# Kitten abuse?



## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

I was out walking at lunchtime and ran into a couple with a kitten on a leash. A tiny, little kitten. Who in their right mind puts a kitten on a leash on a hot day on the sidewalk in the middle of downtown at lunchtime with cars, people, trolleys, police cars???? The poor thing was terrified!! I was very nice and oohed and awwwed over her. I told the guy that the sidewalk might be too hot. He said that it wasn't. She was cowering under a tree and refused to move. This little girl looked like a Burmese or maybe a Siamese, and she couldn't have been any more than 8-9 weeks old. I knelt down and petted her. Poor little girl. He said when he carried her, she almost peed on him. I said it was because she's just scared. He said she has to get used to it and has to learn to pee outside. 

O.M.G.

On the way back from my walk, I was so worked up over this, I was going to offer the couple $300 for the little girl (I figured that would be an amount they couldn't turn down), but I couldn't find them. I was angry about this all afternoon.

Guess I still am.


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## Sinatra-Butters (Aug 9, 2010)

I would be mad too!! I would have given them a piece of my mind!


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

I told them about the traffic, the heat, the noise, the baby paws on the hot sidewalk, while trying to be really nice, but they just didn't care. I really, really tried to get him to carry her for a while, but he didn't want to get peed on. And his slobby wife didn't care at all. They were a youngish couple, mid-20's maybe. Idiots.


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## Leazie (Apr 14, 2007)

You were so much more diplomatic than I would have been. I would have called animal control.

Poor baby.


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## Two Siamese (Aug 20, 2011)

You are a good person. They are idiots!


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## tghsmith (Dec 9, 2010)

I once told a person with a puppy on a hot day " put your palm on that pavement and see how long you keep it there" after about a minute he relized the errors of his ways..


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## christinaja (Aug 28, 2011)

OMG! Poor baby! I for one, hate to see kitties on a leash. They're not like dogs, they don't see their humans as their "masters." And making your cat pee outside when their instinct is to potty someplace they can cover it up(litterbox) is ridiculous. Honestly, I hope you see them again, so you can educate them. Clearly they're not cat people!


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## BotanyBlack (Apr 6, 2011)

christinaja said:


> OMG! Poor baby! I for one, hate to see kitties on a leash. They're not like dogs, they don't see their humans as their "masters."


my cat was leash trained. I live in town and the only time he went outdoors was on a leash. he always got excited when he saw his leash. you just can't walk them the same ways as a dog. I never walked him on hot pavement though just in grass. otherwise i carried him. So its not the idea of the leash but that some people are idiots and shouldn't have the cat in the first place.


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## christinaja (Aug 28, 2011)

BotanyBlack said:


> my cat was leash trained. I live in town and the only time he went outdoors was on a leash. he always got excited when he saw his leash. you just can't walk them the same ways as a dog. I never walked him on hot pavement though just in grass. otherwise i carried him. So its not the idea of the leash but that some people are idiots and shouldn't have the cat in the first place.


I should have stated that better...I did mean people trying to "walk" their cats like a dog.


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## BotanyBlack (Apr 6, 2011)

christinaja said:


> I should have stated that better...I did mean people trying to "walk" their cats like a dog.


no offense taken here. :cool I still think they shouldn't have a cat, or need a bit of education on it..

Anyway if they were walking it in the area, most likely you will see them again, good luck.


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## Ted (Aug 28, 2011)

Marie, I applaud your efforts to educate these people. You remained calm and thought of the cat first. I'm not sure I could have remained as calm.

Did you mention you have cats of your own (I'm sure you did!)? I would think that comment would allow them to listen to you. It's like new parents seeking the advice of people who have had babies. I know I'd be VERY open to advice.

You should have told him that pee stains can be removed from a shirt with a lot less effort that a cat's paws first- or second-degree burns.

Being a guy, I can tell you that it was probably a matter of pride for this guy to hear advice from a stranger, let alone a female stranger. Regardless, that's no excuse for his now thinking of the kitten's welfare.

I'll be praying that they get an education and that your encounter sticks in their mind for a while.


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## catloverami (Jul 5, 2010)

Yes, that kitty was being abused. No small 8 wk. old kitten should be on a leash, especially a collar or even a harness, let alone being dragged around on a busy street on a hot day. Thank you, Marie, for _trying _to educate them. I would be mad as a wet hen too if I'd seen that.


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## librarychick (May 25, 2008)

While I don't think that the leash and (hopefully) harness itself is abuse having a kitten in a downtown area when the sidewalk is hot and there's tons of things going on isn't right. IMO kittens at that age should be mostly staying at home, or visiting a pet safe area for a short time, during a slow time of day.

I did take both Muffin and Doran out on a harness and leash when they were that age, but one at a time. We would go to a pet store, or a field, and stay for a short time while they explored. If they showed any signs of stress I would pick them up and find a quiet spot so they could settle, then do something positive before we left. Now they both love their harness and leash. Muffin loves going to Petsmart! He gets all excited when he sees the store, and fusses while I carry him in because he'd rather walk.

