Conference misery::feline_v1

    
    
    	The poor little thing!  =(
    
    	I hope and pray that little Charlie pulls through.  Your
    	girlfriend must be worried sick.
    
    	JJ
    

    Does your girlfriend know whose dog it is?? *They* should pay for
    the vet bills.  We send her our prayers and hope Charlie makes it
    and grows up to be a big cat and kick that dog's butt!!!! PLEASE
    keep us posted.  
    
    Robyn, Rocky & Smokey

    
    	Our prayers are with Charlie.  Our curses with the dog.
    
    Bob, Smoke, Sneakers, Nova & the Combat Kittens
    

         Here's some more prayers for Charlie ...
    
    					- Andrea

    Here are some prayers for Charlie, and please let us know how he
    is doing.
    
    Karen, Sweetie, Holly, and Little Bit
    

    
    Our good wishes go out to Charlie too...
    
    
    Feline Hopeful for a full recovery,
    
    Sue & Panther & Spot

    
    
    well my girlfriend called, and Charlie is doing better.  He made it
    through the night - which was the vet's biggest concern.  He is
    breathing normally, and isn't bleeding anywhere.  He has also had
    lots of antibiotics, and will have to have them when he returns home -
    which is tonight....  yeah.  Unfortunatly, both eyes are swollen shut
    and his face is cut and bruised, and there is still chance for
    infection.....but he's fighting for his life!
    
    I was too upset this a.m. to get into the story, but charlie was next
    door because the people were thinking about adopting him.  The dog
    apparently likes cats, but they just had a new baby, and the probably
    bringing charlie in, freaked him out.  I think the dog went to be put
    down, because he has developed a `biting' problem.....the woman left in
    such a fury, and the dog hasn't been seen since (and she was threating 
    to do so, because he had snapped at the baby, child and hubby......not
    cool)

    attaboy, charlie!   you can do it...
    
    diane, stella & stanley
    

    We're so glad that Charlie is doing better.  Poor little thing.
    My worst fear for my kids is dogs.  I lost Ginger years ago to a
    dog that broke her back.  It took a looooonnnnggg time to get over
    that one.  Hope his little face clears up.
    
    Kitten Kisses,
    
    Robyn, Rocky & Smokey

    Sounds like Charlie is a spunky little fellow!
    
    I am so relieved to hear he is doing well and that he will be returning
    home tonight.
    
    Sending loads of hugs and love,
    
    Marilyn, Otis and Tiffany
    

       I know I'm going to catch hell for this..but I'm speaking as an
    owner of BOTH dogs and cats..
    
      While I hate to see ANY animal get hurt, and I hope that the little
    guy recovers and lives to a ripe old age, I MUST take issue with those
    who have blasted the dog for this. As the story was related, this dog
    is currently going through a terrible ordeal itself. A new baby, and
    the distrust that the family seems to be showing to him, combined with
    a sense of being abandoned in favor of the newcomer...has probably got
    this poor dog feeling like its not wanted. It was probably an "only
    child" before the new baby came, and now it is being pushed away and
    ignored when it SHOULD be given special attention. I have to disagree
    that this is a viscious dog without seeing much more evidence. It is
    NOT UNCOMMON for a dog to become a bit unhappy and to nip under such
    circumstances. 
    
      I would be more apt to blame the owners of the dog..who SHOULD have
    seen what was happening and should have been extremely cautious about
    exposing an emotionally traumatized dog to a kitten under these
    circumstances. 
    
      I ahve a BIG problem with people who kill their former "best friends"
    simply because they haven't taken time nor effort to understand what the
    introduction of a new baby or other animal will do to an animal that's
    become accustomed to being the "only" kid in the house... 
    
        How would YOU feel????  It seems that this dog has now been
    sentenced to DEATH because it acted just like most animals would under
    the same circumstances... Somehow I cannot see this as a good solution.
    If that were the solution to the problem with the second baby in the
    house, we'd have a lot of 3 or 4 year old children "put to sleep" every
    year in this world!!
    
