a tragedy that could have been prevented... gruesome story.. beware

I am just so upset right now. I HAD this friend who lived next door to me and recently moved. I've already lectured her about being an irresponsible pet owner. She only lived next door for a little over a year and had several dogs that she'd get and decide they were too rowdy or she just didn't like them so she'd get rid of it and come home with another one. I know she's had at least 4 or 5 different dogs. Then the dog she finally decided to keep she lets run loose who by the way chases PEOPLE and cars. She even nipped another neighbor who was jogging in the ass. I lectured her over and over again on how she needed to keep her dog contained. Then her declawed cat who she'd let rome around the porch and outside came up missing one day. So, you know that cat is dead cuz it can't defend itself without claws.

Well, now to the root of my being upset. She moved out about a month or so ago and left behind a kitten she just recently got from a shelter just prior to her moving out. Actually, it was right after she lost her other cat. She left this kitten behind and claimed it got loose and she couldn't catch him. We caught him and fed him and put him in their garage. Then they come to move some more stuff out of the house and let the cat loose again knowing we had caught him and put him in their garage. So, we caught him yet again and did the same thing... fed him and put him in the garage.

I stressed to her not to let this cat get loose. I told her to either find a home for him or bring him back to the shelter she got him from. We've been after them for SEVERAL weeks to take care of this cat. We've been feeding him because he got skinny as a rail. I even asked around to try and find a home for him but there were no takers. But it was their responsibility, not mine to find a home for this cat.

Anyway... she just came over here the other day to say hello and yet AGAIN I reminded them how the cat is hanging around my house and getting up into the truck motor and how we have to spray it with a hose to get it out and how much of a nuisance and safety issue it was. They humored me and said they would take care of it just like they did the several other times they said they would. But of course they didn't.

So, today we've been painting and doing home projects ALL day long and forgot about dinner. My hubby was just gonna go to Mcdonalds and grab us a bite to eat. My daughter was standing on the front porch as my hubby started the truck and then it happened.

I was in the computer room and heard screaming. I looked out the window and at that moment I saw the cat drop from the truck engine onto the driveway. Blood was spraying everywhere and the poor cat was convulsing and it tried to run away. But the fan blade tore the cat open from stem to stern and the poor thing suffered and took it's last breath in my driveway with my daughter standing there. My husband feels awful because he forgot to check the motor for the cat. I am traumatized at what I saw. The cat did not die instantly. It was a horrid tragedy that was 100% preventable. This will forever be etched in my mind.

I was so upset and angry that I sent her a nasty email and told her she was irresponsible and pointed out how this was THEIR fault. I also went one step further to bag up the cat and have my hubby put it on their front porch. I told her she could come and bury her own **** cat since it was her fault it was dead.

Am I a terrible person for doing that? I am just so incredibly upset right now. It tore me up to know that poor cat suffered like that. I HATE people who just get pet after pet after pet and don't take care of them. Pets are completely dependant on their owners and there is just no excuse for this. This incident has ruined our friendship. I can not be friends with someone who let this happen. It was not fair that my family and I had to deal with this. I hope she has so much guilt that it eats her up inside.

I'm so sorry you had to go through this because of stupid people !!! Could you go to the Humane Society and register them as bad owners ??

Yeeee...poor kitty!

I think it's rather grusome, and I question why you didn't just take the kitten to the shelter, but whatever. Yes, she should have come and collected her cat, but after the first few times of being ignored, I think you should have either adopted it or taken it to the Humane Society. Kittens always get adopted.

she kept telling me she was gonna come get the cat that they were gonna keep it after all. I told her I was gonna take it to the shelter myself but she kept insisting that she was not abandoning it and that they were just getting settled into their new place and she'd come back for it. I thought I was doing her a favor by taking care of him until then. And I can't adopt it.. I have my own cat, a puppy and a dying adult dog. I just told her two days ago if she didn't make an effort to catch the cat and take him with her or find a home for him that I would catch him and take him to the shelter whether she wanted him or not. We just hadn't been able to catch him the past couple of days. We tried to trap him with food.. but he got too clever and would run away. I hope you aren't insinuating that this was in any way MY fault. I did everything I could for this cat.

well first off, hating her for it will only make you feel bad. forgive her and move on, though Im not saying to tell her you forgive her, just help you and your family move on. dont contact her and if you see her, ignore her.
that said, that is horrible and that woman should be put in jail for that. at the very least she should never be allowed to own an animal ever again.
no you are not a terrible person, you have every right to be upset about this and to blame her. she is the terrible person. just dont let the horridity of this person get you down.

If she kept "ditching" the cat, I'd just take it back to the shelter. That poor cat didn't deserve to die that way .

But she was irresponsible to leave an innocent little cat out alone without anywhere to go really.

Here's a copy of the letter I sent her on email:

I just wanted to thank you so much for leaving me with this horrid memory of how YOUR cat died. Not only did I have to see it.. so didn't Arielle and TJ. This was a totally preventable tragedy. I told you guys SEVERAL times the cat was hanging around our house and getting up in the truck engine. I even caught the cat a few times for you because you said you couldn't catch it, and what happened... the cat got loose both times we caught it for you.

