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Deer comforts dying cat
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21-06-2006 1:48pm#1Saw this reported in the States while I was there last week
Caption: A deer appears to comfort Sammy, who was critically ill with kidney failure.
BELLINGHAM, Wash. – Margie Scott was devastated when her 9-year-old cat Sammy was diagnosed with kidney failure, but she never could have predicted what would give her comfort during her pet’s last days.
Scott, who lives in an apartment just south of Lake Whatcom, had adopted the long-haired white and gray cat had when he was just six months old.
Last month, Sammy stopped eating his dry food and would sit in a corner for hours. Scott took him to the vet, who treated him for dehydration. But it wasn’t enough.
“He was better for awhile, but then he started going downhill,” she said. “He just had this haunted look in his eyes.”
Because Sammy was declawed, he was strictly an indoor cat. But he always wanted to go outside. So, in his dying days, Scott decided to let Sammy spend some time outside each day. Sammy enjoyed his time outside the apartment, which is surrounded by woods and wetlands.
A family of deer regularly visits the complex, and one day, Sammy happened to be sitting outside in the grass when two young deer happened by.
Scott watched in astonishment at what happened next.
“One walked up to Sammy and they touched noses,” she said. “The deer jumped back and made a sort of a snorting noise, like he was sneezing. It seemed like he was taken by surprise,” she said.
What she saw next was even more surprising.
”The deer started licking him all around the head and neck, and Sammy just sat there allowing the deer to do this,” said Scott.
For several minutes, the young deer licked the small cat. Scott grabbed her camera and got a picture of the tender scene.
“It was amazing,” she said. “I truly believe the deer was able to sense that there was something wrong with Sammy and that was why he started licking him, like he was trying to nurture him.”
Two days later, Sammy died.
Though Scott is still grieving the loss of her cherished pet, she takes comfort in the photo she has of Sammy and the deer.
“I have some amazing memories, including this one,” she said.0
Comments
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Grrr...maybe if the cat wasn't eating meat-flavoured cereal its whole life, he never woulda went into kidney failure in the first place.
I hate to take the sweetness out of the article, but I truly wish veterinarians would spread more awareness about the dangers of feeding pets dry kibble. It makes me so sad. 9 years old for a kitty is only about half of what its lifespan should be.
And the kitty was declawed, too. How sad.
At any rate, deer really are amazing creatures. It's refreshing to see that Sammy got some comfort during his last couple days on earth...0 -
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Declawing is a very painful and unnatural surgery, which would be similar to removing the first segments of all your fingers. Depending on where you go, the veterinarian may either use laser or scapel to complete the surgery, but the outcome is fairly similar. There is less bleeding with laser, and the healing time is shorter. But it is still very painful. Of course, most vets will offer prescriptions to completely dope up your kitty after the surgery, but it only dulls the pain, it doesn't take it away.fabcat wrote:Do you think de clawing is bad for a cat? I was going to get it done for mine 'cos she never goes outside, and doesn't use her claws when shes playing.
If the pain factor isn't enough to persuade you, you may stop to think about what her claws are there for; cats use their claws for scratching themselves, catching prey, climbing, and for defense. Your kitty may be an indoor kitty, but there is always a slight chance that she may escape one day, and if she has no claws, she may have no way to defend herself or catch food should the need arise.
If you are interested in getting her declawed because she is clawing your furniture, there are a number of ways to train her to stop, of which gentle discipline and redirection are just two examples.
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To maintain optimal health in an animal, we must think about how the animal's wild cousins maintain their health. These animals live their lives by three very basic principles: fresh food and water, daily exercise, and fresh air.the_syco wrote:Sorry about going Off Topic, but,
How so? My dog gets fed some Ceasar stuff out of a tin, but also alot of dry food from a bag (seemingly, so that it can crunch something: the Ceasar stuff is soft). Would this be bad for the dog?
For most people (myself included), it can be very difficult to give our animals a life similar to their wild cousins. This means abandoning almost everything we were ever taught about our pets, and starting from scratch. It means we can no longer use the phrase, "It's just a dog..." or "It's just a cat..."; it means we have to truly understand the mild consequences we may face in adopting a creature. We're not only the animal's family and pack-mate, we're the animal's care-taker. And it's up to us to provide the best living conditions possible for our pet.
Dry kibble is not a natural food. It (along with canned animal food) is made with the diseased by-products of the meat industry, the leftovers that are not fit for human consumption. If this wasn't bad enough, many dry kibble brands also use unnatural fillers such as cardboard and wood shavings in their foods. These aren't just extreme cases, these are standard cases. An animal fed nothing but dry kibble will have a poor-quality level of health, and will more often than not have a significantly shorter lifespan than an animal fed a proper diet of fresh, handmade food.
If you are still interested, I suggest checking out the following websites:
http://www.barfworld.com/
http://www.barfers.com/
http://rawfeddogs.net/
http://www.rawfoodlife.com/barf_faq.html
And for the kitties in your family:
http://catnutrition.org/
Good luck with your doggy! 0 -
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If you wouldn't eat it, why should your pet?Deacon Blues wrote:Just as well then that it's not for human consumption.
Are you saying that animals ... sorry, pets, should only be fed meat that is suitable for human consumption, and only 'natural foods' ??
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Deacon Blues wrote:Are you saying that animals ... sorry, pets, should only be fed meat that is suitable for human consumption, and only 'natural foods' ??
Of course.
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Excellent linkseiretamicha wrote:To maintain optimal health in an animal, we must think about how the animal's wild cousins maintain their health. These animals live their lives by three very basic principles: fresh food and water, daily exercise, and fresh air.
