I kill kittens.

[Scuba Pete]

Cats in a barn: Oh MY!

You did yourself a disservice. Cats take care of mice and other rodents. They are the farmer's friend. But hey, you started this thread as a troll and so far, it's not gone ballistic. Troll fail in my book.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

One question: how would a farm environment color the perception of killing animals? Would it make it seem less of an issue, perhaps?

Depends on the farmer.

On my grandfather's farm, we killed anything that wasn't a goat. Snakes, cats, dogs, wasps, priarie dogs, etc; BUT these animals were feral and spread disease, they were mature and could never be a pet. And we never killed puppies or kittens. We couldn't raise them so we just let them grow up feral and killed them when they became a problem later on.

On my brother in law's farm, we carry a gun every time we go outside because there are so many rattlesnakes. We kill these on sight every time we see one because they can kill cattle and people. Other animals are killed that aren't cows if they become a danger to the cows.

So feral animals are treated about the same way as pests. Crops need to be protected from bugs, livestock needs to be protected from disease brought in by other animals.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Cats in a barn: Oh MY!

You did yourself a disservice. Cats take care of mice and other rodents. They are the farmer's friend. But hey, you started this thread as a troll and so far, it's not gone ballistic. Troll fail in my book.

Yes, but one needs only so many cats. There's only two in our barn.

 

[Misty]

What would be the legal and socially acceptable thing to do in such a situation in the UK?

There are sancturies which take unwanted pets, you would be expected to take them to one of those, or have the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) collect them. If they can't be rehomed they would be euthanased in a humane manner. Animal cruelty of the sort described in the OP is taken extremely seriously over here, and almost certainly a custodial sentence would be handed down, they would also be banned from keeping animals of any sort, probably for life. I wonder what it says about American Society (I assume the poster is from the US) that someone can boast on-line about a barbaric act, safe in the knowledge they won't be prosecuted?

 

[McBell]

Things have been too quiet here lately, so it's time to ruffle some feathers....or raise some fur.
I once found a family of very young kittens living in a car (an open convertible) stored in my barn. Certainly, I couldn't let my customer have his car soiled
by their living arrangements, so I had to remove them. They wouldn't survive in the wild, even with mom's help so I thought I should do something.
My solution: I took a large shovel & quickly euthanized (executed? murdered? killed?) each one. (And yes, for those who want the gory details, their little
intestines squirted out & got me.) I didn't want to take them to the Humane Society, since they'd want money from me just to do the same thing, but more
expensively....& they'd whine for donations.
So....was this:
1) Right
2) Wrong
3) Neither, but you'd do the same
4) Neither, but you'd do differently

Btw, I didn't enjoy it, but I don't feel bad about it either.

A shovel?
Geez.
Couldn't you have at least found a shotgun?
Or a grenade?

 

[Engyo]

There are sancturies which take unwanted pets, you would be expected to take them to one of those, or have the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) collect them. If they can't be rehomed they would be euthanased in a humane manner. Animal cruelty of the sort described in the OP is taken extremely seriously over here, and almost certainly a custodial sentence would be handed down, they would also be banned from keeping animals of any sort, probably for life. I wonder what it says about American Society (I assume the poster is from the US) that someone can boast on-line about a barbaric act, safe in the knowledge they won't be prosecuted?

I'm curious - what would you say about what I did as a teenager, with those maimed cats? What would the proper UK response have been in that instance (on a farm in a rural area)?

 

[McBell]

There are sancturies which take unwanted pets, you would be expected to take them to one of those, or have the RSPCA (Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals) collect them. If they can't be rehomed they would be euthanased in a humane manner. Animal cruelty of the sort described in the OP is taken extremely seriously over here, and almost certainly a custodial sentence would be handed down, they would also be banned from keeping animals of any sort, probably for life. I wonder what it says about American Society (I assume the poster is from the US) that someone can boast on-line about a barbaric act, safe in the knowledge they won't be prosecuted?

Animal cruelty as described in the OP?
Is it less cruel when a group that is supposed to "protect" them kills them?

 

[Revoltingest]

A shovel?
Geez.
Couldn't you have at least found a shotgun?
Or a grenade?

A shovel (hypothetically speaking) was quick, painless & environmentally friendly.
How is this worse than a lethal injection, during which the kitten would suffer being given the shot.
I say my solution is more humane.

 

[Revoltingest]

Cats in a barn: Oh MY!

You did yourself a disservice. Cats take care of mice and other rodents. They are the farmer's friend. But hey, you started this thread as a troll and so far, it's not gone ballistic. Troll fail in my book.

I hope you mean "troll", as in under the Mackinaw Bridge. (That's what Yoopers call us.)
Cats living on mice in a barn are sickly creatures indeed, underfed, prone to infections & short lived.