That poor cat suffered like you wouldn't believe. That fan blade tore him open from one end to the other and he as he fell from the motor his poor little body shook all over as he TRIED to run away as he lost all of his blood in my driveway. Arielle stood there screaming and crying because she saw this happen. And now TJ will have the guilt that he killed the cat because he was the one that started the motor up.

There's one thing I have no tolerance for and that is people who own pets and don't take proper care of them. This cat was abandoned and left to fend for himself. I understand you had to move and could not take him... but there is no excuse on this planet for why you could not take him back to the shelter you got him from or find him a home.

You know how I am with animals and this horrible event will forever be etched in my mind and that is so not fair to me or my child or even my husband. If I sound cross at you it is because I am. I am very disappointed in your lack of concern for this cat. You should not be allowed to have pets if you can not take care of them and provide a safe and happy home for them. Pets are totally dependant on their owners to provide these needs for them... and you failed this cat miserably. Your cat is in a bag on your front porch in case you want to see how badly he was hurt and suffered. I am not going to bury your cat.. that is your responsibility.

That is a great idea! If possible once you get over the initial shock of what happened, it would be a good idea to keep her from ever adopting another pet and having them suffer the way all of her others did.

I am so sorry that you had to go through this terrible ordeal. My thoughts are with you.

No, I"m not in any way insinuating this was your fault. Sh*t happens sometimes and this was one of those times. Good email, let us know how the lady reacts.

no this isnt your fault. personally after knowing how she had been with other animals I probably would have taken it to a shelter, an out of town shelter that doesnt use petfinder.com so she couldnt reclaim it. but you were trying to help her out and be a nice neighbor, that is understandable. hindsight is always 20/20 and we can all say that in that situation we would have done something different, but we werent in that situation and you cant say that you would recognize a situation as "that kind of situation" until you have been through it. we are reading about something that has already happened so its easy for us to see how things could have been done differently. dont blame yourself and anyone who lays the blame on you is not thinking things through very well and truly putting themselves in your shoes.

I want everyone to know I had every intent on getting the cat and bringing it to the shelter mself when I realized she kept blowing me off when I'd ask her about getting the cat. I just had trouble catching the darn thing. When they first moved I saw the cat outside roaming around. I immediately called her on her cell phone and told her. She told me she knew he was out but that he had slipped out the door when they were moving stuff out of the house. I thought nothing more about it because that could happen. Then when it got out the second time and we caught it they said to put it in their garage that they were moving stuff out again and that her father in law accidently let the cat loose. So, again... I thought it was just a freak thing that it happened again. I know how crazy it is when you're moving. So at that time I really really thought they wanted the cat and were just having a difficult time with the move and once they got settled they'd come get him. I accused her of abandoning him and she totally denied that and said they were gonna keep him. If I could have caught him two days ago when I saw him he'd be alive now. Cuz I told her if she didn 't come get him I was taking him myself. So, I have a lot of guilt about this. But I tried several times to catch him. He was so timid being outdoors and he ran like a banchy when anyone tried to come near him.

Nancy...there's no sense in beating yourself over this. Your letter was good, you did what you could. Just let us know if they pick up the poor cat !! If they don't, bury it in their front yard as a memorial with a sign to tell all what horroble people they are/were !

How awful for you and your husband and daughter (and that poor kitty). It's a shame when people just can't live up to their responsibilities.

Nancy,
Please do not feel like this was your fault. This is a prime example of a neglectful cat owner. This is the owners fault for not taking the cat with them in the first place. I would not move furniture from a vacated house first, the first to go would be my animals. With the history of this neighbor and your good intentions, this is totally not your fault.

Don't feel bad about not putting this cat in a shelter, because she led you to believe that they still have interest in the cat, and were going to come for it.
If the cat had ownership (which it obviously did) it is not your responsiblity to rehome their cat.

I am just so sorry your children had to witness the effects of a neglectful owner.

I hope you can explain to them the cause and effect of the whole situation, maybe it will help them to understand.

Maybe you could drop the remains off at their new house, just as a reminder of their neglect.

Best of Luck,
Julie.

Will they be back to their old house ??? I'd still build a huge memorial to remind them !!! Add balloons, etc !!

I'm sorry but I don't agree with everyone... What mattered here was the cat. I think you should have taken the cat to the shelter right away after they left him the first time, especially with what you know they had done with the dogs. How many times did she have to tell you she was going to take the cat before you took him there??? I understand being naive, but there are limits. Had it been someone I know, she would never have been my friend for one, and I would have taken the cat to the shelter at the first chance I had.

About the engine, well everyone is a bit careless sometimes, but I think your husband is right to feel guilty because he knew the cat had the habit of going there, and he didn't check.