For most people (myself included), it can be very difficult to give our animals a life similar to their wild cousins. This means abandoning almost everything we were ever taught about our pets, and starting from scratch. It means we can no longer use the phrase, "It's just a dog..." or "It's just a cat..."; it means we have to truly understand the mild consequences we may face in adopting a creature. We're not only the animal's family and pack-mate, we're the animal's care-taker. And it's up to us to provide the best living conditions possible for our pet.
Dry kibble is not a natural food. It (along with canned animal food) is made with the diseased by-products of the meat industry, the leftovers that are not fit for human consumption. If this wasn't bad enough, many dry kibble brands also use unnatural fillers such as cardboard and wood shavings in their foods. These aren't just extreme cases, these are standard cases. An animal fed nothing but dry kibble will have a poor-quality level of health, and will more often than not have a significantly shorter lifespan than an animal fed a proper diet of fresh, handmade food.
If you are still interested, I suggest checking out the following websites:
http://www.barfworld.com/
http://www.barfers.com/
http://rawfeddogs.net/
http://www.rawfoodlife.com/barf_faq.html
And for the kitties in your family:
http://catnutrition.org/
Good luck with your doggy! 0 -
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eiretamicha wrote:If you wouldn't eat it, why should your pet?
Because they are animals !!!! Animals are not human !!!! Why does this confuse you. You said it yourself. "not fit for human consumption". This implies that it is fit for animal consumption, otherwise you would have used the "not fit for animal consumption". You talk about how our pets wild cousins maintain their health. Fresh food and water, daily exercise and fresh air. Now I don't profess to be an expert, but whenever I see wild dogs on natural history programs, very few of them are eating fresh meat. Mostly, they are scavaging from carcasses discarded by larger animals who have finished feeding, often when the carcase has been dead for several days in high temperatures. These animals do not get sick, yet a human would. This meat is not suitable for human consumption, but is suitable for animal consumption.
Many pets eat food which is indigestable by humans. Maybe you should go on a long journey of discovery, searching for grass that is 'fit for human consumption' to feed to pet goats. Let's know how you get on.0 -
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Your comment actually made me laugh at loud at work, and now I'm getting funny looks from my co-workers!Deacon Blues wrote:Because they are animals !!!! Animals are not human !!!! Why does this confuse you. You said it yourself. "not fit for human consumption". This implies that it is fit for animal consumption, otherwise you would have used the "not fit for animal consumption". You talk about how our pets wild cousins maintain their health. Fresh food and water, daily exercise and fresh air. Now I don't profess to be an expert, but whenever I see wild dogs on natural history programs, very few of them are eating fresh meat. Mostly, they are scavaging from carcasses discarded by larger animals who have finished feeding, often when the carcase has been dead for several days in high temperatures. These animals do not get sick, yet a human would. This meat is not suitable for human consumption, but is suitable for animal consumption.
Many pets eat food which is indigestable by humans. Maybe you should go on a long journey of discovery, searching for grass that is 'fit for human consumption' to feed to pet goats. Let's know how you get on.
Use your thinker and re-read what I wrote. Just because something is not fit for human consumption does not mean that it IS fit for animal consumption. Mmm...diseased, rotting meat. Let's feed it to our dogs and cats and let them maintain a sub-standard level of health because they're just not worth the money it takes to feed them real food.
Most wild dogs DO try and catch their own fresh meat. When this is not possible, they will eat whatever they can to survive. Dogs are best described as opportunistic omnivores. They will eat both meat and plant matter, and prefer all of it fresh. When they eat decaying organic matter, they DO INDEED get sick, and some of them die. But they do what they must in order to survive.
If you, sir, wish to spend thousands in vet bills when your animals reach the mid-point of their lives and can no longer be described as "healthy", then go on ahead and keep feeding your animals food that is not even worthy of that name. Or perhaps you are one of the "Ah sure it's just a dog"-thinking types of people. In that case, you'd probably just shoot the poor creature once it shows signs of poor health anyway.
As I am, myself, a vegetarian, and one that tries to eat organic as much as possible, I would indeed try to feed my goats grasses (*gasp* yes, there are grasses that humans can digest--imagine that!) and vegetable products that are fit for human consumption: organic, fresh, and pure food.
It truly isn't that difficult a concept to grasp. But for some, this way of open-minded thinking is beyond reach. And, unfortunately, I don't have much patience for blatant ignorance, so please excuse the semi-emotional rant.
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I might just do that thanksEGAR wrote:Tallus, maybe he just ate too much. If he is reating rabbit, make sure you have him wormed regularly (sp?).
Sarah 0 -
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You must also remember that the very people who lavish attention on animals usually care very much for the plight of humans, and not just in their own cities and towns, but throughout the world.Deacon Blues wrote:Semi-emotional rant excused.
I don't have pets, and although I like dogs and would like one, I know that I don't have the time or energy to commit to one, and so would not consider owning one. I don't normally visit this board, but the thread title caught my eye on the main page and I dropped in. On that note, fascinating story, and apologies to the OP for my part in hijacking the thread.
While I would I would not be of the "Ah sure it's just a dog"-thinking types of people, I would hold a very firm distinction between human and animal life, and find very annoying when people lavish attention on animals and ignore the plight of humans in their own cities and towns.
As I said, I'm not a pet person. I dropped in out of curiosity after seeing a thread title, but won't be staying. I'll leave you all to your discussions, and wish you many years of companionship and fun with your animal friends.
A caring human does not choose what to care about, she simply cares. 0 -
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