I definitely would have given them some tips about kitten care and overwhelming a new pet...they really don't sound like the type of people who would care or act on it though.


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## saitenyo (Nov 28, 2010)

Ughhh that would make me furious too.

Chances are they're ruining their chances of that poor kitten ever being comfortable on a leash by exposing her to such a stressful situation. I never walk Athena near cars or where there's a lot of commotion. Cats on leashes seem much happier when they think they're dragging you around while they explore, rather than being "walked."


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## Sinatra-Butters (Aug 9, 2010)

I put Sinatra on a leash but he just wanders in the yard and eats grass.

If you see them again you should take the kitten and RUN.


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## MowMow (Nov 6, 2010)

Not that I think they should have ANY animal, they don't deserve it, but ...if you want a pet that is small and cute and walks on a leash and does its business outside why wouldn't you get a little DOG.... why on earth would you get a cat?

Morons.


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## BotanyBlack (Apr 6, 2011)

MowMow said:


> Not that I think they should have ANY animal, they don't deserve it, but ...if you want a pet that is small and cute and walks on a leash and does its business outside why wouldn't you get a little DOG.... why on earth would you get a cat?
> 
> Morons.


little cats don't yip as much as little dogs? :shock: just kidding.


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Oh Marie, you were doing a good job already. I would have likely ended up in jail for beating the guy up or would have also offered a cash incentive to give it up. Then again, who's to say if they'll do it again with another cat.

There's so many injustices and I think I would be in a state of constant apoplexy if I were to do something about all of them. But yeah, should have told the guy to put his hand on the pavement and see how long he'd last. What a sorry excuse for a human being.


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## jmurray01 (May 5, 2011)

They couldn't have had a brain cell between them!


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## Sinatra-Butters (Aug 9, 2010)

MowMow said:


> Not that I think they should have ANY animal, they don't deserve it, but ...if you want a pet that is small and cute and walks on a leash and does its business outside why wouldn't you get a little DOG.... why on earth would you get a cat?
> 
> Morons.


They could just de-bark it if it makes too much noise.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Ted said:


> Did you mention you have cats of your own (I'm sure you did!)?


I'm a little embarrassed that I resorted to lying to try to get my point across. I told them I raised Himalayan cats.....

They didn't care.


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## dweamgoil (Feb 3, 2010)

Ugh! People like that get me so angry. I once went to a house with a small kitten who had been declawed while the small male child who lived in the house tortured the poor kitten relentlessly. I was furious. The parents thought it was ok as long as the kid did not get hurt by the bad cat.

More than likely that poor kitten you saw today will end up in a shelter in a few months...sadly.


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## Mitts & Tess (Sep 4, 2004)

The world is not short of fools. Atleast you stepped forward trying to help that defenseless kitten. What a couple of dunder heads. 

I always ruminate at what I should have said or done after the fact when those type situations come up.


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## Vivid Dawn (May 31, 2010)

marie73 said:


> I'm a little embarrassed that I resorted to lying to try to get my point across. I told them I raised Himalayan cats.....
> 
> They didn't care.


Actually, it wasn't a total lie. You said you RAISED them... wasn't Cinderella a Himalayan? She certainly looks like it! And you did raise her (in the concept of taking care of her as she ages).
It would have been a lie if you said you bred them  As I'm assuming Cinderella was spayed.


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## marie73 (Jul 12, 2006)

Cinderella was a Birman, Gigi is a Himalayan. I picked her up really high sometimes, so technically, I do raise Himmies. :grin:



Mitts & Tess said:


> The world is not short of fools. At least you stepped forward trying to help that defenseless kitten. What a couple of dunder heads.
> 
> I always ruminate at what I should have said or done after the fact when those type situations come up.


I keep feeling like I failed that little girl, but I didn't want to make the owners mad or they'd probably take it out on her. Hopefully, they at least carried her part of the way home.


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## Alpaca (Dec 21, 2009)

Don't be so hard on yourself. Most people would just pass them by, at least you tried to talk some sense into them. As bad as it sounds, we can't save them all, we can only try.


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## bluemilk (Oct 3, 2005)

Here's something:MAYBE you planted a good seed. Maybe this couple will come around,and say,'you know it IS kinda hot for her to be walking on a leash' If you see them again,give them a piece of your mind-REMEMBER, you can do it NICELY. Still,what a pair of maroons.


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## katlover13 (Apr 15, 2008)

Oh, it will all be OK. Those are the kind of people who will dump her at a shelter when things get just a little bit tough. Then she will be adopted by a loving person into her forever home where she will be loved and cherished for the rest of her life as she deserves. (We can only hope.)
Poor sweet kitty. Jeeze I HATE people like that! Marie, I hope some your words got through their thick noggins.


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