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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Keep the homefires burning...K2K6's story reminded me of my grandads accidental slaughter of a bee colony.
It had been a mild summer and September brought a cold snap. Being old wrinklies and living in a small Kent village they had a real fire for warmth and duly Grandma assembled a fire ready to light that evening.
Grandad came in from the garden and feeling the cold decided to light the first fire of the upcoming winter.
Trouble was that summer some clever bees had decided an unused chimney was an ideal place to build their new home.
As the fire was lit the first smoke began to rise and nothing appeared unusual. To her credit 75 years of making fires had finely honed Grandma's skills the fire quickly grew until very quickly flames roared high into the chimney stack.
It was at that point the phone rang. It was the neighbour warning grandad not to go back outside on account of a HUGE swarm of bees currently flying around the roof of the house.
Grandad being the curious engineer he was went out the front door and accross the street and was able to witness the chimney literally spewing "little sparks and burning embers" which is transpires were actually burning bees and flaming bits of bee nest.
This understandably brought some concern and quickly he dashed back inside to put up a fire guard in the lounge and evacuate the room of grandma and cat. Lucky he did as minutes later the smoke dislodged what remained of the bee nest and a large clump about the size of a football fell down the inside of the chimney, landing in the fireplace and causing a huge cloud of ash and smoke.
The rug was never the same, however Grandad proudly told me all about how he accidentally killed a whole bee colony.
The next year they got the chimney swept before setting the first fire of the winter.
(, Tue 11 Dec 2007, 16:04, Reply)
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