Always follow your gut!

Mer.kitten

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So the day before yesterday i was walking from my house to my car, which was parked maybe 5 houses down from mine. I heard a very loud meow, then another, then another, like a distressed kitty. I followed the sound across the street and over to a house. The way some houses are built here theres a sort of inner courtyard, people store their bikes there, and theres like a metal gate, but air can get through, its open to the elements. So i look in and theres a gorgeous black kitty. (The cat cant get outside).

So im like ok, he looks well fed, hes just ready to come in so thats why hes meowing. So i walk away but im still a tiny bit worried-they dont leave him there all the time, right?

The very next evening around 7 i leave the house & hear him meowing again!

I debate a minute and im like screw it, and i go over and ring the door bell.

An older asian man comes downstairs, and i say in the most politest voice i can "hi, im sorry to bother you, but i live across the street and was walking by and i heard your kitty crying, i just wanted to make sure hes ok"

He looked at me in total confusion and said "kitty? Street?" Turns out he spoke little english. I tried a couple more times and finally ended up pantomiming a cat with my hands like claws, saying "your kitty! Meow meow..." and then "is he ok?"

And finally he got it 😄
He said "ohh, the kitty! Yes he ok, just we eat, so put downstairs, he ok, he ok". I could see that he got that i was worried about the cat. So basically when they eat the cat bugs them for food (which i honestly get, Honeybunny does the same & sometimes i have to put her in the other room til we're done).

I also realized both times it was like 7pm, so it makes sense. I thanked him for coming down and said i was sorry to bother him and wished him a good night & he said the same.

Hopefully he got that it was pure concern for the cat & i wasnt trying to be rude- i think he did.

Point is, was i being a busybody? Idk, but i know if i hadnt checked i'd still be worrying that the cat was stuck down there all the time.

They dont have a voice. WE'RE their voice. I felt so much better after i went and checked on him.
 

Krienze

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I don't think you were being a busybody.

The other day my mom and I were driving home and we almost hit a beagle who came out of no where. We stopped and got out to check her out just to be on the safe side and were concerned because she was kind of swaying and looked out of it, plus she had welts and stuff all over her, def looked old. So we pulled in and honked a few times to see if we could get the homeowners attention since we're pretty sure it was their dog. This old guy came out and I kid you not told me "Oh she's fine, we let her wander. We retired her, we figured she'll go off and die when she's ready." I've been wrestling with the idea of calling animal control, but I also know animal control here isn't the kindest. It's hard to know what to do in some situations.

I think you did the right thing checking.
 
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Mer.kitten

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Thank you! And omg, that "owner". "She'll go off and die when she's ready??

Why do you say animal control there isnt the kindest-are you worried they'd just euthanize her?

I agree, its hard to know what to do. Part of me was like, the cat is inside their gate-its just meowing. Am i overreacting? But as soon as i did it i knew it was the right decision.
 

Krienze

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Why do you say animal control there isnt the kindest-are you worried they'd just euthanize her?
So, where I live is on the border of two parishes. One parish has an animal control, the other doesn't.
The Animal Control on the side that the people live on simply put sick animals down with no attempts at helping them recover. I do understand its an expense but the dog seems like some vet care could extend her life, so I'm afraid to call and have her life ended. At the same time, I'm so afraid she'll get hurt just 'wandering'
The people themselves are NUTS, they have like four dogs that they leave chained up outside with a car top as a 'dog house'
 

Silver Crazy

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Years ago a friend and I were in the same position whether to call the dog pound to rescue a dog.
His neighbors had a Malamute that they left chained to a pole in their back yard.
All day the dog whined and was pushing a ball under the dividing fence hoping some one would push it back and play for a bit.
My friend called and said his neighbors had gone away for the weekend and left the dog and asked if I would give him a hand in getting the dog.away from there.

We "kidnapped"the dog and drove it 4 hours away to a farm and he has lived out his life in doggy paradise on a horse stud and earned his living keeping the Dingos and wild dogs away from the horses..
Sometime you just go to bite the bullet and fix it yourselves.
 
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Mer.kitten

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Years ago a friend and I were in the same position whether to call the dog pound to rescue a dog.
His neighbors had a Malamute that they left chained to a pole in their back yard.
All day the dog whined and was pushing a ball under the dividing fence hoping some one would push it back and play for a bit.
My friend called and said his neighbors had gone away for the weekend and left the dog and asked if I would give him a hand in getting the dog.away from there.

We "kidnapped"the dog and drove it 4 hours away to a farm and he has lived out his life in doggy paradise on a horse stud and earned his living keeping the Dingos and wild dogs away from the horses..
Sometime you just go to bite the bullet and fix it yourselves.

Thats awesome! Im 100% ok with that. Police cant fix everything, nor can animal control. Sometimes regulations are lax, employees are understaffed, shelters are full, & sometimes the people who are supposed to care just dont. In those cases, its up to us to step in and do whats right.

Also, ivr never understood why one would get a dog just to chain it outside. Dogs are meant to be inside with their people, lounging on the kitchen floor waiting for a tidbit while ypu cook dinner, sleeping next to (or on) your bed at night. Dogs are family.
 

Maria Bayote

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They dont have a voice. WE'RE their voice. I felt so much better after i went and checked on him.
You did the right thing. One time my husband and I also saw a chowchow dog outside a gated villa. Whenever we come near him, to coax him to our car, he'd run away but will return to the same front of the house, so we figured he could be a resident in that house. So we pressed the doorbell, nobody answered. Knocked on the gate hard several times, and an elderly lady went to the gate. Turned out the door bell wasn't working. I asked if this was their dog, and she said yes. But she seemed not too happy. She did not even call the dog or pat its head. I saw the dog came back to the house through the gate with heavy heart, and hope in all my heart he is being treated well. I told myself if ever I see the dog again outside it probably means he being there is intentional.

This old guy came out and I kid you not told me "Oh she's fine, we let her wander. We retired her, we figured she'll go off and die when she's ready."
This breaks my heart. :(
 
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