Not trying to accuse you or anything, just giving my opinion. I agree that your friend is an idiot though, but that didn't make it right to let the poor cat roam around for a full month. It should have been obvious after a week that they were not going to get him.

You shouldnt feel any guilt at all. I dont know how everyones local humane society or animal shelter works but ours keeps a log of any and all animals you adopt from them, you have to show id, attend classes on caring for your animal etc. If you local dept. does this keeps track please by all means turn this nimwitt in to them and let them know. She has no business adopting any animal. I am sorry but animals are not like yesterdays newspaper you just todd them out when you are done with them. I am sorry your daughter had to witness this. Poor kitty.

Fran,

"Not trying to accuse you or anything, just giving my opinion" sure sounds like an accusation to me. And where do you get off insinuating I am some kind of piece of crap because this girl was my friend. I did not know she was such a bad pet owner until after the fact of becoming friends with her. And she has never actually neglected her pets or abused them. She'd decide they were too much work and find a home for them. I'm not saying that was right... because I don't think it was. The only thing that I considered neglectful was when she'd let one of her dogs go out loose to go the bathroom and it would run up and down the street. But should that have set a red flag off in my head??? I guess I should think ALL people that do things like that are bad pet owners then.

And I stand corrected... my hubby reminded me that the first two dogs I saw her with when they moved in were actually her sister in law's dogs that they were keeping because they were in the middle of moving themselves and when they got all settled the dogs went with them. But Cassie did have two other dogs that I do remember her getting at two different times and she found them to be too much and found new homes for them.

When I posted that post I was very upset and emotional. And I was wanting to talk about it and get some feelings off my chest that I was experiencing. And I just wanted to thank you fran for making me feel worse than I already do. And I'd like to point out that maybe YOU should make sure you check your engine each and everyday you go out to start it up because YOU are being careless not to check with all the stray cats everyone has. When I asked my hubby if he had checked the motor before starting it he told me that he thought they had come and got the cat cuz he hadn't seen him the past two days and he knew Cassie was just here two days prior saying she was gonna catch the cat and take it with her to her new house. And he also had NEVER seen the cat up in the motor on a hot sunny day either. It was always at night time he'd crawl up there.

As for taking the cat to the shelter the first two times I caught him... well, you just weren't here and didn't know all the circumstances. Did you not read the posting that explained that it was in the beginning when I caught the cat those two times and I safely put him in their garage at their request and at that time they sounded very sincere about being sorry the cat got loose and that they were DEFINATELY coming back to get him. That wasn't after several weeks of blowing me off about it... it was in the very beginning when they first started to move stuff out and weren't even officially moved out yet. They only recently have been staying at their new house.. they haven't even moved everything out yet. So, please don't sit there and act like I sat here for a month watching this cat be abandoned and suffer. I thought I was doing the right thing in the beginning because I'd be grateful if my animal got loose and a neighbor or friend caught it for me.. i'd be quite upset if they just up and took it to a shelter knowing it was mine and I was coming back for it. I myself wouldn't have gone to my new house without my pets... but Cassie obviously isn't me.

When I did realize she was just blowing smoke up my butt about it was when I could not catch the cat anymore. We baited traps with food and snuck up on it and almost caught him once or twice after that. But that cat became real timid and afraid and would run away before you could even get close to it. So, what was I suppose to do??? I had every intention of taking the cat to the shelter once I realized she wasn't coming back... but it's kind of hard to take it when you can't catch it... don't you think?

I think the way you stuck that knife in and twisted it all around was un called for. It was abvious how distressed I have been about the whole situation and what did it accomplish to make me out to be an airheaded ignorant person with blinders on?? Did it bring the cat back? Did it make all the irresponsible pet owners suddenly become responsible? I do feel everyone is entitled to their opinion and if that is yours... then so be it. But I would NEVER have come back with a reply like that to someone that was clearly having remorse for making the wrong decison and was looking for friendly support from other animal lovers. So, if it made you feel good to make me feel bad then more power to you.

For the rest of you who have been kind and made me feel a little better... thank you again.

Well sorry, but when you post such things on forums you must expect that some people won't agree with what you did. It's easy to blame others for things you could have avoided. So the reason I posted what I did was to make you realize that you could have done things differently, so that maybe next time you will. The fact that you already feel bad about it shows that you probably agree, too. So, I understand that you are upset about it, but look at it as a lesson.

And I never said you were a piece of crap. I just said I don't think I could have any friendship with someone who gets pets and gives them away to get another - which is what YOU said she did in your first post. That she did or didn't isn't even the problem really. But it's a PERSONAL opinion. Some people don't care what other people do with their pets, or like someone too much to resent them for that. There's nothing wrong with that. I know I wouldn't, but it's ME. To each his own. And yeah, I would certainly tell someone who leaves their dog loose in the street that they are irresponsible pet owners, because it IS...

And finally, I don't check my engine because 1) no way a cat can get in there, 2) none of the cats I know like to be around cars - or if someone gets in the car, they run away. But if I knew a cat tends to go in there... yes, I would check every single time.