    
      John McD

    I agree, I feel sorry for the dog too.  What on earth goes on with
    people who have babies and then neglect their previous "babies"?
    What kind of human parents are they going to be?
    
    Most of us would have sense enough not to let our neighbors bring a new
    animal into our house if one of our animals was freaked out, I
    would think.
    

    Re: .11

    I agree with you. 

    Many accidents happen because people just don't *think*. The dog
    was known to bite and the owners should have had the foresight to
    keep it away from a small kitten. The dog needs some training (at
    the least), not a death sentence.

    I hope little Charlie has a full and speedy recovery!

    Linda

    I think that most animals that react the way the dog did, do so
    out of extreme fear - the poor dog was probably terrified.
    Guess someone ought to write a book on cat/dog/baby/child/adult
    introductions !!  
    
    E.

    I too aggree with .11!
    
    They really aren't going to - did they already ? - put the dog to
    sleep?  Wait a minute - I don't want to know....I can barely type this
    with the tears I have in my eyes.
    
    I am praying that Charlie survives his devasting attack and I hope
    the poor dog SURVIVES!
    
    Marilyn
    

    
    Wait!  Is this dog perhaps one of the bigger breeds?  And is he perhaps
    around age 5 or older?  lots of big dogs are known to lose it around
    that age.  When you've got an infant in the house, sometimes that
    child's life is more important than the life of an animal.  What if the
    dog bit the infant?  That childs face could look like Charlie's!  At
    that point, it doesn't really matter that the owners should have been
    more sensitive to the needs of the dog.  I'm sure that having a baby
    probably has them in alot of turmoil and it may have never occured to
    them that the dog would be upset.  There are LOTS of ways to look at
    this situation!  I do however agree that the owners should have been
    more careful with the kitten.  
    
    Rachael
    

      Re .16
      Sure...I agree... What if this were a 6 year old child?? Should you
    maybe TRAIN the child instead of having it put to sleep??
    
      I am a TOTAL believer inthe old saying "There ARE NO bad dogs...only
    BAD OWNERS!. From the little evidence presented, this dog ONLY began to
    exhibit this type of behavior when the baby arrived. MOST animals
    exhibit some traumatic reactions when this sort of thin happens. Look
    back a few notes and you'll see one where a guy is about ready to dump
    two cats along the highway because of the EXACT sort of abberation.
    
      I also HIGHLY dispute your contention that big dogs have a tendency
    to "lose it" at some age or another. I've had dogs 'n cats all my
    life....We CURRENTLY have NINE DOGS----FOUR of which I'd consider at
    least "not small"...and they live in peaceful co-existence and
    friendship with FOUR CATS...ALL IN THE HOUSE with us.. We've NEVER had
    any big problems with testiness, rivalries, animosity because we SIMPLY
    WON'T ALLOW IT!! And we DO NOT believe in physical violence with ANY
    animal...we DO NOT HIT ANY OF OUR ANIMALS. WE TRAIN THEM!!! And it's
    EASY to train an animal.. Harder to do so with a cat, but it CAN be
    done. Dogs are the MOST eager to please, and this dog is being UNFAIRLY
    criticized for being a dog..when the REAL culprits COULD be the dog's
    owners. 
    
      I also have three sisters who all have kids...and I KNOW how new
    parents have a tendency to fawn over the new kid and totally ignore
    even older kids in the family... 
    
      If this dog's owners would simply use their heads and train this
    animal they would MOST likely have a protector and companion for that
    child that couldn't be duplicated!! My Dad had a dog when I was
    born...and this dog would watch and guard me when I was a small child
    like a policeman. We had snakes on the farm where I was born..but my
    Mom never worried about us kids...Shep wouldn't ALLOW anything to come
    near us...and I've seen him take a 7 foot snake behind it's head and
    whip it back and forth until the snake was DEAD! 
    
