Accidental animal crueltyI once invented a brilliant game - I'd sit at the top of the stairs and throw cat biscuits to the bottom. My cat would eat them, then I'd shake the box, and he would run up the stairs for more biscuits. Then - of course - I'd throw a biscuit back down to the bottom. I kept this going for about half an hour, amused at my little game, and all was fine until the cat vomited. I felt absolutely dreadful.
Have you accidentally been cruel to an animal?
This question has been revived from way, way, way back on the b3ta messageboard when it was all fields round here.
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rob, Thu 6 Dec 2007, 11:13)
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pigeonsNow, I hate pigeons, but only one of the feathery bastards has ever managed to get any sympathy from me. This is the story of Basil.
Years ago me and 7 chums hired a barge for a week and much watery fun was had. We were all Able Seamen (careful!) by the end of our holiday and our record for negotiating a 60-foot narrowboat through a lock was something like, ooh, four hours. Anyway, having done the twelve millionth lock that day we were drooping over the side of the boat when J suddenly sat up and said "What's that?", and pointed to a sodden mass of feathery misery that was flapping about amongst all the empty coke bottles, bits of shopping trolley, rubber johnnies and other detritus the people of Warwickshire had donated to their once-beautiful waterways.
Well, we were all in a frenzy of excitement, as you can imagine, so we ordered J to fetch the sodden feathery mass from the water. He did, and returned triumphantly with it dripping from his slightly reluctant hand. It was a half-drowned pigeon with a hole in its heaving chest. All hands were busied fetching towels, bandages, newspaper, hot water and torn-up bedsheets. I made its bed out of an empty drawer and lots of newspaper. J being the James Herriot type he is bandaged it up so it looked like it was going to a fancy dress party as... well, as a pigeon in some bandages. We named him Basil and rang the RSPCA for some solid sensible advice. They were a bit non-plussed as to why we'd got a pigeon on a barge, but said to feed it water and grated cheese, preferably cheddar but absolutely not blue cheese under any circumstances. We showed the cheese to Basil who pecked miserably at it a couple of times before he fell asleep in his impromptu pigeon bed. Then we had a barbecue, got drunk and forgot all about him until the next morning when...
... that's right, Basil did not survive the night. We were very upset. Some of us cried. Except J, who said "Oh well", and shrugged philosophically before casually lobbing Basil into some random nearby bushes.
Was it cruel to keep Basil alive and make him eat cheese? Should we just have ended his misery there and then?
I just don't know any more.
(, Tue 11 Dec 2007, 14:57, 2 replies)
...It was a waste to throw him into the bushes. There's not much meat on a pigeon, but there is some, and that's what counts...
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Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Tue 11 Dec 2007, 15:06,
closed)
...Pigeon? For breakfast?
Nooooooooooo...
(, Tue 11 Dec 2007, 15:10, closed)
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