 

[Misty]

I am just shocked at the attitude towards animals, which should be treated humanely. Killing rats with a pitchfork wouldn't be tolerated either. Mind you the US doesn't have a good track record for humanity to humans let alone animals. How many state still execute murderers, is it 40? Then there is the issue of torturing terror suspects etc. I know I keep saying it, but thank goodness I live in the UK, which is far from perfect, but at least it is preferable to living in a gun toting society.

 

[Revoltingest]

I wonder what it says about American Society (I assume the poster is from the US) that someone can boast on-line about a barbaric act, safe in the knowledge they won't be prosecuted?

I boast not. I merely posed my (now hypothetical, to accommodate sensitive types) dilemma as grist for our mill.
I've discussed this with friends & family, so it is not merely "on line".

 

[Revoltingest]

Well it is a good job for you you don't live in the UK because you would be done for animal cruelty and probably put in prison. The fact that you appear to be exalting in this cruel deed is truly horrible, and I talk as somehow who isn't particularly sentimental about animals but abhore cruelty.

They don't kill animals in The UK? Or do you kill them in some sanitized & secretive fashion so that death is tolerable because you needn't think about it?
You guyz eat veal & foie gras there, but I'd never be so barbaric as to allow that treatment of animals. Death should be painless, rather than pretty.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

This reminds me of the doctrine that states - "Everytime you masturbate, God kills a kitten."

Looks like someone really made God angry.

 

[McBell]

I am just shocked at the attitude towards animals, which should be treated humanely.

Perhaps you should petition the US Government to build animal prisons.
That way they can live in jail till they die of natural causes....

Killing rats with a pitchfork wouldn't be tolerated either.

What you suggest have been done?

Mind you the US doesn't have a good track record for humanity to humans let alone animals.

Do you really want to get into a peeing contest on which country has the worst humanitarian practices?

How many state still execute murderers, is it 40?

Not nearly enough.

Then there is the issue of torturing terror suspects etc.

Perhaps it would be a good idea to find out the facts about this BEFORE making yourself look foolish?
Fact is that the vast majority of US Citizens are against torture.

I know I keep saying it, but thank goodness I live in the UK, which is far from perfect, but at least it is preferable to living in a gun toting society.

WTF does "gun toting" society have to do with animal cruelty?
Your completely irrelevant strawman is duly noted, perhaps you would like to get back on topic?

 

[Engyo]

Killing rats with a pitchfork wouldn't be tolerated either.

Tell me what you believe we should have done, inside a barn with only pitchforks in our hands, when we disturbed a nest of 21 rats? Should I have let the one that came at me just bite me, because it would be inhumane to protect myself against an animal so much smaller than myself? Should my farmer neighbor have just understood that the rats had a right to a portion of his grain, and shelter inside his barn?

I'd be willing to bet that a UK farmer who disturbed 21 rats in his barn wouldn't have just watched them all find nice new hiding places, and said "Good on ya, blokes!".

For that matter, what is the accepted method of dealing with mice in a home in the UK? Is it live and let live? Is there some humane method of convincing them to move, or do you use traps and poison on them?

 

[angellous_evangellous]

WTF does "gun toting" society have to do with animal cruelty?

Possibly because of people like me, who carry both a shotgun {for rattlesnakes} and a pistol {backup} when I'm working on the farm. Heck, I don't even need to get out of the tractor to shoot rattlers.

 

[Misty]

I won't post on this topic again as my blood pressure is likely to go through the roof, I am just so disgusted at the gungho attitude displayed on this topic!

 

[Revoltingest]

I won't post on this topic again as my blood pressure is likely to go through the roof, I am just so disgusted at the gungho attitude displayed on this topic!

Please come back later then....I think there's common ground once we get past the ick factor. (Your avatar looks really happy though.)
After all, we're both all about minimizing suffering.

 

[Engyo]

I won't post on this topic again as my blood pressure is likely to go through the roof, I am just so disgusted at the gungho attitude displayed on this topic!

You are misunderstanding something here. I DID NOT like doing what I did. I understood it to be necessary in that situation. Had there been another acceptable choice, which would not have led to even less desirable consequences, I would have taken that choice. There was none I could see at that time.

You seem to think that these situations were planned in advance, and that the participants enjoyed what was happening. You couldn't be more wrong. That doesn't absolve the person in the situation of making the best choice he or she can, whether or not it is a choice you approve of. No offense intended, but you would not last long living on a working farm.

 

[angellous_evangellous]

Please come back later then....I think there's common ground once we get past the ick factor. (Your avatar looks really happy though.)
After all, we're both all about minimizing suffering.

I think that people may imagine feral kittens as the furry little bundles of joy that we have as pets. Killing pets with a shovel is excessively brutal, but killing filthy kittens from a stray cat who is likely diseased and completely unfriendly to humans is another story. The shovel still seems like a bit of overkill - you may as well put them into a woodchipper - but you do save ammo.

I just wonder what the thinking would be from when you first saw the kittens and chose to dispose of them with a shovel. Heck, I'd even put them in the dumpster alive rather than do that and clean up the mess.