      John McD

    Poor Charlie :-( I hope he makes a full recovery quickly. He must
    have been so frightened. I saw a dos attack a cat when I was on holiday
    in Turkey a couple of years ago. While I stood there clutching my face
    and crying, my fiance Rob rushed over and pulled the dog off! My hero!!!
    
    Whoops, just re-read this - I meant dog not dos.
    
    Please let us know how Charlie is getting along.
    
    Gentle hugs,
    
    Lisa plus Pookie.
    

    What an awful story. Poor poor charlie, I do hope he makes a full
    recovery and quickly. I'll be checking this note regularly for the
    latest news. You will have to nurse him very carefully for a long
    time. 
    
    I had a kitten who was injured badly when he was very young,
    though not as young as Charlie. I don't know the cause of the injury
    but the vet thought he might have cut his paw on some glass, or
    worse some human had inflicted the injury - it was a long deep clean
    cut. Anyway he lost masses of blood & had to have loads of stitches
    & was bandaged up for ages. He made a full recovery but for ages
    he was terrified of everything & everyone. He accepted me again
    after a few days and my other cat after a little longer but that
    was about it. Any visitors to my home send him straight to his secret
    hiding place. Any sudden movement, even by me & he jumps & runs
    off. 
    
    Well that was about 3 years ago & he is still a nervous cat & still
    afraid of strangers. He gets used to people slowly but when he's
    met someone several times & got used to the sound of their voice
    he will even let them pet him now. My other cat is really friendly
    & people naturally pet him straight away. Pip is initially so hostile
    they tend to ignore him & of course that makes him worse. I learnt
    to encourage people to approach him too, but gently & that seems
    to have worked. He'll never be as trusting as his brother but perhaps
    thats a good thing.
    
    I hope Charlie doesn't react the same way but if he does I know
    you'll have lots of love & patience to help him through.
    
    I hope the dog didn't get put down. No animal deserves that kind
    of treatment for following its instincts. I agree it should be trained.
    As for the people lets hope they learnt something from
    this.............some people shouldn't be allowed to keep pets.
    
    Take care
    
    Rosemary, Pip & Domino
    
    

    I also said my prayers for Charlie.  I hope he's doing well.
    
    My first instinct too was to curse the dog.  But I thought -
    Many of us don't harbor resentment towards cats who kill birds
    or mice because its instinctive for them to do that.  I think that
    its also instinctive for some dogs to hunt.  That doesn't make it
    right and it doesn't mean that the dog shouldn't be trained, it
    just means a little more understanding is in order.
    
    My parents had their first dog, a cocker spaniel, put to sleep 
    because he was a biter.  I don't know any details other than
    my mother had to wear long sleeved blouses to cover the scars
    on her arms and no one could enter the kitchen when Duke was
    eating.  When they got me they were worried that Duke would bite
    me so they decided to euthanize him.  My mother insisted on 
    being there when the dog was put to sleep because she wanted to
    make sure he wasn't used for research.  I know it was one of
    the most painful decisions my parents have ever had to do make.
    
    They got another cocker spaniel shortly after that - Duchess -
    who was the sweetest thing on four legs and who was my best friend
    until I was 9 years old when she died.  I don't know if this
    was personality or if there was something significantly different
    in the environment when we got Duchess.  Duke had always been
    nasty and had given them plenty of bites before they got me so
    I don't think it was related to a new child.  
    
    So I don't know if there truely are "no bad dogs" but I do know
    that the decision to put an animal down is a hard one and hopefully
    one that's only made after considerable thought.
    
      Maybe things should have been different...I don't know. 
    
      Just my $.02
      Nancy DC

	RE: .11  

	You said it John!!  I greet completely!!  

	I've seen the results of mishandling a dog through ignorance... and
    considering the dogs intelligence and potential - it was SHAMEFUL!  


    Hope Charlie is doing better!

