we saw a deer and a fawn come out of the brush...I shot and the bullet actually went under the deer...and my dad thought I'd hit it so he shot, too. That poor deer made the most gut wrenching sound before it died...I didn't even know deer made sounds. But it was sad. I had a hard time continuing to hunt...

Blech. Isn't it wonderful to be human so we can decide the fate of species with smaller brains?

I don't like having that responsibility sometimes.

iamheather

on Nov 23, 2004

Dharmagrl, I don't know whether to be more upset for you or the kittens!

considering. I blurted out that if it survived and they needed a home for it that I'd take it....D's not gonna like that. Oh well. I just felt so bad for the poor little thing...

I know I would have done the same thing, and I am not really even a cat person. Zombie would think I had lost my mind! Oh wait, he already does....nevermind.

dharmagrl

on Nov 23, 2004

But I couldn't stand to see it suffering...so I took my shoe off and hit it on the head. I felt horrible...but....I figured it was better than letting it suffer. I'm okay with mercy killings. My cousin hit a deer with his little Ford Aspire one time...and it was still alive (no wonder with that roller skate of a car), and luckily he had an ax in his car and hit that poor deer on the head to put it out of its misery too

You're a braver woman than I, Marcie. I couldn't have done it. Whilst on patrol (again) I came across a deer that had been hit by a car...it was flailing all over the road with this panicked look in it's eyes. I radioed the HP to come and help me corral it, and while I was waiting for them it collapsed next to me and died. I had my hand on it's flank and was talking to it...I guess I was trying to make it not feel so scared. It bothers me that the last thing these animals feel is pain and terror.

I can't (won't) hunt. I just can't do it. All this talk of animals dying makes me want to not eat meat anymore.

dharmagrl

on Nov 23, 2004

Dharmagrl, I don't know whether to be more upset for you or the kittens!

The kittens! No, me! They'll forget, I won't!!

D's already said 'no' to the kitten. I don't like it when he tells me 'no'.....it means I'll have to work on him.

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