				-Caroline

Re: .19

>    					My other cat is really friendly
>    & people naturally pet him straight away. Pip is initially so hostile
>    they tend to ignore him & of course that makes him worse. I learnt
>    to encourage people to approach him too, but gently & that seems
>    to have worked. He'll never be as trusting as his brother but perhaps

When my cats Alfie and Junie were alive, Alfie was very much the dominant
cat though they got along very well. Junie was very timid whenever I had
company and would run into the bedroom when anyone arrived, so Alfie got
all the attention. Junie would eventually come out and just sit in the 
doorway of the room we were in. After Alfie died, Junie blossomed. He
became such a people cat. He would welcome all visitors, roll over to be
petted, and get up in their laps. By the way, this new self-confidence
came when Junie was 13 years old.

One of my current cats, Tweetie, was extremely afraid of strangers
when I got her as an adult stray. When someone new came to the house
she would run to the upstairs bedroom and hide under the bed until they
left. She lost her fear when I started to occasionally go away for 
weekends and had different friends come in to feed the cats. She now is 
quite comfortable with strangers; she'll sit with us in the livingroom 
and look for her share of attention, purring all the while. 

It *is* possible for cats to change. Sometimes they need our help (love,
patience, understanding, perhaps some creative ideas, and time) and 
sometimes they will do it on their own. I never try to predict my cats 
behavior any more because I have been proved wrong many times.    

Linda

    
    
    HOLD IT FOLKS!!!!!!!!!
    
    I didn't enter any info to start a barrage of upset notes regarding the
    dog.  I did not give you the full picture.  The dog is a problem biter,
    and the people are concerned he'll bite the wrong person and they'll 
    get sued.  It wasn't just a warning nip, Charlie is hurt real serious!
    The dog also bit the man, who has several long and nasty scars on his
    legs.  I do not feel comfortable near this dog, at all!
    
    I also agree w/ the noters who said there are no bad dogs, I want to 
    extend it to all animals.  However, sometimes there are situations
    which need to be addressed.  This is one.  Any of you people who
    are against the euthansia of this dog want to offer it a home instead????
    
    Back to Charlie......He is doing okay, he is sore and somewhat
    uncomfortable due to his face being swollen and bruised.   both eyes
    are swollen shut.  I'll be seeing him later tonite....to give him all
    his warm wishes and hugs.
    
    
    I'll post an update on his recovery as it changes, but it looks like
    he'll recover okay.  Thanks for all the prayers guyes!  I'm sure it
    helped Charlie recover!
    
    Michele & Nippa (and Charlie)

    So glad to hear that Charlie is coming along.  I hope the swelling
    comes down soon so that he will be more comfortable.
    
    Still sending prayers and soft kisses to Charlie!
    
    Marilyn, Otis & Tiffany
    

      Re .23
      I don't think that's what we did... All we did was express concern
    that the CORRECT thing was at least TRIED. If, on the other hand,
    this dog IS a serious problem,the euthanasia IS an alternative. It's as
    easy for a dog to be mentally unbalanced as it is for a human or any
    other animal for that matter. My point SHOULD have been fairly easy to
    discern...I wasn't saying that this dog should be saved at ANY cost. If
    the animal has a HISTORY of being a problem, ther could be some other
    underlying cause...such as a possible tumor, bad environment since
    puppyhood, etc..
    
      As for taking the dog and giving it a home... I think I'm doing MY
    part already.... I currently have NINE dogs and FOUR cats that were
    ALL---100%---on "Death Row!!! All of these animals are LIVING EXAMPLES
    of HUMAN IRRESPONSIBILITY.... And we love them all, and do not regret
    for a minute giving them happy, safe, and loving homes...but It DOES
    get to a point where enuf is enuf...any more and the care and attention
    would simply become too widespread and thin...
    
    JMcD 

    Hi
    
    I hope Charlie finds the strength to pull through.
    
    Best wishes,
    
    Karen (and Georgie)

    
    
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    			Scruffy and Dudley Road gang
    
    			have their paws together for Charlie..........
    
    
    
    					AMEN......